Will this experimental Indie transform the 3D Platformer genre, or will it be a shadow of what could be?

SCHiM caught my attention very early on in its life cycle. Its unconventional approach to character roles (Which I’m a HUGE fan of) and killer game concept was enough to draw me in. Duo Developers Ewoud van der Werf and Nils Slijkerman have created a fresh, artistic experience that transforms 3D platforming into something seldom seen. Find out more in our SCHiM Review!

SCHiM Review – Story

You play the role of a SCHiM, a being that depicts the soul or essence of a creature/item. Inhabiting the shadow of the protagonist, the intro is a brief montage of experiences from throughout their life from childhood to adulthood — with you being present through your human’s moments of love, friendship, and loss. The narrative kicks off with a series of unfortunate happenings, culminating in your human walking home in a slump after being freshly let go from their job. A bad stumble later and you find yourself untethered from each other, body and soul now no longer as one. What follows is a frustrating cat and mouse game that leads across land, water and air — with your counterpart always being just out of reach, even when logic tells you they aren’t.

This game is no Ugly Duckling.

SCHiM’s narrative is largely up to interpretation, with small cutscenes playing in and around vignette-like stages. The story unfortunately ends up being uneventful and strangely paced for most of the game, only being remedied closer to the end. The world ended up feeling quite shallow, occupied by filler to make it seem lively. I was constantly wishing for a side quest to appear halfway through one of the larger levels, giving me an opportunity to break up the repetition and maybe help others rediscover their lost mojo.

SCHiM Review – Gameplay

SCHiM is ostensibly a 3D Platformer, you play a murky mudskipper-like creature leaping between shadows being cast by everything from a cat, a telephone pole or a garbage truck. Swimming through inky blackness like a Splatoon Squid, and soaring through the air with freeing, floaty leaps is satisfying and accessible. Much like a mudskipper, SCHiMs can exist outside of puddles (of shadow) for a limited time allowing for a small, secondary jump just in case you need that extra bit of distance.

There are some exciting interactions to be found around the world.

The fluid movement is complimented by the many interactable elements found throughout the world, such as a clothesline that bounces you high in the air, or standing frame that can fling you long distances. The two-man development team did a great job at crafting realistic feeling shadows, shifting and warping depending on the position of the light source and subject whilst being further manipulated by flashing headlights or lightning. These objects and shadows give the game an air of experimentation, if only for moments at a time.

Counting sheep is ok but have you tried jumping sheep?

While there is certainly some weight in SCHiM’s levels, there is plenty of chaff. I appreciated that the game never held my hand, allowing me figure things out for myself, I would have preferred a little more direction on the larger and mentally taxing levels. The game also has a bad habit of breaking flow by requiring you to wait for things to latch onto the shadow of, like a speeding car or a circling bird. These gripes aren’t representative of the entire game as there are some standout levels scattered sparingly across the campaign.

Dark levels slow the game down and become more puzzle-ish.

The game’s peaks came from two extremes in gameplay, one allowing the player to enter a flow state shadow-hop with ease, with the other slowing the game down for more cerebral, puzzle-focused levels. The latter example is exemplified in the night time levels of SCHiM. With no sun in the sky, the player is forced to interact a lot more and plan their route across the stage accordingly due to the limited number of shadows available to them.

SCHiM Review – Visuals

SCHiM harbours a simple palette that is utilized well, evoking different emotions and depicting various times of the day. The art direction was by far my favourite part of the game, with the duo of Dutch Developers able to convey so much with so little.

Go for a jog, or a swim.

The world of SCHiM is minimalistic, with a beautiful line art aesthetic that focuses the player’s attention elsewhere. The choice to have shadows contrast with every other element in the world, almost like you’re in a separate plane of existence, drives home the importance of the pitch-dark puddles you dwell in. It also adds to the feeling of isolation in a vast, unfamiliar world the story aims to portray.

SCHiM Review – Audio

SCHiM’s auditory experience is one of pleasant relaxation. It’s understated ambient soundtrack pairs nicely with the simple art style, while the foley takes charge to emphasize the impact of existing in the essence of an object or person. Check out below an example of one track that is part relaxing and a little bit fun!

SCHiM Review – What Else?

For all of you achievement getters out there, there are a handful of “misplaced items” scattered around each level for you to find. Locating and touching these objects will place them back where they’re meant to be in the world, sometimes providing the player with an extra shadow to skip toward, or simply providing a pinch of environmental storytelling. While some can be stumbled across, there are more than a handful that are completely out of the way, down a dead end that breaks the flow of the game significantly.

Reverse Frogger.

SCHiM Review – Conclusion

SCHiM is a great concept that was drawn too thin. The beautiful art direction and an understated soundtrack make the game worth playing through at least once. However, the game can get repetitive quickly except for some standout stages, suffering further with a lackluster and simple narrative. This may be worth it for some players but definitely wait for a sale.

SCHiM allows you to appreciate the little things.

Why should you play SCHiM?

• Pleasing Art Style and inoffensive Sound direction
• Night levels are regularly creative and interesting
• Playing as the Deuteragonist (Look it up) is a rare narrative perspective

Why shouldn’t you play SCHiM?

• Repetitive and sometimes frustrating gameplay
• The narrative is very drawn out and uneventful for too long
• Lack of direction means players will regularly get stuck down a dead end

A review code was kindly provided by Ewoud van der Werf and Nils Slijkerman for the purpose of our SCHiM review.  You can check out our other reviews here and if you haven’t already, be sure to join the Qualbert Discord to find out about the latest game and review updates!