Tandem: A Tale of Shadows Review

A game is a structured form of play, generally carried out for amusement or enjoyable, as well as in some cases utilized as an instructional tool. Gamings are unique from job, which is typically accomplished for compensation, and also from art, which is regularly an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements. However, the distinction is not precise, and many video games are additionally considered to be job (such as professional gamers of viewer sporting activities or video games) or art (such as jigsaw challenges or video games involving an artistic format such as Mahjong, solitaire, or some video games). Games are often played simply for enjoyment, in some cases for achievement or reward also. They can be played alone, in teams, or online; by beginners or by experts. The gamers might have an audience of non-players, such as when people are entertained by seeing a chess champion. On the other hand, gamers in a game may constitute their very own target market as they take their look to play. Commonly, part of the amusement for kids playing a game is determining that belongs to their target market and also that is a gamer. A plaything and also a game are not the exact same. Toys normally enable unrestricted play whereas games featured present policies. Secret parts of video games are objectives, policies, difficulty, and communication. Games normally include mental or physical stimulation, and frequently both. Lots of video games aid establish practical skills, work as a form of workout, or otherwise execute an educational, simulational, or psychological role. Proven as early as 2600 BC, video games are a global part of human experience and present in all cultures. The Royal Game of Ur, Senet, and Mancala are some of the earliest known video games.

Tandem: A shadow tale is a puzzle-platform all on light and shadows. You play two characters, a little girl named Emma and a plush bear named Fenton who seems to exist in the two different dimensions. They must constantly work in tandem to help each other to progress in their own worlds. The mechanics of the game manages to be unique and visually interesting while remaining quite familiar for the veterans of the puzzle.

In accordance with the theme, the game attributes its inspiration from Gothic aesthetics to none other than Tim Burton. It is immediately obvious in hard shadows, and the use of dolls like a big part of the environment seems to recall classics like the nightmare before Christmas.

When you play Emma, ​​things are like you expected. You walk along the ground into a three-dimensional space. However, when you go to Fenton, things get a bit crazy. Existing in the world of shadows, fenton and its shadow exists on a two-dimensional plan while walking on the walls, like a shadow projected on them, and uses shadows as floors.

Often, as an Emma, ​​you will be given a faithful lantern to guide you, which turns out to be a perfect tool for projecting shadows as long as you have objects like pillars to use. By bypassing obstacles, you can create platforms on which Fenton jumps to reach the final goal. On several occasions, Fenton will have access to areas that EMMA can not reach yet, where he can in turn open ways.

I do not know if you have already thought about it, but there is unfortunately a small hole in the mechanics of the game (mechanical hole? No, it s awful). Emma herself does not plan a substantial shadow on which Fenton could walk. I understand why it does not do it, because it would absolutely trivialize almost all the puzzles by turning with its lantern, but it is always a little disappointed that it is not solved in one way or another. I will keep the rest of my diatribe for the narrative section.

As a lot of reflection games, Tandem is divided into several chapters, each with several levels. Each chapter presents a new mechanism with which the puzzles will play. It is a classic technique that always works because the puzzles manage to be iterative and fresh without submerged players with a salad of mechanisms.

The riddles overall, I would say, are sufficient, nothing incredible or terribly horrible about them. My reproaches come from the fact that often, when a puzzle seems difficult, it s usually because the game is not always effective in communicating the items you are supposed to interact. So, you may have the impression of being stuck, until you realize that you lacked a room, so everything seems obvious. Another thing that I liked is that most of the time, I had the impression of falling on trial response and errors rather than finding something complex. It s not a very bad problem, and I find that a lot of puzzle games are like that, but for me, that s what separates really memorable puzzle games from the mediocre.

The story and the visuals are where the game stumbles a little, unfortunately. Nothing terrible, notice, just a little rude.

Let s start with the visuals. As I said in the introduction, it raises inspiration quite efficiently. I think the segments with Fenton look pretty well, the visuals in black and white with smoky shadows really give the impression that we have entered the dimension of the shadow, somewhere very haunty. The idling animation of Fenton is also good enough, and for a voiceless character, he manages to be pretty expressive with his animations. Sometimes you will see it from the corner of the eye while solving puzzles as an EMMA, seeing it doing frightening and cute stuff on the walls alone.

Emma, ​​on the other hand, is not very good. As away from the strongly stylized fent, the real world of Emma seems gross. When we look from top to bottom, it s okay, but the game often goes down to show it in cinematics and reveals a lot of unflattering angles. She looks plastic, and not in the right direction as the Tim Burton puppets did. The animation is rigid and his facial expressions seem quite strange, does not really correspond to the cartoon style. In addition, at the end of each level, we get a little pose of victory and, for some reason, the camera clips in his head every time. Of course, it s not a big problem, but as it is a very common animation, it should have been corrected. It is only one of those little details that give the impression that the game is not polite.

The story of the game is superficial. If you were waiting for a Gothic fantasy story at Tim Burton, it s not here that you ll find it. The stated goal of the duo to find a disappeared boy has nothing to do with their characters, and the little information you get from Emma does not tell you anything about it as a person. It is also missing the most fundamental key of a captivating story: significant issues.

In addition, we could have done the fact that Emma does not throw a part of the story and the reason for which Fenton was attracted to her. Perhaps his shadow was swept away by a scary ghost, and we must recover it or she dies! Now, history and gameplay make sense, while explaining this little flagrant intrigue hole. Simply imagine the increase in the capabilities you could get for a final step when EMMA retrieves its shadow, being able to push its synergy with Fenton to the upper level. They could use their powers combined to overcome the evil ghost! (If the developers look for a narrative designer, call me (I m kidding, I m not kidding)).

Overall, Tandem: A Tale of Shadows is a good game. There are of course some flaws, but nothing that does not spoil your overall experience, and what is strong. I would recommend this game to people who are interested in clear / obscure puzzle mechanisms, but if you plan to start it for aesthetics or history, I would let it go.