I’m constantly on the lookout for creative, innovative, and generally exciting new video games to recommend. With the AAA industry growing ever-focused on making fewer, bigger games, it’s up to the smaller studios to take more creative risks and present ideas that push the medium forward. When I played Schim at Summer Game Fest 2022, I thought it had the potential to be one of those titles as this shadow-hopping platformer had a distinct look and feel compared to anything I played before.
That’s not fully the case, even if Schim is admirably inventive. That single gameplay gimmick, where players can only move by jumping into shadows, is immediately novel, especially for its first 10 levels. Schim doesn’t evolve much past that point though, both mechanically and narratively. A great idea that would be a standout in a platformer with more variety feels stretched thin here.
I’ve always had a fascination with games that play around with shadows. Stealth games, in particular, often use shadows and shade as an important mechanic; this year’s Ereban: Shadow Legacy used them to great effect. I appreciate that Schim’s developers thought outside the box, answering the design question about what a platformer where players would jump between the shadows of objects rather than the objects themselves would be like. The answer: It’s visually neat, but incredibly simple from a gameplay perspective.
After the player’s shadow is separated from its human at the start of the adventure, players must slowly follow the human from level to level, although they always leave before the player can catch up. To get there, players have to hop from shadow to shadow and can only do one small jump to slightly correct themselves if they land in a lit-up area. If a gap is too big, players must find a shadow that moves to cover that distance or find one of a few objects, like umbrellas, that they can fling themselves with.
Schim isn’t very punishing, as players typically respawn in the last shadow they were in. Players can also adjust line thickness and even the four colors of every stage in order to circumvent any colorblindness or visual impairment issues that may arise. This makes Schim very approachable, and initially, the game stands on its own thanks to this neat visual effect that feels as trippy as a Wonder Effect in Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
Schim then goes on to demonstrate why Nintendo included so many different Wonder Effects in Super Mario Bros. Wonder rather than just centering the entire game around one or two of those ideas. I’ve basically already explained the entire game to you. While occasional levels set in places like a zoo stand out, the visuals are the only thing that ever really changes in Schim, not the gameplay. Ten or so interesting level ideas are spread thin across 65 stages that sometimes feel inconsistent in design and length. Having hidden collectibles in stages isn’t enough.
Although Schim only took me a couple of hours to beat, it felt like a slog by the halfway point. I waited and waited for the game to add in that second gameplay conceit to elevate its already unique visuals and gameplay. I enjoy platformers like Celeste or Splodey because they are constantly able to do that. Schim does not make that grand leap ever, so the lack of challenge or a well-written or compelling narrative really prevents there from being anything else to latch on to.
Schim has a free demo on Steam, and I actually do recommend that you check that out. This game provides a unique visual and gameplay gimmick that’s worth seeing and experiencing at least once. I don’t think the full game is worth your time, though, as the rest of the experience doesn’t offer much more value outside of that initial idea. I’m glad games like Schim that make interesting gameplay and visual choices exist; Schim is just proof that the best indie games make more than just one bold choice.
Schim launches for PC, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch on July 18.
