In The Shadows

About

"In The Shadows" is a puzzle-platformer game set in a vibrant fantasy world, where shadows come to life. Use different light sources to transform monsters into objects and solve challenging puzzles. Discover four unique worlds, uncover hidden levels and secrets, and experience a touching story about fears and comfort. The game features real-time lighting, beautiful music, and many monsters, each with their own mechanics.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

90%

Audience ScoreBased on 39 reviews

story10 positive mentions

stability4 negative mentions

The game features beautiful voxel art and a charming atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience.
Puzzles are well-designed and enjoyable, with a good mix of challenge and accessibility for players.
The emotional narrative and thoughtful story elements add depth to the gameplay, making it a memorable experience.

The game suffers from various bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, including character clipping and hard locks.
Controls can feel imprecise and clunky at times, making some puzzles frustrating to execute.
There is a lack of visual and audio accessibility options, which may hinder the experience for players with certain disabilities.

story
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
52%
11%
The game's story is described as beautiful and touching, with a simple yet meaningful premise that enhances the overall experience, especially when players engage deeply with it. While some reviewers found the narrative captivating and emotionally resonant, others noted that the story could be vague or underdeveloped, suggesting it may require more fleshing out. Overall, the story adds significant depth to the gameplay, particularly for those who enjoy uncovering secrets and exploring themes of light and darkness.
- “It’s a really beautiful little story that you don’t have to delve into but will encounter a much more meaningful experience if you do.”
- “The best part though is the incredible, touching storyline.”
- “The story was captivating and brought the game to a close with a very emotional ending.”
- “The game leaves you to search for the meaning of the story yourself.”
- “There also seemed to be a story somewhere in the game, but it was impossible to figure out and overall distracted from the game more than it added to the game.”
- “This could use a lot of fleshing out; I might even be able to forgive bugs and poorly implemented mechanics if the story was enjoyable.”
gameplay
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
45%
15%
The gameplay is characterized by a mix of innovative light and shadow mechanics that enhance puzzle-solving, though players note issues with inexact controls and some tedious level design. While the introduction of new mechanics throughout the game keeps the experience engaging, the execution can be frustrating due to glitches and a lack of polish. Overall, the game offers a unique and thought-provoking puzzle experience, but it suffers from inconsistencies that detract from its potential.
- “A lovely, fairly short game with thought-provoking mechanics and a sentiment that will stick with me.”
- “The puzzles were very good, loved the mechanics and the secret rooms telling the story behind the game even better.”
- “The mechanics, while fairly simple, introduce new ways of solving and thinking about puzzles, all of which reinforce the key themes of the game: light/dark and the passage of time.”
- “Inexact controls, timing puzzles, mechanics popping up and disappearing...”
- “But the mechanics and level design are a bit tedious at times; even if the solution is fairly obvious, it takes a bit too long to actually execute.”
- “Next is the general lack of polish on some game mechanics.”
graphics
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
22%
17%
The game's graphics have received praise for their beautiful voxel artwork, effective use of light and shadows, and overall atmospheric aesthetic, contributing to a relaxing gameplay experience. However, some players noted accessibility issues due to a lack of visual adjustment options, and a few criticized the presence of bugs and clichéd design elements reminiscent of 2015 indie games. Overall, the visuals are considered a highlight, enhancing the game's puzzles and emotional storytelling.
- “The voxel artwork is beautiful - especially the use of light and shadows - the puzzles are well thought out and the audio makes things feel very relaxing.”
- “The atmosphere and soundtrack were incredible, and the visuals tied it all together beautifully.”
- “Clearly a lot of time and effort was put into the visual aesthetic and soundtrack and it makes for a very atmospheric experience.”
- “I was disappointed to find that the game is virtually unplayable if you have issues seeing low contrast images, because there is no way to adjust the visuals.”
- “It does suffer from a few bugs and the typical tired clichés of 2015 era indie games (forced emotionalism, needless 8-bit-style graphics).”
- “My guess is that most people assume that the game uses pixel graphics, but actually it's using voxels (i.e. 3D pixels).”
music
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
13%
20%
The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and atmospheric quality, enhancing the overall experience with a blend of retro synthesizer sounds and peaceful melodies. Reviewers highlight its ability to immerse players and complement the stunning visuals, creating a relaxing and engaging environment. The soundtrack is noted for being well-crafted, fitting the mood without becoming repetitive, making it a standout feature of the game.
- “The music is surprisingly beautiful for such a short game; it’s got a Fez-like, retro feel to it with synthesizers and jump noises.”
- “The atmosphere and soundtrack were incredible, and the visuals tied it all together beautifully.”
- “The peaceful music gives a lot of atmosphere to the gameplay, and the visual artwork is gorgeous.”
- “Especially, since the music isn't 'pixel style' either.”
- “Music isn't half bad either and I didn't find the background music to be repetitive, just fitting for the mood.”
- “The atmosphere, music, animations, and lighting are really well done, so it feels a lot more immersive than I would have expected for a puzzle game.”
atmosphere
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
15%
23%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive visuals, beautiful artwork, and captivating soundtrack, which together create a compelling experience. While some players noted the presence of bugs that could disrupt immersion, the overall aesthetic and peaceful music contribute significantly to the game's appeal, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of atmospheric puzzle games. Despite some narrative limitations, the atmosphere effectively enhances the gameplay and encourages exploration.
- “The atmosphere and soundtrack were incredible, and the visuals tied it all together beautifully.”
- “Clearly a lot of time and effort was put into the visual aesthetic and soundtrack, and it makes for a very atmospheric experience.”
- “That's too many bugs, most of which were game-breaking or forced me out of the atmosphere, or both.”
- “Due to visuals and overall atmosphere, I'll play it again and try to find all the stars or sometimes a nice 'mini-vacation'.”
- “The atmosphere, music, animations, and lighting are really well done, so it feels a lot more immersive than I would have expected for a puzzle game.”
emotional
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its heartfelt narrative and charming design, creating an emotional experience that resonates with players. While some critiques mention clichés and bugs typical of indie games, the touching storyline and captivating ending leave a lasting impact, making it a relaxing yet engaging experience. Overall, the emotional depth is a standout feature that enhances the gameplay.
- “The developer of this game has clearly poured a lot of passion into this game, from the emotional, yet entirely unobtrusive, narrative and themes to the charming design of each new area.”
- “Overall, it was a relaxing and fun experience with a touching story tucked into it as well.”
- “The story was captivating and brought the game to a close with a very emotional ending.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game exhibits several stability issues, including frequent glitches and unresponsive controls, particularly during jumping, which can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences. While these bugs can often be resolved with room resets, they detract from the overall enjoyment and highlight the need for further refinement in level design and mechanics. Despite these challenges, the game shows potential and a heartfelt narrative.
- “The controls are less responsive than ideal (mainly the jumping). There were some glitches where I had to restart the level as my shadow no longer jumped. The respawn points were often off, leaving you in an area that forced a level restart, plus a few other minor bugs.”
- “During my playthrough of this game, I encountered the same glitches over and over again.”
- “The game is a great proof of concept; and there's a good game within the mechanics, but the level design and glitches make it more frustrating than it is a good game.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious, as the mechanics and level design can prolong the execution of otherwise obvious solutions.
- “The mechanics and level design are a bit tedious at times; even if the solution is fairly obvious, it takes too long to actually execute.”
- “Grinding feels like a never-ending chore, making the game more of a slog than an enjoyable experience.”
- “The repetitive nature of grinding detracts from the overall enjoyment, turning what could be exciting gameplay into a monotonous task.”