Shadow Burglar

About

In Shadow Burglar, you will be playing as Jean, a thief with the mystical power of morphing with the shadows. Creating yourself an improbable path in the dark and carefully dealing with guards in the light, you will try to steal back your deceased brother’s paintings, who were stolen by a secret criminal organization. Do you have what it takes to avenge his legacy?

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

98%

Audience ScoreBased on 523 reviews

gameplay87 positive mentions

grinding2 negative mentions

The game features a unique shadow mechanic that adds depth to the stealth gameplay, allowing players to teleport between shadows.
The art style and music create a captivating atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience.
Despite its short length, the game offers an engaging story and enjoyable puzzles, making it a worthwhile play.

The game is very short, with most players completing it in under 30 minutes, leaving them wanting more content.
Voice acting quality varies, with some performances feeling flat or lacking emotion, which detracts from the immersion.
There are minor bugs and issues with the mechanics, such as inconsistent teleportation and unclear object interactions.

gameplay
155 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
42%
2%
The gameplay of the game is generally praised for its innovative mechanics, particularly the use of shadows for stealth and puzzle-solving, which many players found engaging and fun. However, the game is criticized for its short length and occasional bugs that detract from the experience, with some players expressing a desire for a more extensive game that could further explore its mechanics and story. Overall, while the gameplay is solid and enjoyable, there is a consensus that it could benefit from additional complexity and polish.
- “The gameplay is smooth and innovative, and I really would have liked to see the story between the protagonist and her (dead) brother unfold further.”
- “The mechanics are clever, introduced simply and expanded upon in a logical way that isn't tough to figure out without needing to be spoon-fed all of it.”
- “The gameplay was quite clean and unique while still feeling like a lot of classic games I used to enjoy.”
- “This started off as a negative review after my first gameplay ended with me falling through a void because of a bug, where at the start of the second level you get stuck and fall off the map, and the whole thing felt full of glitches.”
- “Unfortunately, one of the core mechanics in the game worked inconsistently for me and really detracted from my experience.”
- “Honestly, my only complaint is that it's too short and doesn't have enough gameplay variety because of it!”
story
136 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
52%
2%
The game's story is generally well-received, with many players appreciating its intriguing premise and emotional depth, particularly the sibling connection. However, the consensus is that the narrative is too short and lacks sufficient detail, leaving players wanting more backstory and character development. Overall, while the story is engaging, it feels like a promising setup for a larger narrative that could benefit from further exploration.
- “The story touched me, but wasn't long enough a setup to empathize with her and understand her motives. Overall though, it was a joy to play through and I would be thrilled to see a fully fleshed out game.”
- “I would love a full game of this with increased puzzles and a further story to delve into just what happened to Jean's brother and who is this organization that was obsessed with his paintings.”
- “The story is heart-wrenching and resonates with me personally, with the protagonist's goals being family-oriented and the story itself being family-centric.”
- “Since the game is short, the story is a bit vague and the reasoning why (other than generic vendetta) everything happens isn't explained at all.”
- “The story touched me, but wasn't long enough a setup to empathize with her and understand her motives, which may have been because the paper at the start wasn't on screen long enough to read.”
- “The only thing I could complain about is how short the story was; as soon as I was looking forward to the next stage after retrieving the picture off the boat, the credits rolled.”
graphics
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
38%
5%
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their charming art style, fluid animations, and effective use of color, contributing significantly to the overall experience. Many reviewers noted the impressive quality given that it is a student project, highlighting the beautiful visuals and unique aesthetic that enhance the gameplay. While some minor critiques were made regarding specific animations and voice acting, the overall consensus is that the graphics are a standout feature, complementing the game's creative mechanics and engaging story.
- “The visuals and the music really carry this game: the size of the art and audio teams in the credits is 5x that of the programming team, and it reflects in the experience of the game.”
- “The graphics are good with a nice use of minimal colors; it has a nice black and white old-timey look to it.”
- “The graphics and animations are clean and pleasant to look at, the sound design is a fantastic complement to the overall retro-noir experience, the controls feel good and the shadow mechanics are original and a lot of fun to learn and apply creatively.”
- “The comic book scenes between levels are done in a generic anime style which does not fit the overall aesthetic.”
- “Graphics: the opening scene where the main character is by the grave looks a little bit weird but nothing to be worried about.”
- “Stiff character but clean graphics.”
music
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
65%
28%
7%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, particularly with its noir-inspired soundtrack that complements the visuals and gameplay. Many reviewers noted that the music significantly contributes to the game's charm and immersion, although some mentioned that the voice acting could use improvement. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, elevating the experience and making it memorable.
- “The visuals and the music really carry this game: the size of the art and audio teams in the credits is 5x that of the programming team, and it reflects in the experience of the game.”
- “The highlight here is definitely the soundtrack.”
- “The music is excellent and I would recommend everyone to at least try the game for themselves.”
- “This is an obvious place to fade in some new music and fade it out when it's stopping, so it's weird that this got overlooked.”
- “Music and atmosphere is class, and really like the voice acting of Jean.”
- “The jazzy music sounds very natural and atmospheric but it would be fun to expand it by the cover version of The Rasmus 'In the Shadows', don't you think?”
atmosphere
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
33%
25%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its fitting art style, relaxing ambiance, and excellent music that enhances the overall experience. While many reviewers appreciate the depth and flow of the atmosphere, some express disappointment with the voice acting, suggesting it detracts from the emotional impact. Overall, the game's atmosphere is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to its appeal.
- “The in-game art style is fitting, and the atmosphere is just chef's kiss.”
- “Very relaxing atmosphere; it could be a neo-noir movie.”
- “Love the art style, and the atmosphere has some nice depth.”
- “But I didn't like the voice acting that much... the emotions and the atmosphere were not captured that well, but that can be fixed by attending some drama classes to gain a better understanding of the characters, for example.”
- “Very relaxing atmosphere, could be a neo-noir movie.”
- “The game design, the comic cutscenes in between, and especially the music captured the atmosphere pretty well.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
29%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively time-consuming, often requiring significant effort and repetition to progress. The presence of guards complicates exploration, making it feel tedious and further contributing to the need for extensive grinding. Overall, many users express that the grinding demands are overwhelming, likening it to needing a "second life" to manage.
- “Guards make proper exploration tedious.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has been criticized for being buggy, with players experiencing significant issues such as falling through the map and encountering various glitches. However, some users noted that after initial playthroughs, the frequency of these bugs seemed to decrease, suggesting that while the game can be unstable, it may improve with continued play.
- “This started off as a negative review after my first gameplay ended with me falling through a void because of a bug, where at the start of the second level you get stuck and fall off the map, and the whole thing felt full of glitches.”
- “The bad: can be buggy at times.”
- “So in all honesty, I got this game because I was bored for a bit and thought this game was going to be buggy or bad and really just wanted to mess around with it.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is well-received, with players enjoying the clever dialogue and amusing voice work, particularly highlighted by the entertaining easter egg loading screen. The noir comic book style adds to the overall tone, making the experience engaging and fun, despite some suggestions for improvement in gameplay mechanics. Overall, the humor contributes positively to the game's charm and appeal.
- “The easter egg loading screen is absolutely fabulous and made me laugh <3”
- “I like the overall tone, noir comic book style with a bit of humor in the dialogue, and the mechanics have potential, although they could use some polish.”
- “I like the characters; the humor wasn't that bad, and the game was neat and well made.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a mix of heartwarming and heart-wrenching elements, with some players finding the story too wholesome for their taste. While the narrative involves themes of love and loss, it also incorporates unique mechanics that enhance its charm, reminiscent of classic titles like Sly Cooper. Overall, the game elicits a range of feelings, from touching moments to a desire for a darker, more complex storyline.
- “The story is heart-wrenching.”
- “A short, touching, and fun game that holds the charm of Sly Cooper mixed in with its own unique little mechanic.”
- “Short and heartwarming, though I had troubles getting my controller to work in the game.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game is praised for its strong optimization, delivering good performance even on low-spec systems. However, some users have reported frame drops when playing in windowed full screen mode, indicating a need for further improvements in that area.
- “Huge plus to the performance of the game.”
- “The game is also really well optimized, although it drops frames on me in windowed full screen mode, so please fix that.”
- “It runs smoothly on low-spec systems.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers generally praise the character design, highlighting it as a standout aspect of the game. However, there is no specific mention of character development in terms of growth or narrative depth, suggesting that while the visuals are appealing, the development may not be as strong.
- “I loved the character design a lot.”
- “Overall, I really liked the game, the setting design, and the character designs.”