Shape of the World

Playing Shape of the World is like having a warm bath in a room designed by Peter Alexander while listening to your favourite playlist.

75%Game Brain Score

music, graphics

story, replayability

86% User Score Based on 230 reviews

Critic Score 71%Based on 16 reviews

Platforms

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About

Shape of the World is a first-person exploratory adventure game set in a beautiful, surreal forest that grows and evolves around you. Wander through lush, organic environments filled with exotic plants and animals, all while manipulating the world’s shape and uncovering hidden paths. With a sense of wonder and whimsy, this serene game encourages players to explore at their own pace, making for a unique and relaxing experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 246 reviews

music52 positive mentions

story7 negative mentions

Beautiful visuals and a stunning soundtrack create a relaxing and immersive experience.
The game offers a unique exploration mechanic where the world evolves and reacts to the player's actions.
It's a great choice for those looking for a meditative experience, reminiscent of other walking simulators like Journey and Proteus.

The game is very short, often completed in under two hours, which may not justify the price for some players.
Many players experienced bugs, crashes, and issues with getting stuck in the environment, detracting from the overall experience.
The gameplay can feel repetitive and lacks a clear narrative or objectives, which may not appeal to everyone.

music
89 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
39%
3%
The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and ability to enhance the overall experience, creating a relaxing and immersive atmosphere that complements the visuals. Many players highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, describing it as soothing, dynamic, and integral to the gameplay, often evoking strong emotional responses. While the game itself may be short and somewhat repetitive, the exceptional music elevates it to a memorable interactive experience.
- “Beautiful game with lovely music and journey.”
- “The music is very pleasant, and it rises and falls through the game in a very seamless way.”
- “A stunning world exploration experience, as smooth and powerful in its music as it is in its visuals.”
- “Don't get me wrong, the visuals are nice, as is the music, but it's a little too repetitive to be enjoyable.”
- “It's heavy on music, but isn't a music creator.”
- “While both do work in tandem to create this sort of meditative experience, the music is definitely the more relaxing of the two.”
graphics
59 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
42%
5%
The graphics of "Shape of the World" are a mixed bag, with many players appreciating the vibrant colors and minimalist aesthetic that create an immersive atmosphere. However, some criticize the simplistic, low-polygon visuals and lack of textures, which can detract from gameplay and depth perception. Overall, while the visuals are often described as beautiful and soothing, they may not appeal to everyone, especially those seeking more detailed graphics or engaging gameplay.
- “The graphics are fantastic as the world pops up from around you and the music is very well done.”
- “I would describe it as a piece of interactive art that hypnotizes you with absolutely gorgeous visuals.”
- “The aesthetic and graphics are very vibrant and fit the game perfectly, and the music was absolutely phenomenal in my headset.”
- “The lack of textures is a method that lazy developers often use to disguise their lack of talent or interest in doing the graphics properly, trying to disguise it under the name of 'art' or 'we made it look bad on purpose', which really isn't something gamers should have to put up with.”
- “Visuals are nothing new; I've seen them many times before. Sometimes it's even chaotic, and with that minimalistic pastel graphic, it's totally destroying the experience.”
- “I ran into a seemingly irremediable graphics problem where resolution or screen refresh seems to be totally out of whack, the screen rolls in horizontal bars like an old TV, and the colors are wrong.”
gameplay
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
69%
8%
The gameplay is primarily a walking simulator with minimal interactive elements, offering a short and relaxing experience rather than complex mechanics or a narrative. Players appreciate the unique mechanics, such as tree planting and navigating through beautiful environments, but many note the lack of depth and cohesion in gameplay. Overall, it provides a visually stunning and atmospheric journey, though it may not satisfy those seeking more engaging gameplay or a structured storyline.
- “A really unique experience; I enjoy the concept of being able to chain clicks on trees to keep in the air and move quickly. It could easily be a mechanic in some sort of PvE game.”
- “Love the simplicity in gameplay and how the detailed music and amazing shifts in color make the journey into something special.”
- “The gameplay consists of navigating through various environments, activating platforms that unlock magical pathways, which build step-by-step to spirit you at great speed deeper into the game. At times, traversing these feels more like a rollercoaster than a walkway.”
- “It's a walking sim with a tad of gameplay elements.”
- “There isn't any real gameplay as such, but in a few places it got a bit tricky finding the way forward.”
- “The few gameplay mechanics weren't really cohesive, didn't have much (if any) explanation, and didn't appear to add much to the game.”
atmosphere
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
86%
5%
9%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its surreal, psychedelic qualities, enhanced by a stunning electronic soundtrack and vibrant color palettes. Players appreciate the calming, contemplative environment that encourages exploration and interaction with the world, despite its minimal gameplay and narrative elements. Overall, it offers a visually captivating experience reminiscent of other atmospheric titles, making it a must-try for fans of the genre.
- “The ambience and atmosphere is absolutely stunning.”
- “Simple animations and landscapes, almost psychedelic palette changes, minimal interactions, intuitive color and sound cues, and everything pervaded by an atmosphere inspired by Japanese art and depictions, also thanks to the electronic soundtrack.”
- “This game is great for transferring you into a fascinating abstract world that does not demand anything from you for enjoying its wonderful atmosphere!”
- “A truly surreal atmosphere, but it can become rather repetitive and slow at times.”
- “The graphics are pretty simple: everything is flat with barely any shadow, but that doesn't mean the game is visually boring, as it flourishes with colors, lively creatures, and atmosphere.”
story
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
31%
44%
The game's story is largely absent, with many reviewers noting a lack of narrative, plot, or meaningful progression, often describing the experience as aimless and repetitive. While the visuals and atmosphere are praised, the absence of a structured story leaves players to create their own interpretations, which may not appeal to everyone. Overall, it is characterized as a walking simulator with no defined objectives or engaging storyline.
- “Its story is mainly whatever goes on in the player's head at this exact moment, and as such may not be for everyone.”
- “+ beautiful visual 'story' without a plot.”
- “However, if you're looking for an engaging storyline, fun mechanics, or artistic statement, look elsewhere.”
- “The game features no proper level design or game/story flow/plot, as they opted to try to use samey repetitive procgen algorithms as a substitute for adding such content to the game, to avoid doing the important job of level/map design.”
- “You walk aimlessly, no story, no narrative, and worse of all, no payoff.”
- “This is a short and atmospheric walking experience; the aesthetic and the sound are good, however there is hardly any gameplay and no story to speak of.”
emotional
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game receives mixed reviews; while some players find the sound design and mechanics like tree planting to be soothing and uplifting, others feel a lack of emotional connection to the world and its creatures. Comparisons to more emotionally resonant games like Journey highlight this shortcoming, with some players even reporting negative feelings during gameplay. Overall, the experience varies significantly among players, with some appreciating the chill vibe and others seeking deeper emotional engagement.
- “Some things that really stuck out were the sound design, which is very chill and emotional (especially while high, I don't know if that was intentional but it really enhances it), as well as its tree planting mechanic, which for some reason was very satisfying for me.”
- “I think the inevitable comparison is to Journey, which is a triumph of both aesthetics and emotional connection.”
- “I got very emotional playing this game, and the colors and the sounds combined really helped me feel better as a human being.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the calming atmosphere and the opportunity to revisit levels for missed details, others find it lacking due to its short length and limited incentives for multiple playthroughs. Some aspects, like the world design and achievements, encourage replay, but not all players feel compelled to return.
- “High replayability.”
- “But that just adds to the replayability as you can go back to any completed level to explore further and you will see things you missed the first time around, or if you played through very quickly.”
- “Feels oddly replayable as a meditative experience in a way most 'walking sims' don't.”
- “The game has a surreal, yet striking aesthetic and some good music to match, but suffers from its short length and lack of replayability.”
- “The shape of the world does encourage replayability (even having a couple of achievements dedicated to completing the game more than once), but I cannot see myself playing through it again.”
- “No replayability.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has been criticized for being quite buggy, with players reporting various glitches that detract from the overall experience. While some issues are minor and seem fixable, the presence of these bugs, especially during faster gameplay, has led to a perception of the game as a "buggy mess." However, there is some optimism regarding the developers' responsiveness to these issues.
- “How was this buggy mess of a game even released?”
- “It's quite a buggy mess.”
- “Feels very repetitive as well and because of the glitches, it's unenjoyable.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly as it involves repetitive actions like clicking on trees to boost speed. This can lead to frustration for those seeking a more dynamic experience, making it potentially unappealing for impatient gamers.
- “You can boost your speed by clicking on trees and such, but that can become quite tedious after a while.”
- “For those who need excitement and those who are very impatient, I think this game might be too tedious.”

71%Critics’ scoreBased on 16 critic reviews

Buy Shape of the World

4h Median play time

3h Average play time

1-5h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

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A wondrous world of shapes and colors --- Shape of the World review