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.

74%Game Brain Score

music, graphics

story, replayability

78% User Score Based on 241 reviews

Critic Score 71%Based on 16 reviews

Platforms

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About

Shape of the World is a single player casual simulation game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Plug In Digital and was released on June 5, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

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

Skip User Reviews

78%

Audience ScoreBased on 241 reviews

music52 positive mentions

story7 negative mentions

Beautiful and vibrant visuals create a mesmerizing atmosphere.
Relaxing gameplay with a soothing soundtrack enhances the overall experience.
Unique mechanics, such as planting trees and interacting with the environment, add a playful element to exploration.

Outdated graphics and poor anti-aliasing lead to visual clarity issues.
Gameplay can become repetitive and lacks depth, especially in later sections.
Frequent bugs and crashes hinder the overall experience, making it frustrating for players.

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
62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
40%
5%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the vibrant aesthetics and unique visual style that create an immersive experience. However, some players criticize the outdated anti-aliasing, simplistic textures, and occasional graphical glitches that detract from the overall enjoyment. While the visuals are often described as beautiful and psychedelic, they can also feel repetitive or chaotic, leading to a lack of depth in gameplay.
- “Breathtaking game, the visuals are truly psychedelic.”
- “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 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 pass it off as '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 the 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
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
72%
7%
The gameplay is primarily a walking simulator with minimal interactive elements, focusing on exploration and simple tasks like collecting seeds and activating platforms. While the experience is visually stunning and relaxing, many players noted the lack of depth and cohesive mechanics, making it feel repetitive and short, with some even describing it as lacking real gameplay. Overall, it offers a unique, atmospheric journey but may not satisfy those seeking more engaging or complex gameplay.
- “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.”
- “Gameplay, if you want to call it that, consists of navigating through various environments, activating platforms which will unlock magical 'pathways' that build, step-by-step (accompanied by a very pleasing sound effect), to spirit you at great speed deeper into the game, and 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. 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
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
35%
41%
The game's story is largely absent, with many reviewers noting a lack of narrative, plot, or meaningful progression. Instead, players are left to create their own interpretations, as the experience is primarily focused on atmosphere and visuals rather than storytelling. While some appreciate the artistic elements, the consensus is that those seeking a structured narrative or engaging gameplay will be disappointed.
- “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.”
- “Another criticism is the game doesn't have a story but honestly, I have no idea why such a game requires one; to add one would really just muddy the focus of the game.”
- “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 tree planting mechanic 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 vibes 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 ability to revisit levels for missed details, others criticize its short length and lack of compelling reasons to replay. Certain elements, like achievements for multiple completions, suggest potential for replay, but many feel it lacks the incentive to return. Ultimately, it offers a unique meditative experience that may appeal to some, but not all players find it engaging enough for repeated playthroughs.
- “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
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from numerous visual bugs and glitches, leading to a frustrating experience for players, particularly when attempting faster play styles. While some users note that the issues are minor and expect quick fixes from the development team, the overall consensus is that the game's stability is lacking at launch.
- “Filled with visual bugs and glitches.”
- “How was this buggy mess of a game even released?”
- “It's quite a buggy mess.”
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.”