Shu
- October 3, 2016
- Secret Lunch
- 2h median play time
Ever since I first clasped eyes on it back at EGX 2015, Shu has been firmly on my radar.
Get on Steam"Shu" is a single-player platformer game with splendid graphics and phenomenal music. When a great storm destroys Shu's village, he embarks on a journey to survive, meeting stranded villagers with unique abilities to help him along the way. With 21 levels, 10 recruitable characters, and an original soundtrack, Shu and the villagers search for sanctuary and a way to stop the storm, offering time trials to compete with friends or the world.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Windows
PlayStation
Playstation Vita
Reviews
- Beautiful graphics and art style that create an engaging atmosphere.
- Varied gameplay mechanics with unique character abilities that keep the experience fresh.
- Challenging yet forgiving level design with frequent checkpoints, making it accessible for casual players.
- Unresponsive controls and imprecise hit detection lead to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- The game has a lack of depth in its story and character development, making it feel uninspired.
- Punishing mechanics, such as having to restart levels after a limited number of deaths, can be overly frustrating.
- gameplay42 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, featuring clever mechanics and a variety of challenges, but marred by frustrating design choices such as limited attempts per level and unoptimized pathing. While the character abilities linked to rescuing villagers add a unique twist, the controls are often described as mediocre, and the overall experience can be hindered by bugs and awkward checkpoint placements. Despite these issues, the game offers a visually appealing platforming experience with potential for fun, especially for those who appreciate indie titles.
“This is a polished platformer with plenty of mechanics to play with and a good sense of how to hide secrets in its levels.”
“It's not the longest game in terms of time spent to complete it, but the levels present a good variety of challenges, and make good use of the various mechanics available through the characters you meet up with.”
“I also enjoyed that new abilities are acquired by rescuing the villagers, which means that the abilities are not permanent upgrades, keeping the gameplay varied.”
“In the game, you will often die not because of a lack of skill, but because of flawed game mechanics.”
“The ambiance is marvelously well crafted and there is real love put into this game, but the story makes no sense, the gameplay is full of quirks and bugs, and the way the checkpoints are placed is ridiculous.”
“Decent mechanics, but some very unoptimized pathing at times.”
- music31 mentions
- 90 % positive mentions
- 3 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers highlighting its beauty and ability to enhance the overall experience. It complements the stunning graphics and engaging gameplay, creating a relaxing yet exhilarating atmosphere that players appreciate. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, making it a must-have for fans of the genre.
“Shu has some beautiful music, fun power-ups, and moments of high adrenaline action that makes this a must-play for any platformer fan.”
“With a strong sense of style, Shu takes the action platformer genre into its own stride with ultra shine polish and melodic music that’ll warrant listening outside of playing the game.”
“I must say the developer has done a fantastic job here; everything just seems to fit perfectly in the game from the music to the artwork and gameplay.”
“I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
“With a strong sense of style, the game takes the action platformer genre into its own stride with ultra shine polish and melodic music that warrants listening outside of playing the game.”
- graphics30 mentions
- 77 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beauty and unique art style, with many reviewers highlighting the colorful visuals and stunning artwork that enhance the overall experience. The combination of impressive graphics and a compelling soundtrack creates an engaging atmosphere, setting it apart from typical retro pixel art styles. Overall, the visuals contribute significantly to the game's appeal, making it a visually captivating platformer.
“The game has beautiful graphics and a good soundtrack.”
“Shu is an excellent looking game with a unique art style.”
“The visuals and the music are stunning and the game is very fun to play.”
“The graphics are okay, but like it often happens, it is deceiving.”
“It’s nice to see a platformer that doesn't go with the 'retro' pixel graphics style.”
“Graphics and sound.”
- story26 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely criticized for being nearly non-existent, uninspiring, and poorly presented, with many players feeling it lacks depth and coherence. While some appreciate the cute cinematics and the simple premise of the protagonist, Shu, on a mission to save villagers from a storm, the overall narrative fails to engage and is overshadowed by gameplay issues. Despite a few positive mentions of unique characters and a charming atmosphere, the consensus leans towards disappointment in the storytelling aspect.
“I've missed playing decent enjoyable platform games with simple yet enticing plot and characters that I actually like, and this game ticks all those boxes.”
“This game has a lot to offer including action, adventure, a nice little storyline with some unique and quirky characters to be met along your journey.”
“Game has a nice story to go, with Shu on a mission to find and save all the villagers from a very nasty storm that's approaching.”
“First of all, the story is nearly non-existent, uninspiring, and not presented well.”
“The story is too flat as well as the character - it doesn't have any depth, the background music is basically nonexistent.”
“The ambient is marvelously well crafted and there is real love put into this game, but the story makes no sense; the gameplay is full of quirks and bugs, and the way the checkpoints are placed is ridiculous.”
- character development6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The character development is praised for its charming 2D design and minimalistic 3D backgrounds, which enhance the overall aesthetic. Additionally, the integration of companion characters that provide unique abilities adds depth to gameplay, creating a meaningful connection between character design and player experience.
“Character design links up with gameplay as 'hand-holding' with companion characters gives you different abilities; this is a nice gameplay hook.”
“With a cute 2D character design and 3D backgrounds featuring a clear and somewhat minimalistic style, the visuals enhance the character development experience.”
“Great character design adds depth to the overall gameplay and enhances player engagement.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the constant introduction of new mechanics and find it visually appealing, others feel that frustrating elements may deter them from replaying. It is generally considered worth playing once, but the potential for repeated enjoyment varies among players.
“The game constantly adds new mechanics, providing plenty of replayability and gorgeous visuals.”
“7/10, definitely worth playing once and seeing how it is, but the game is just frustrating enough for the wrong reasons that replay value might be lost on people.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is largely negative, with users expressing frustration and disappointment, suggesting that its poor development may evoke feelings of sadness or distress.
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game features decent mechanics; however, players have noted issues with unoptimized pathing, which can detract from the overall experience.
“The mechanics are decent, but there are moments of very unoptimized pathing.”
“The game features solid mechanics, yet it suffers from some unoptimized pathing issues.”
“Decent mechanics, but some very unoptimized pathing at times.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The atmosphere and storytelling in the game are considered lackluster, with a primary focus on basic platforming mechanics that offer little innovation. Players have noted issues with inconsistent gameplay elements that fail to clearly indicate dangers, leading to frustrating experiences. Overall, the atmosphere does not enhance the gameplay and is seen as a missed opportunity.
“The atmosphere and storytelling are nothing special; the focus of the game is very basic platforming with nothing new. The precision of the controls is lacking, and moving parts in the later stages of the game kill you inconsistently and without reason. The game does a poor job of indicating what's dangerous and what's not.”
“The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, making it hard to stay engaged. The lack of depth in the storytelling only adds to the overall disappointment.”
“Despite the potential for an immersive experience, the atmosphere falls short, leaving players feeling disconnected and unmotivated to explore.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, with chase scenes that lack engagement due to obstacles blending into the background, and a gliding mechanic that feels overly loose and unresponsive.
“The grinding feels like a tedious chore rather than an engaging part of the game.”
“The obstacles blend into the background, making it frustrating to navigate during grinding.”
“Gliding mechanics are too loose, which adds to the overall frustration of the grinding experience.”
Critic Reviews
Shu (Switch) Review
Some beautiful, solid platforming.
70%Shu Review (PC)
Two weeks on from our 10/10 console review of Coatsink’s beautiful Shu and it has exploded into the indie scene in a very apt storm-like fashion. I was lucky enough to try out the PC version and gain a closer insight into how the game was developed from the creators.
100%Shu Review
Shu is a decent 2D platformer that puts gameplay first, and in stripping away needless distractions provides a refreshing and pleasant few hours of fun. The art style and soundtrack are pretty good, giving way to some lovely sights and sounds on your journey, while the ever-changing set of abilities ensures the game is able to provide new challenges throughout. There are numerous collectibles and other goals to encourage players to stick around, although it all feels somewhat inconsequential. Overall, Shu is a fun distraction that goes to show games don't have to be complex in order to entertain.
70%
