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Shu

Shu Review
Shu Game Cover
76%Game Brain Score
gameplay, graphics
replayability, atmosphere
77% User Score Based on 142 reviews
Critic Score 70%Based on 1 reviews

Platforms

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Shu Game Cover

About

Shu is a single player arcade platformer game. It was developed by Coatsink and was released on October 4, 2016. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

"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.

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77%
Audience ScoreBased on 142 reviews
gameplay25 positive mentions
atmosphere3 negative mentions
  • Shu features beautiful hand-crafted visuals and a charming soundtrack that enhance the overall atmosphere of the game.
  • The platforming mechanics are intuitive and rewarding, with a variety of unique abilities gained from rescued villagers that keep gameplay fresh and engaging.
  • The game strikes a balance between challenge and accessibility, making it enjoyable for both casual players and those seeking to master speedruns.
  • The checkpoint system can be frustrating, as players are limited to five lives per checkpoint, leading to potential restarts of entire levels after multiple deaths.
  • Some players may find the controls unresponsive at times, particularly during high-pressure chase sequences, which can detract from the overall experience.
  • The game's length is relatively short, and while it offers collectibles and challenges, some players may feel it lacks depth or complexity in its design.
  • gameplay
    67 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of the game is characterized by its intuitive mechanics and beautiful visuals, offering a relaxing platforming experience that emphasizes traversal over combat. While players appreciate the variety of abilities gained from companion characters and the gradual introduction of mechanics, some criticize the repetitive level design, limited lives, and occasional frustrating controls that detract from the overall enjoyment. Despite these flaws, the game maintains a charming aesthetic and provides a satisfying journey through its levels, appealing to those who enjoy exploration and lighthearted gameplay.

    • “Shu’s abilities are minimal at first — running, gliding, jumping — but these mechanics feel immediately intuitive and refined.”
    • “The gameplay is smooth and interactive, making for easy use of abilities and a nice difficulty.”
    • “I really enjoyed the different mechanics you get to play around with in each level, though I think it could have been cool to see stuff from previous levels come back in future ones.”
    • “For players who prefer platformers with combat systems, puzzle mechanics, or narrative branching, the game’s purity may feel sparse.”
    • “The inclusion of recruitable characters with unique powers initially sounds promising, but their implementation feels unnecessary and fails to enhance the gameplay experience.”
    • “Limited lives between checkpoints are annoying, especially during escape sequences; hitboxes are all over the place, and deaths often feel cheap, breaking the gameplay flow.”
  • graphics
    59 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of Shu are widely praised for their hand-crafted, colorful art style that combines 2D and 3D elements, creating visually appealing environments that enhance the gameplay experience. Many reviewers highlight the game's aesthetic charm and beautiful visuals, although some note that the level design may not live up to the graphical quality. Overall, the art style and soundtrack are considered standout features, contributing to a delightful visual experience despite some criticisms regarding gameplay mechanics.

    • “Shu’s world is rendered in a hand-crafted art style that blends traditional 2D expressions with occasional 3D depth, creating layered vistas that feel alive even without excessive detail.”
    • “The art style is clean and aesthetically pleasing.”
    • “Beautiful, beautiful visuals, this game is just glorious!”
    • “The graphics options screen has blank selection boxes, so I can't switch to another resolution (or even windowed mode).”
    • “While you’re losing yourself in the hand-drawn visuals, you may forget about how repetitive this game ends up feeling.”
    • “A bit too generic, though it seems polished and the graphics are above average.”
  • music
    49 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to shift between calming melodies and intense soundscapes, effectively complementing the gameplay's emotional tone. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack as both beautiful and engaging, enhancing the overall experience without being overwhelming or forgettable. While some mention it may not be particularly memorable, the consensus is that the music is a strong asset that contributes to the game's charm and atmosphere.

    • “The soundtrack shifts gracefully between ambient calm and urgent escalation, always complementing the tone of the moment.”
    • “During peaceful stretches, the music settles into calming melodies; when the storm arrives, the soundscape intensifies, heightening the tension without overwhelming the player.”
    • “Honestly one of the best 2016 platformers I've ever played, the game has amazing visuals, a fantastic soundtrack that perfectly complements the art style and I love every moment of it.”
    • “There are fancier looking games that often have forgettable soundtracks because they were not put together well.”
    • “The soundtrack is decent but not particularly memorable.”
    • “The music didn't leave a deep impression which means it is neither outstanding nor annoying so it gets its job done.”
  • story
    45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is characterized by a simple yet charming narrative that revolves around the protagonist, Shu, on a mission to save his village from an impending storm. While some players appreciate the emotional undertones and artistic presentation, others criticize the story for being generic, lacking depth, and poorly conveyed, with minimal dialogue and a reliance on cutscenes. Overall, the storytelling is seen as a secondary aspect to the gameplay, with mixed opinions on its effectiveness and engagement.

    • “Rather than overwhelming the player with mechanics or dense storytelling, it frames its world with soft lines, painterly textures, and a melancholic sense of loss that permeates the journey without ever turning heavy-handed.”
    • “The combination of responsive controls, thoughtful level design, and an understated sense of storytelling makes it a platformer that lingers long after completion — not because it dazzles with grandeur, but because it charms with earnest artistry.”
    • “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.”
    • “No story.”
    • “First of all, the story is nearly non-existent, uninspiring, and not presented well.”
    • “The story is non-existent/generic evil takeover plot.”
  • replayability
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while it offers collectibles, hidden paths, and speed-run challenges that enhance the experience, some players feel that these elements do not significantly expand the gameplay. Many enjoy the additional challenges and elaborate level design, which contribute to a satisfying replay value, though the game's short length may deter some from returning. Ultimately, it appeals to completionists and fans of platformers, but its frustrating elements could limit replay interest for others.

    • “I'm enjoying the collectibles and extra challenges, making for a large amount of replay value.”
    • “Shu is a very well-done Donkey Kong-style platformer with tons of replay value that was probably the highlight of this batch of sale games.”
    • “It has a ton of replay value, and despite there only being about 20 levels, the levels themselves are quite long and elaborate, so it feels much larger than it looks at first glance.”
    • “The game can be completed in just a handful of hours, and while collectibles, hidden paths, and speed-run challenges add replay value, they don’t radically expand the experience.”
    • “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.”
    • “It has a ton of replay value and despite there only being about 20 levels, the levels themselves are quite long and elaborate so it feels much larger than it looks at first glance.”
  • emotional
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Shu is praised for its emotional depth, combining elegance and rhythm to create a comforting yet stirring atmosphere that emphasizes the fragility of the world and the urgency of its mission. While it excels in delivering a pure platforming experience filled with emotional clarity, some players express frustration with its development, leading to mixed feelings about the overall experience.

    • “Shu is a gentle, visually lyrical platformer that manages to stand out not through scale or spectacle, but through elegance, rhythm, and emotional subtlety.”
    • “These elements combine to create an atmosphere that is both comforting and emotionally stirring.”
    • “For players who love platforming for its purity — the simple joy of movement, the flow of well-designed levels, and the quiet emotional beats that tie a world together — shu offers a small but powerful adventure.”
  • atmosphere
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is characterized by a blend of emotional depth and simplicity, creating a comforting yet stirring experience that emphasizes movement over dialogue. However, some players feel that while the atmosphere is pleasant, it is undermined by inconsistent gameplay mechanics and a lack of clarity regarding hazards, detracting from the overall experience.

    • “These elements combine to create an atmosphere that is both comforting and emotionally stirring.”
    • “Atmosphere and storytelling are nothing special; the focus of the game is very basic platforming with basically nothing new. The precision of the commands is null, and moving parts in the last stages of the game kill you inconsistently and without reason. The game does a bad job of showing you what's dangerous and what's not.”
    • “The narrative unfolds with quiet simplicity — a series of implied tragedies and hopeful reunions — relying more on atmosphere and movement than on dialogue or exposition.”
    • “It is a game that values precision, atmosphere, and emotional clarity over size or spectacle.”
  • character development
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development is enhanced by expressive designs and a harmonious blend of 2D characters with 3D backgrounds, creating a serene atmosphere. The character design not only stands out aesthetically but also integrates with gameplay, as companion characters provide unique abilities, adding depth to the overall experience.

    • “Soft color palettes, gentle lighting, and expressive character designs work together to convey both serenity and a sense of worlds lost to the storm.”
    • “Character design links up with gameplay as 'hand-holding' with companion characters gives you different abilities; this is a nice gameplay hook.”
    • “Aesthetics are nice, good character designs.”
    • “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the characters on an emotional level.”
    • “While the character designs are visually appealing, the lack of meaningful growth or change throughout the game is disappointing.”
    • “The interactions between characters are limited, resulting in a missed opportunity for deeper character development and storytelling.”
  • optimization
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game features decent mechanics and smooth performance, but some users have noted issues with unoptimized pathing that can affect gameplay. While controls are precise, the optimization could be improved in certain areas.

    • “Runs smoothly, controls are precise.”
    • “Decent mechanics but some very unoptimized pathing at times.”
    • “Decent mechanics, but some very unoptimized pathing at times.”
    • “So, I guess it's an optimization issue?”
  • grinding
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players appreciate that the game prioritizes enjoyable gameplay and a beautiful visual aesthetic over traditional grinding mechanics, making it a refreshing experience in the platformer genre. While some grinding for cards is involved, it is not the central focus, allowing for a more fluid and engaging playstyle.

    • “The rest of the time is spent farming for cards before I started playing.”
    • “It's a fun platformer with a wonderful visual aesthetic that's largely focused on fluid and enjoyable gameplay rather than the standard grinding difficulty of indie platformers, even though it can still be fairly challenging.”
  • stability
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    While the game exhibits some minor bugs on the menu screen, overall stability during gameplay is solid, allowing players to enjoy an immersive journey with the characters.

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70%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews
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2h Median play time
2h Average play time
2-2h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Shu is a arcade platformer game.

Shu is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and others.

On average players spend around 2 hours playing Shu.

Shu was released on October 4, 2016.

Shu was developed by Coatsink.

Shu has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its replayability.

Shu is a single player game.

Similar games include Unbound:Worlds Apart, Mechanic Escape, Grapple Dog, Toby: The Secret Mine, Outland and others.