White Shadows

Familiar but still containing enough of its own identity to stand out among similar titles, White Shadows is a compelling, albeit brief experience. It could have done more with its gameplay and commentary, but the game is mostly a success.

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White Shadows is a dark, atmospheric puzzle-platformer set in a dystopian world. As a mysterious blackbird, players explore a white, oppressive city, solving puzzles and uncovering the secrets of this monochromatic society. With its striking visuals and thought-provoking themes, White Shadows offers a unique and immersive gaming experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

80%

Audience ScoreBased on 226 reviews

story30 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

Visually stunning with a unique art style that creates an immersive atmosphere.
Thought-provoking narrative that tackles themes of racism, discrimination, and capitalism.
Engaging soundtrack featuring classical music that enhances the overall experience.

Short gameplay length, typically around 2-3 hours, which may not justify the price.
Gameplay can feel simplistic with easy puzzles and minimal challenge.
Technical issues such as performance drops and clunky controls detract from the experience.

story
106 mentions
28 % positive mentions
62 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players praising its intriguing themes and emotional depth, particularly in its exploration of social and political issues, while others criticize it for being overly simplistic or lacking depth. Many reviews highlight the strong visual storytelling and atmosphere, though some feel the narrative can be heavy-handed or confusing, especially towards the end. Overall, while the story has its merits, it often falls short of fully realizing its potential, leaving players with a sense of both engagement and disappointment.
- “This was an amazing game to go through, the story was fun but kind of sad.”
- “Deep narrative: the plot is intriguing and provokes reflections on social and political issues, offering an emotional and engaging experience.”
- “The unique visuals and bleak story made for a great experience.”
- “The story is very on the nose and the platforming and puzzle gameplay is rather barebones.”
- “The reason I put the story as the worst part of this game is because of how overwhelmingly disappointed I was with the reveal at the end of part four.”
- “The story, by the way, which you learn everything in the first 15 minutes of the game.”
gameplay
81 mentions
16 % positive mentions
75 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "White Shadows" is characterized by its simplistic mechanics, primarily involving basic platforming and puzzle-solving elements that some players find lacking in depth and originality compared to similar titles like "Limbo" and "Inside." While the visuals and atmosphere are praised for their beauty and engagement, many reviewers note that the gameplay can feel clunky and linear, often prioritizing cinematic experience over interactive challenge, resulting in a short playtime of around 2-3 hours. Overall, the game offers a visually stunning experience but may disappoint those seeking more complex gameplay mechanics.
- “White Shadows' gameplay focuses on exploration and puzzle-solving, combining platforming elements with environmental challenges.”
- “Well-executed mechanics: the combination of platforming and puzzle-solving is executed solidly, providing an engaging and satisfying gameplay experience.”
- “Beautiful visuals, solid enjoyable gameplay with good pacing for new mechanics/elements, decent audio (not many tracks stand out but they did their job), good story pacing, no glitches... I paused a few times, so I'd estimate that it would take most people 2-2.5 hours to beat.”
- “The gameplay is some minor platforming and sometimes feels quite off due to 'loose' controls.”
- “The mechanics are fine, standard limbo/little nightmares-esque clumsy platforming, but all of the platforming is extremely basic; it's way too easy and linear to be anywhere near fun gameplay, and the 'puzzles' in this 'puzzle-platformer' exist almost solely of either moving boxes to climb ledges or pulling levers in the correct sequence.”
- “While all art forms and concepts of gaming are individually subjective, they do not excuse consistently poor storytelling, underwhelmingly bland gameplay or an absurdly overpriced product that focuses far more on visuals than its playability.”
graphics
80 mentions
50 % positive mentions
46 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their stunning and unique aesthetic, characterized by a striking interplay of light and shadow that enhances the overall atmosphere. However, some users noted issues with optimization and a lack of detailed graphical options, which detracted from the experience. Overall, while the visuals are a standout feature, they are sometimes overshadowed by gameplay and storytelling shortcomings.
- “The visuals are absolutely beautiful with a great interplay of light and dark, lots of depth, and an amazingly detailed environment, the navigation of which feels both very imposing and unnerving.”
- “White Shadows' graphics are striking, with a visual style that blends elements of expressionist art and minimalist design.”
- “The unique visuals and bleak story made for a great experience.”
- “Poorly optimized graphics, and lacks an in-depth options menu.”
- “The game is rough around the edges and the lack of options, graphical fidelity and short game length (2.5-3 hours) shows that.”
- “The entire experience is a condescending nightmare of poor visuals.”
music
60 mentions
35 % positive mentions
60 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The music in the game is predominantly composed of classical pieces, which many players feel enhances the overall atmosphere and immersion, perfectly complementing the game's themes and visuals. While some appreciate the thoughtful integration of well-known compositions like "The Blue Danube" and "Ride of the Valkyries," others criticize the repetitiveness and occasional mismatch of the soundtrack with the game's tone. Overall, the soundtrack is generally praised for its ability to enrich the gaming experience, despite some mixed opinions on specific choices and sound design.
- “The overall theme of the game plus the music and art made a brilliant game to play, 100% recommend.”
- “The soundtrack, in turn, complements the experience with ambient music that intensifies immersion and tension.”
- “Atmospheric soundtrack: the music is carefully composed to reflect the tone of the game, enriching the experience and amplifying immersion in the dystopian world.”
- “Instead of its own soundtrack, let's raid the classics and use songs where the copyright has expired decades ago.”
- “Horrendous sound design with short looping effect and music so out of place with the feel of the game, had to play the second half on mute.”
- “My biggest peeve was the soundtrack, I just personally felt like a lot of the music choices really didn't fit with the dark dystopian feel of the game.”
atmosphere
35 mentions
54 % positive mentions
37 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and unique dystopian setting, characterized by a striking black and white visual style and a haunting soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. Many reviewers highlight the game's ability to evoke strong emotions and a sense of confinement, drawing comparisons to titles like "Limbo" and "Inside." While the atmosphere is often described as captivating and beautifully crafted, some players feel that the gameplay does not fully match the depth of the visual and thematic elements.
- “Immersive dystopian world: the setting is unique and well-crafted, with a design that contributes to the oppressive atmosphere and the feeling of confinement.”
- “The predominantly black and white color palette contributes to the game's dark and enigmatic atmosphere.”
- “This is an interactive and dark narrative with stunning visuals and a dystopian atmosphere.”
- “The biggest reason I'm not recommending this game is because I read other reviews talking about 'Inside' and 'Limbo', and although it definitely looked like a similar game, everything in it is so heavy-handed and on the nose - I feel like if the game was a bit more subtle about its theme where the player discovers a bit more about what's going on slowly, the game/atmosphere would improve a lot.”
- “In comparison to similar titles I've already finished (namely Limbo, Inside, and Little Nightmares), I haven't got the immersion and atmosphere here, making this more of a formal playthrough for me. Still, there are some really nice spots where I've appreciated all the work of the developers.”
- “Level design, art style, and atmosphere are the only things keeping you from uninstalling.”
optimization
7 mentions
29 % positive mentions
29 % neutral mentions
43 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with players reporting significant performance issues, including fluctuating framerates, awkward clipping, and jittery character movements. Many feel that the graphics are poorly optimized given the high GPU requirements, and the lack of a comprehensive options menu exacerbates these problems. Overall, while the design elements are praised, the technical execution leaves much to be desired.
- “Performance - it runs respectably, but the player character and NPCs often jitter about for no reason.”
- “Design and sound design are amazing (and horrifying)... but the game is really unoptimized.”
- “Poorly optimized graphics, and lacks an in-depth options menu.”
- “There's a lot of performance issues, framerate creeping from 300 to 40, and then back up and back down, clipping is extremely awkward in a lot of places, ledges not being possible to grab, and there's no yellow tape to guide players where to go which led to me having to look up a walkthrough due to the poor readability.”
- “Design and sound design are amazing (and horrifying).... but the game is really unoptimized.”
replayability
6 mentions
50 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The game offers limited replayability, with most players completing it in 1.5 to 2.5 hours and finding little incentive to replay beyond the initial experience. While some users note a high replay value, the overall consensus suggests that it may not satisfy those seeking extensive replay options or open-world exploration.
- “Replay value is pretty high as well.”
- “The game is quite short (approx. 120 minutes of gameplay) but it definitely has replayability value.”
- “Length and replayability”
- “It will take you between 1.5 and 2.5 hours to complete, and apart from replaying the exact experience again, there's really no replayability.”
- “This is obviously not for open-world gamers, and not for gamers who are seeking pure action or replayability.”
- “Finished the game in a few hours and the replayability factor is low... so was it worth $20?”
stability
6 mentions
33 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
67 % negative mentions
The game's stability is mixed, with some players experiencing minor bugs such as wall clipping and issues with checkpoints, while others report a generally functional experience with no major glitches. Overall, the game is described as visually appealing and enjoyable, though it may have occasional stability issues that do not significantly detract from gameplay.
- “Excellent restart points and no glitches.”
- “Beautiful visuals, solid enjoyable gameplay with good pacing for new mechanics and elements, decent audio (not many tracks stand out but they did their job), good story pacing, no glitches. I paused a few times, so I'd estimate that it would take most people 2-2.5 hours to beat.”
- “Cool looking game, but very buggy.”
- “A bit buggy with wall clipping and floor collision, but I'm happy with it.”
- “It was occasionally buggy, including one checkpoint where I kept restoring mid-fall.”
humor
6 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game's humor is highlighted through its funny situations, such as unexpected pauses during gameplay and entertaining credits. Players appreciate the comedic elements in obstacle courses, where crowd reactions add to the fun, and the dark humor combined with a gritty atmosphere enhances the overall experience. Additionally, humorous cutscenes and clever puzzles contribute to a captivating and enjoyable narrative.
- “It was actually a funny situation: I had to stop playing to do some personal life stuff, right when I was in the middle of finally figuring out how to fly (because the game does not tell you its controls, at least not in-game), so the game was paused mid-flight.”
- “[h1]A funny little game, and the music is superb[/h1]”
- “Also sat through the credits because they're funny.”
grinding
5 mentions
0 % positive mentions
40 % neutral mentions
60 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be slow and tedious, often likening it to a walking simulator with little reward for exploration. The environment, while richly designed, contributes to a sense of monotony, leading to frustration with the grinding mechanics.
- “Everything is slow, clunky, and tedious.”
- “But the game may feel at times like a walking simulator, with no secret paths (that I know of), and with some tedious situations that are so... well, tedious.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
emotional
3 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game features a deep narrative that engages players with thought-provoking social and political themes, creating an emotional experience. While it includes some heartfelt and bittersweet moments, certain puzzles lack emotional impact, and the platforming elements do not offer a unique twist, reminiscent of other titles in the genre.
- “Deep narrative: the plot is intriguing and provokes reflections on social and political issues, offering an emotional and engaging experience.”
- “It also hits some occasionally heartfelt and bittersweet moments.”
character development
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Character development is praised for its strong atmosphere and style, with well-executed character design and animation that enhance the player's connection to the character through subtle details.
- “The animation and character design are all very well done, with the player character's animation having small touches that add a bit more characterization than expected.”
- “I really love the atmosphere and style of the levels and character design.”
monetization
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-50 % neutral mentions
150 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game heavily relies on advertisements and video content, which may detract from the overall narrative experience. Players feel that the integration of ads disrupts immersion and raises questions about the thematic choices in the story.
- “The dialogue that is provided comes in the form of advertisements and videos.”
- “The monetization strategy feels intrusive, as it disrupts the gameplay with constant ads.”
- “It seems like the game prioritizes profit over player experience, making it hard to enjoy without spending money.”