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| (source: Kotaku) |
Contrast helped to start off the PS4's launch as a title with an interesting gimmick. In case the image above doesn't explain it well enough, allow me: you play as a mysterious person, named Dawn, who can shift herself into a wall as a shadow when light is shined upon it. Interesting enough to start off, but it ultimately disappoints in the end.
As Dawn, you start off with little explained as to who you are and why you're where you are. Dawn can only be seen by Didi, a young girl living alone with her mother. However, as the player, you cannot see anyone else other than Dawn or Didi; any other person or character within this dreamscape world of a 1920s-ish era is seen, other than their shadow. This isn't entirely realized immediately, nor is it ever really explained. Regardless, much of the narrative revolves around Didi's family, and how Dawn helps to "fix" it. The small twists in the plot help to draw you in, but the ending left much to be desired.
The concept of shifting as a shadow is great; I don't recall seeing anything like it before. That being said, it could have been a bit more refined. Some of the platforming, both in 2D shadow mode and 3D person mode, was rigid and frustrating, and I found a few important and natural sections to be tricky when they shouldn't have been, due to glitches and some poor design structure. I also felt that the shadow concept was underutilized. This may have been due to the fact that the game is very short (about 3-4 hours), but much of the time, shadow sections consisted of small lighting puzzles that the player must figure out in person mode, use shadow mode to progress, and back to person mode to traverse the area not 5 seconds later. With a new concept like this, its potential fell a bit short.
Possibly the most interesting part of the game was the environments. Within the first ten minutes, I was working to find the collectibles and secrets found on the streets on the way to one of my first objectives. The puzzles involved with these were some of the more complex ones in the game, and ultimately made the experience better. The world is also fairly gorgeous; not pushing any boundaries, but still fun to look at and explore. It creates a welcoming atmosphere to the time period and complements key points within the narrative.
Unfortunately, the game offers little replayability. With a 3-4 hour story and fairly easy-to-collectibles, you're not getting much bang for your buck. The narrative is not that spectacular, and the concept underused. However, it is a launch title, and a free one at that (for Playstation Plus subscribers), so if you're looking for a few hours to spend on an, at the very least, interesting concept, you can't go entirely wrong with Contrast.
By Mark Sullivan
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$14.99 (Free w/ PS+ on PS4 at launch)
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