In My Shadow is an Adventure-Puzzler About Past Choices

In My Shadow is a puzzle platformer by indie developer Playbae that was released rather recently. Sometimes, during the holiday season, smaller games tend to get pushed over by the bigger AAA releases. With this title, players will take control of a literal shadow as it goes on adventures on the walls across various rooms. This shadow is connected to a little girl named Bella who is in a desperate search to reconnect with her past. This is a 2D side-scrolling game that is riddled with clever little enigmas that are associated with the manipulation of light sources. With each completion of each puzzle, Bella pieces together a fragment of her past to help remember the importance of family and why certain things in life shouldn’t be taken for granted. This is an intimate tale about a girl who is struggling to overcome a situation that many of us had to endure.

In My Shadow has many quite a few awards under its belt including “Most Innovative Game” in the Indie Prize Competition in 2021, among others. This title is very much inspired by the classic adventure-puzzler games like Prince of Persia and its kin. The difference here is the fact that this game doesn’t really have much combat, per se. It is more of a cerebral experience. This adventure is mostly about bypassing objectives by using physics and childlike imagination. It is a fresh approach to platforming and this game is worth mentioning for anyone who is a fan of these types of games. Even though having a glimpse at the gameplay may seem rather rudimentary, there is a surprising amount of layers to it that help put this indie into a league of its own.

Shadows of the Past

Throughout our time on this planet, we all have said and done things that we deeply regret. We would do anything to go back in time and circumvent that moment. With In My Shadow, this is generally what Bella is struggling with. The levels are divided up into two different control schemes. Players can control the shadow of Bella as she runs, leaps, and dodges all kinds of traps around the levels. All while she collects her memories which are icons that look like paper or books. The other variation of control for the player is by moving around the furniture that’s around the room. Bella herself doesn’t move them, no. She stays on the wall. Instead, players can just freely move things around at their whim like a spirit. It’s very similar to manipulating the environment with a standard RTS. By doing this, players can drag chairs, couches, tables, and other items either closer or farther away from the walls. This, in turn, can either shrink or enlarge the shadow of these items which are cast around the room. Additionally, objects can also be rotated to help provide extra options on how to get around the level.

This can make an interesting brain teaser and it almost gives the player a childlike sense of play. There is no absolute way to solve a problem. No, there are actually multiple ways to solve a problem, leaving the solution dependent on the imagination of the gamer. In My Shadow only comes with four different rooms. This may be somewhat of a turn-off with certain gamers out there. However, each room provides up to 50 different puzzles each. These puzzles aren’t too vast in scope. They generally take place on just the four walls of the room. Instead, this game gives more like a table of sundry “appetizers” as opposed to a “four-course meal.” Even though each puzzle is short, each gives unique scenarios that increase in difficulty over time.

Knowing The Light

In terms of difficulty, the furniture in the room changes. In some cases, options of furniture decrease, which in turn, increases problems for Bella on how to avoid the traps. Bella’s jump can be a little floaty, which will be a nuisance when trying to get around the spikes and buzz saws. The core of In My Shadow is mainly about setting up the level as safely as possible to assist Bella. In that regard, this game leans more toward being a puzzler than an actual platformer. The platforming may not be its strongest asset, but it’s functional enough in terms of navigating throughout the level. The main goal for each level is to reunite with the shadow of Bella’s family member that is standing on the other side of the room. Of course, every time she reaches them they evaporate like a ghost, leaving Bella standing there traumatized. Eventually, this stops as soon as all of her memories are collected.

There is a story element with In My Shadow that is explored between each puzzle. It is a short cut-scene that is animated that helps fleshes out the story. It’s entirely possible that these scenes are based on childhood memories of the developer, but that is just speculation. It does give a heart-felt angle which isn’t really seen in games of this genre. It does provide a sense of progression and provokes the player to keep solving the puzzles to see what fallout Bella had with her family. In total, this game is only a 3 to 4-hour experience. With a game like this, it’s rather suitable because solving puzzles longer than that can give burnout rather quickly. This may turn away certain players, but it’s worth noting.

Capturing The Past

Although there are many adventure-puzzler games out there, very few come with an emotional story such as In My Shadow. Even though it may have its kinks, this title can provide a somber afternoon of firing neurons. This game has been out for a while and sometimes little titles like this can slip under the radar. As of right now, In My Shadow is available to play for Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PC. If anyone is in the mood to try a quirky little puzzle-solver, then this title is worth a go.