SCHiM Review | Shadow Jumping Frog
Something satisfying about playing in the dark.
WACO, Texas (KWTX) -
In a landscape dominated by action, combos and high-octane gameplay, the more mellow games can have a hard time finding a foot. But 2024 has been different, while the major face-punching action games are here, most of what I’ve enjoyed this year has been far more low-key. Schim is breath of fresh air. An at first confusing, minimalistic, often two-tone 3D platform that sees a man in the depths of depression, separated from his shadow. You take on the role of the goopy shadow frog in search of his lonely person. This one came out a while ago and I received a code at just the worst possible moment. Now I’m back from paternity leave to tell you all about this great indie game. With inspired openness, gorgeous art style and a lovely attention to the flow of levels, Schim isn’t just an excellent platformer, it’s a great exploration of depression and separation anxiety.
So first off what is a Schim? A schim is the soul and spirit of an object, thing, or living being. Everything in the world has one. A schim should never be separated from their thing! The story of Schim is told through dialogueless scenes as we see our man and his wide-eyed amphibian shadow making their way through the stages of life. From childhood where a communion of shady frogs accompanies a group of kids playing. Introducing us to the game’s main mechanic, shadow traversal. You see, like a goth kid who definitely isn’t going through a phase, our little schimmer can only navigate in the darkness. The game tasks you deftly leaping from one splotch of darkness to the next. Each object has a unique interaction like lamp posts being able to sling you forward, or certain fuse boxes being able to create or eliminate light sources. Movement isn’t in a flow state in this game but there is something so satisfying about hopping your way down a street using only shadows cast in the sunlight. As the story continues the pressures of life begin to weigh heavy on our protagonist as he reaches a low point. It is here that we are pulled away and begin the chase through the abstract world.
Schim features dozens of unique levels, all incredibly well thought out with fascinating opportunities to explore micro segments of their world. Moving across a busy street using a flock of ducks or by jumping from car shadow to passing biker shadow, each area had so many ways to complete them. While none of the game’s levels will stump you, the narrative is very hands off. You’ll find no compass, waypoints or clustered UI telling you every single piece of information, only a button to see where you are going. The path is up to you. Which is where the levels intelligent layouts come into play. Navigation may seem surface level easy, but the trick is in the manipulation of the camera, as the shoulder buttons allow you to rotate your perspective giving you more angles on shady havens. Likewise discovering the interactions along the way makes the journey all that more fun to embrace. The main story unfolds end to end per level but contains little folded in side stories that feel like discovering an interconnected network of treasure caves. This made the relatively linear levels feel like lived in spaces with stories outside of the scope of what could have been a by the numbers narrative. I really loved the little tid-bits along my journey. Beyond that the levels play a lot with the concept of time and space. Levels can range from tightly compact areas like playgrounds to a full-size city street. Time seems to move at random paces, sometimes you are in going moment to moment chasing the afterimage of your boy, other times you may take a leap and land in a completely different time of day. The focus on light positions and time of day changes when and where you are able to shadow hop. The end and beginning of the suns presences above cast long dark pools for you to frolic in, where as the noon sun sits directly over head casting short bits of blackened safety on the ground. This economy of darkness became a playground for my rhythmic jumps, often times creating some of my favorite moments.
From concept to execution, I really have nothing to complain about with Schim. It minimalistic color pallet mixed with a fun art style make the levels pop, the use of visual narration versus dialogue makes the focus on the emotion of the actions happening allowing for a more engrossing tale overall. Is this the greatest, most challenging platformer I’ve ever played? No. But Schim is one of the most unique and quietly enjoyable platformers I’ve experienced, bringing a sense of wonder to something as mundane as your shadow. Schim is brilliant indie outing and a uniquely artistic experience I give it a 9/10.
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