White Shadows [Xbox]
Developed by Monokel, White Shadows is a dark, dystopian puzzle-platformer where you play as a young Ravengirl, as she tries to escape this brutal world she’s trapped at the bottom of. There are various puzzles that you’ll need to work out - and whilst it isn’t too difficult, it doesn’t hold your hand along the way. You’ll need to use some trial and error to figure out how to progress, with even the most straightforward of puzzles often having another elements that you’ll need to uncover first.
”One light bath per day, keeps the darkness away” is one of the many propaganda phrases you’ll see around the world, as you witness pigs stepping into the light to rinse the shadows off of them - leaving you wondering just what is going on. Other brightly lit quotes you’ll see around are things such as “I am a Raven” followed by “I bring the Plague” showing you just where you stand in this messed up, unjust society; with clear parallels to racism, sexism and misogyny in our own lives.
Done in a stunningly creepy, monochromatic style, with heavy emphasis on lighting - and of course, shadows - White Shadows is very impressive to look at. Cutscenes blend beautifully into gameplay, and there’s also a TV styled segment that has you trying to survive some challenging rounds for a game show. The world is very mechanical looking, with tracks for train-like vehicles whizzing past and elevators powered by pigs in hamster-wheels, and the environments are absolutely chock-full of detail, with extensive backgrounds showing just how small and insignificant you are in this world.
Utilising classic tunes, reminiscent of early cartoons along with carnivals and theme parks, you’ll recognise some of the grand themes such as Rise of the Valkyries, and it all works perfectly along with the visuals and feels very ‘War of the Worlds’-esque. The displays for each new chapter beginning are really well done too, acting as part of the scenery.
The controls feel slightly floaty with jumping feeling like there’s very low gravity, but this feels somewhat intentional due to your character being an almost weightless bird-girl. There’s not a lot of noise as to when you move and jump around, which makes it feel like you have a bit less of an impact on the world; the silent character just moves throughout the world, interacting with objects, but never really making any noises on her own behalf. Other creatures you see on your journey will laugh and sing, and this all lends a really unsettling vibe to things.
Overall, we had a great time with White Shadows and found it to have a truly interesting, engaging story that kept us fully invested throughout, although we do wish that it had some form of collectibles or secrets for you to find as there doesn’t appear to be any. If you enjoyed games such as Little Nightmares and Inside, then you’ll enjoy White Shadows; so I’d highly recommend you check it out. Available on Xbox for £16.99, it could be doing with being ever so slightly cheaper, but it’s still a thoroughly enjoyable few hours, with a much deeper meaning than you might expect, and one that really is deserving of your attention.
In the end, we decided to give White Shadows the Collecting Asylum rating of 9/10.
Are you interested in White Shadows? What do you think of it?
Let us know in the comments below!
- V x
Thank you to Plan of Attack for the White Shadows Xbox review code!
