The Darker the Shadow.
I would imagine at any convention this is true, but especially at conferences like IndieCade, there's the conscious desire to wow congoers and potential buyers and if there's anything to take from EA the company as a positive lesson, the bigger the spectacle, the more attention garnered
Where Shadows Slumber is a adventure/puzzle game set to debut on mobile IOS and tablet app stores. Created by duo game creators Frank DiCola and Jack Kelly, who teamed up beforehand on SkyRunners, a obstacle-laden running game also out on mobile, the game focuses on puzzles based around the manipulation of shadow to create, changes and hide pieces of each level to progress.
It was built around the generalized theme of exploring a world, testing its limits inside of a still and drifting landscape, while examining a world equal parts surreal puzzlescape and moody, dark environments. The puzzles themselves follow logic but only within a nonsensical and abstract system of laws you discover through trials and tribulations; Pushing the shadow of a monolith with your lamp mends a broken bridge as it sweeps across its previously broken state. You find yourself connecting stone walkways by separating pieces from the pitch black darkness, less connecting paths and more revealing world hidden. Where Monument valley was a series of floating towers of popping colors and gorgeous backgrounds, Shadows sets a quieter palette of colors, setting a sun-drenched land forgotten.
The beauty of this game doesn't come from attempts at revolutionizing how we see game design or trying to bring entirely new concepts onto the market but by taking a more straightforward path, refining simplistic gameplay into smart, cute and enjoyable puzzle gameplay mixed with exploratory narratives. The design aesthetic and game concept work easily with touchscreens and the game offers a wide berth of expansion and level creation to keep returning fans happy with possible new content. The overall goal is to create a series of puzzles formed around a background story that doesn't require a large amount of consistent time, specifically geared towards the mobile mentality of stop and go gameplay.
While I'm always a proponent of games coming out across multiple platforms, I cant fault the smart design and mobile-centric game concept surrounding Where Shadows Slumber. There is a 10-level demo currently being developed, but gamers can sign up to playtest a beta build right now if waiting to play something isn't really your thing. The beta signup can be found here and the current trailer for the game can be seen here
Any game images used are copyright use
Follow Pixel at more places if your into that sort of thing