Gorgeous visuals and soothing ambiance make the game perfect for those wishing to kick back and relax with an incredibly chill explorer simulator. Being able to construct worlds with a variety of seeds gives players a reason to explore each area and come back for more. Multiple levels with their own flora and fauna give players new sights to explore. While walking can be slow at times and some visuals actually hinder progress, Shape of the World makes up for these shortcomings in a memorable sandbox experience that's perfect for casual play.
had a tough time getting into Shape of the World at first, in big part due to the sparse initial environments and the clipping problems. And I admit I rolled my eyes a bit as the creatures I met went from bug-like critters to sea creatures floating… in the air (a trend that culminated with glimpses of a whale floating in the sky). I found it a little cliché and New Age-y. The final moments were impressive and by the time I got to them, I had started enjoying myself, but it took a long time for the game to ramp up to that point.
As a walking simulator, Shape of the World delivers a more simplistic experience from the gameplay perspective. As a relaxing exploration experience, though, it delivers something unique, with a world that grows around you.
Shape of the World is unlike most games out there. Rather than a structured, narrative-driven or action-driven plan, Shape of the World proposes something more akin to a sensory experience and one which is quite successful at plunging the player in a different state, thanks to the game's eerie abstract beauty. Where Shape of the World disappoints is in its length and dimension, which feel a lot less ambitious than it could be.
Shape of the World is the description of beauty with no words. It’s a geometric forest full of evocative lights and plain colours but it seems to be an experiment more than a finished universe.
Shape of the World isn’t a bad game, it just never quite hits its stride in the way a game like this needs to. There just isn’t anything that implores you to move forwards apart from the fact that there is little else to do, and while there are some very pretty moments, rarely is anything more than superficial achieved. Shape of the World fails to do enough to pull itself out of the abstract and ultimately just feels empty.