X
- E10+
- Hollow Tree Games
- E10+
- Hollow Tree Games
- E10+
- Hollow Tree Games
- E10+
- Hollow Tree Games
Shape of the World
Released On: Jun 6, 2018
67
7.4
Where to Buy
Where to Buy
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 14 Critic Reviews
67
21% Positive
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
79% Mixed
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 14 Critic Reviews
67
21% Positive
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
79% Mixed
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
An incredibly intoxicating single player game dressed in breath taking artistry.
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.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 7 User Ratings
7.4
57% Positive
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
29% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
14% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 7 User Ratings
7.4
57% Positive
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
29% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
14% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
A short romp that can be experienced in a single sitting and over and over again any time you feel a need for a bit of wonder in your life. A gorgeous game, I was hitting my Switch's screenshot button regularly to capture the spectacle.
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Nintendo Switch
Wander around in a pretty fantasy, just because you can. Your presence will change your surroundings, and that is the only reason to keep playing. If you need a timer, a high-score, even a story, this is not the game for you.
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Nintendo Switch
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.
So many games that I have reviewed and that we all have played fit the video game mold. Beat level one, to get to level two, collect one-hundred coins in order to get an extra life, or beat this boss to unlock a new upgrade. Objectives, quests, upgrades, and unlocks give you a list of things to complete in order to receive a reward. Which is **** sometimes a game comes along that allows you to experience something completely different.
I’m the Flannel Fox Tim Swiernik and I reviewed Shape of the World.
When first downloading Shape of the World I wasn’t quite sure what to expect and honestly was not very excited. Being the epitome of the objective gamer myself, walking simulators rarely do it for me. So with my long train ride ahead of me I plugged in my headphones and began playing.
Gameplay
Starting in a dream like, brightly lit area, I wasn’t sure if the game had finished loading or if I was now in control. So I began to move my joysticks and feeling a bit clunky at first, started to explore this hazy environment. As you walk around, the outline of an upside down V appears and lures you toward it, drawing you like a moth to a flame.
On my way towards the floating V, some glowing rock-like formations grow out of the ground, along with a control prompt showing you that the right trigger allows you to interact with the environment. Touching all of the stones triggers a fantastic sound that you will end up longing for throughout your journey in Shape of the World,
Little stairs form a path for you to venture down toward the sky shape and immediately when you get on the sky stairs your speed increases greatly and you zoomed to the next area.
Eventually reaching the shape in the sky, you walk through it and POOF,
Everything changes. Color schemes flip, new environments burst from the ground, and a new sky shape will be leading you in a new direction.
From there you continue your journey from shape to shape, working your way through this mystical environment.
Along with the right trigger allowing you interact with things, the B button jumps, and the left trigger allows you to throw seeds. When you throw seeds, trees grow instantly, and with an endless supply of seeds you can add a cluster of trees whenever you please. Along with making this wacky world a more beautiful place, they help you move around quickly. If you interact with a tree, it destroys the tree, but dashes you forward and plays a note. So dashing through trees in rapid succession plays a little tune for you and don’t feel too bad about dashing through the trees as the environments are procedurally generated and each time that you walk back through them they will generate in a different way.
Along with having an endless amount of seeds to toss, you don’t take any damage, and there are no real objectives. It’s a seamless experience that I had to stop thinking about and just experience, as it’s quite intuitive you will eventually end up where you are supposed to be. You do run across little alien vegetable-like pick ups around the world that don’t do anything but fill up a catalog on the pause screen. It felt nice after munching through a new veggie to check my pause screen catalogue and see another item in my repertoire, but these are by no means necessary to complete the campaign.
Sights and sounds
While a lot of 3d indies employ the low poly vivid color artstyle like Morphite and Mulaka, Shape of the World feels very special to witness throughout your journey. With every new environmental change the colors shift dramatically, switching from a dark underground cave to a vividly uplifting mountain top in the snap of a finger, creates a specific feeling for each of the worlds that you explore. Switching between schemes so many times that I found myself feeling nostalgic for certain areas in the game, that really struck a chord with me.
The transitions between environments along with the unique mechanics of the game are elevated with the fantastic sound design. From the interaction with huge glowing pillars, to the steps that let you know before you even see them, that you will soon be gliding through the air toward something new. A specific moment when you are trudging up a mountain in the pouring rain then the colors change, the rain clears, made me want to take a deep breathe and feel the cool mountain air glide over my skin.
Standing on an undulating staircase miles about the ground, watching mountains in the distance build themselves, while whales fly passed me in the sky is simply breathtaking. Shape of the World is an amazing experience from beginning to end, without any traditional narrative, I remember my journey like a story that I cannot put into words, but a chain of different feelings with a fantastic ending. Honestly, everyone should experience what Shape of the World has to offer for themself.
Be sure to watch my video review at my YouTube channel TheFlannelFox
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Nintendo Switch
Eu noto um grande potencial perdido aqui, seja um potencial para expandir esse mundo encantador que nos é apresentado, seja um potencial para adicionar elementos interessantes de gameplay. Shape of the World é, no fim das contas, uma bela concha: lindo por fora, mas vazio por dentro.
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Nintendo Switch
Summary A first-person exploration game that grows around you. Without your presence, will the forest still come alive?
Rated E +10
for Everyone +10
Platforms:
- Xbox One
- PlayStation 4
- PC
- Nintendo Switch
- PlayStation 5
Initial Release Date: Jun 6, 2018
Developer:
- Seaven Studio
- Seaven Studio
Publisher: Hollow Tree Games
Genres:
