Review: SCHiM is annoying – Siliconera

Sometimes the idea behind a game is great, but the nature of it can get frustrating because you constantly find yourself chasing someone or something. SCHiM has an interesting concept, as it’s a little creature that moves around in the dark, but the easy gameplay, only occasionally using unusual mechanics to move from one dark to another and constantly almost encountering others can be a bit annoying.

Schim are frog-like creatures that live in the shadows. Shadows of people. Shadows of animals. Shadows of inanimate objects. They are always there. They can also influence their owners, causing small actions. SCHiM It begins with a particular person being separated from their owner after they trip and fall. As a result, the rest of the adventure involves chasing them to reunite with them.

Each level of SCHiM after an introduction that involves sending schim jumping from shadow to shadow after someone constantly out of reach. You need to keep an eye out for shadows of living and inanimate objects to find your way. In some cases, you will have to press a button to trigger an action and potentially create a new path. Environmental elements, like car headlights along the road at night or a thunderstorm with sudden flashes of light, can force you to think about brief opportunities. So can the occasional darkness with additional elements, like a wind tunnel that will take you into a more remote location or a clothesline that acts as a spring.

Part of what’s annoying about SCHiM is that it feels like it was designed to be both a puzzle game and a platform game, but it’s not always good at either. In the case of puzzles, there will be situations where a mechanic will appear once, but then rarely or never be used again. (I see you, roadside umbrella!) This means you can sit there in frustration, because you didn’t even know it was an option to help you continue.

As for the platforming, there’s rarely any challenge. Sometimes it’s just “hard” because you have to wait for moving objects to eventually reappear to let you progress. That, or holding down the trigger to indicate where the “goal” is suddenly hinted at somewhere else after you’ve progressed to a certain point. There were a few situations where I almost cleared the entire level just by getting lucky and jumping into the shadow of the right person or car, and I’m not sure it’s supposed to be that easy. Not to mention that while some levels have collectibles you can find by going off the beaten path, it doesn’t seem like that happens often enough.

However, SCHiM also annoyed me after a while because of its premise. It really hurt me when I got to a point where the schim almost got to their people in a supermarket. It was frustrating to see the near-deaths and know that even if my background perfectthere are still more levels left and i wont be reuniting the two. since this is also a wordless story and we never really connect with the person, i stopped feeling sympathy for schim’s partner due to the constant near deaths. how can you eat a pizza so fast by yourself? when does a bus leave right after a certain person gets on? why doesnt schim go into the hotel the person is staying at, when they are definitely standing still and sleeping, and just wait outside the door?

At least SCHiM looks and plays well. The jumps of the schim cover a decent amount of distance. You also have a second, smaller jump if you don’t immediately jump to another shadow, giving you a “second chance” to get to your next point of interest. The rotation helps to see potential paths. Also, the art direction is simple, yet clear and detailed.

I like the concept behind SCHiM and art direction, but some elements of it frustrated me after about 30 levels. I found myself wanting more challenge or a story that made me less annoyed with the person I was trying to track down. I imagine it would be more enjoyable in shorter bursts. But playing it continuously can get a little frustrating as you find yourself constantly remembering the same person over and over again. will not sit still.

SCHiM will be available on July 18, 2024 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC.

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