Year: 2020
Platform: PlayStation 4
Genre: Puzzle
Review Date: 7/11/25
Rating: ***

"Shady Part Of Me" is a simple puzzle game that uses light and shadow mechanics. A young girl is afraid of light while a shadow figure can't exist in the dark. Neither can survive in the others' world, but they have to work together to escape the situation that they're in. And that's where things get interesting.

The game starts with Shadow being happy and carefree, but life becomes more twisted and threatening and she eventually falls into a void where she becomes trapped. Meanwhile, Girl wakes up from a dream in what appears to be a hospital and eventually meets up with Shadow. Shadow wants to escape and Girl shows her the way out, but their first attempt fails and they both end up trapped again. At this point, Shadow and Girl become more antagonistic towards each other, and an unseen male voice appears, making it evident that the game represents a series of psychotherapy sessions.

While the mental health aspect of the game is fascinating, the story is frustratingly vague and the narrative is constantly shifting. The sparse dialog is doled out so sparingly that it's hard to piece together any solid theories, and while it's nice that each voice uses a different typeface, it's difficult to differentiate the captions between Girl and Shadow. That said, the voice acting is excellent, and Hannah Murray gives a fantastic performance as both Girl and Shadow.

Girl is full of childhood innocence and wonder, and likes to read books and play with toys. Shadow, on the other hand, is more mature and mysterious, and sounds like a teenager or young adult. So what do these two entities represent? Shadow desperately wants to escape, but escape what? Girl unconditionally supports Shadow with the trust and naïveté of a child, but does she also entrap her? Is Shadow the subconscious voice or a personal demon, is Girl the main voice or a memory, or does the protagonist suffer from a multiple personality disorder? While it's open to interpretation, by the final act I had settled on the idea that Shadow was a patient at a psychiatric hospital and that Girl was a repressed memory or childhood trauma that was somehow hurting her or holding her back. The game forces Girl to face her fears and "come into the light" while giving Shadow the agency to accept those fears and not be ruled by them. Ultimately, Shadow and Girl become one, which is how healing begins. But again, the narrative is frustratingly cryptic and the super vague non-ending left me annoyed. << SPOILER ALERT! >> Back in the real world, the protagonist sees a swing (a recurring symbol) and walks away, perhaps signifying a loss of innocence and the passing of childhood? Is the swing a childish toy that is no longer needed, or does it represent a repressed memory or traumatic event? Either way, the character has now rejected it and moved on.

Regardless of your takeaway, the game's primary draw is its gorgeous art direction and elegant puzzle design. The monochromatic environments include a hospital ward, library, play room, sewer, boiler room, school, circus, office spaces, and other more abstract spaces that reflect the patient's current mental state. As Girl and Shadow become more abrasive and The Other probes harder, the environment becomes harsher and more dangerous. Girl can move around in 3D space as long as she stays out of the light, while Shadow can only move in 2D space, but has the ability to jump and climb, as long as there's light available. Most puzzles don't involve more than three components, and if timing is required, it's always very forgiving. If you mess up and get stuck, there's a handy rewind feature that can take you back to a previous move, or you can jump back to a previous checkpoint and start over. That said, perception and critical thinking can only take you so far, and sometimes you simply cannot "see" the solution, or even realize that a particular configuration is possible. While I have pretty good spatial awareness, I'm not very good at puzzles and I had to go to the Internet a handful of times in order to get past a few obstacles that I failed to comprehend. Additionally, later in the game, gravity becomes arbitrary, which left me flailing in a couple of sections with no clue what to do. The smooth melancholy music also does a nice job of setting the emotional tone.

It's a short game and can be finished in about six hours, but it's definitely worth replaying at least once, just to try and piece the story together again with the additional knowledge that you have. There are also 98 origami birds scattered throughout the game that can be collected, some of which are fiendishly difficult to find and reach. They complete a series of images that represent each act, but they don't significantly add anything to the story.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time with "Shady Part Of Me" and its beautiful, but bizarre world. The intentional vagueness can be confusing and off-putting, but like many art games, the enjoyment is in the journey itself, not the message. The vagueness also leaves it open to interpretation, so everyone will process its depiction of mental health differently. While everything is handled with a delicate touch, it may still trigger people with trauma or anxiety.