Shadow's Grove

Shadow's Grove is a game that caught me off guard with how emotional it ended up being. I am playing as Astrid, a young spirit guide who is trying to deal with losing her lifelong companion Eri. The strange part is that Eri is still with her as a fading spirit, and the two of them have to travel through the Valley of Souls together. I liked this setup because the game is not just about exploring an afterlife. It is really about trying to accept a loss that neither character is ready to let go of. The ability to switch between human and wolf forms is easily one of my favourite ideas. Astrid and Eri each have their own abilities, so I have to use both of them to get through the different areas. Eri can help with things that Astrid cannot do, while Astrid's magic gives me another way to deal with obstacles and enemies. I liked that the two characters actually feel connected through the gameplay rather than the relationship only being explained through dialogue. The environmental puzzles are simple but they fit the world nicely. I am moving through different surreal areas and working out how to manipulate the environment to open new paths. I never felt like the puzzles were trying to be ridiculously difficult, which I think was the right choice because the emotional story is clearly the main focus. The different environments also give the adventure some variety, and I enjoyed seeing how strange the afterlife could become. Combat is another part of the game, with Astrid using magic and Eri using his strength to fight corrupted spirits. I liked having both characters involved because it reinforces the central idea of them relying on each other. At the same time, the combat is not particularly deep. Once I understand what each character can do, most encounters become fairly straightforward. I would have liked more enemy variety and more interesting situations that forced me to properly combine their abilities. The biggest weakness for me is that the game is quite short and it sometimes feels like I am only getting a small taste of what the world could have been. There are some really interesting ideas about the afterlife and the relationship between Astrid and Eri, but the story does not have a huge amount of room to explore them. Some areas also feel more like showcases for the environment and mechanics than fully developed places. I think a longer version could have done a lot more with the setting and characters. The presentation is probably what impressed me most. The environments have a surreal fantasy look and there is a lot of care put into making the Valley of Souls feel like a place that exists outside normal reality. The soundtrack also does a good job of supporting the emotional side of the story without constantly forcing the mood. It makes sense that the game came from a DigiPen student project because it feels like a project where a lot of different disciplines have come together, from art and animation to gameplay and audio. Overall, I think Shadow's Grove is a really nice short adventure that succeeds because it has a clear emotional idea behind everything it does. I liked the relationship between Astrid and Eri, the ability to switch between their forms and the way the puzzles and combat are built around working together. The short length and fairly basic combat stop it from reaching a higher level for me, but I still think the atmosphere and story make it worth playing. It is also completely free, which makes it much easier for me to recommend as a small experience rather than expecting it to compete with a full sized action adventure. Rating: 7.5/10

Graphics are nice. You can turn into a wolf and back again which is nice. Your wolf can get to places your female protagonist can't. Looks like the gamie is broken by 2 hings. it doesnt save progress when you quit so you come back to a new game. It only saves progress while your playing and in game so any time in game you can load last checkpoint but upon exit this doesnt work Couldmt light the 3rd torch. I figured out where to go all the way to light the 2/3 beacons. The statue points the way but the 3rd area the statue points to ibroken and you fall through the air to your death or you end up going back to the lwoer ground from where you came from. No idea howt o light the 3rd beacon so I gave up dying multiple times and quit

Carac@ que jogo bizarro, no começo só de olhar vc pensa pow o jogo deve ser bom tem um gráfico bonito, cara é só aparência! Put que pari, que jogo ruim irmão! Primeiro a mulher anda estranhamente, sei lá parece que está com um siri no fiofó, vc não sabe se ela esta correndo , andando ou dançando, é bizarro. Segundo o gráfico não condiz com o jogo, por exemplo: os monstros tem gráficos horrríveis! A mulher parece que flutua, na moral chama o Mister M para desvendar como ela faz para andar flutuando! E também como ela faz as sombras sumirem do nada, porém sombra é o de menos! Serio eu não consigo jogar e ver essa mulher andando de um jeito que parece que está esquiando. História eu não entendi é nada! Gameplay toda bugada! Quedas de frames do nada! A mulher tem o podem do visão dos vingadores entra na rocha e paraliza dentro dela, ou melhor seria um bug. Música..... cara com tantos erros acho que música é o de menos, nem percebi a música de tão ruinzinho que é. A mira é horrível Só digo uma coisa.... não vale seu tempo!

Full disclosure: I didn't finish this game. I played until the wolf gets unlocked (not a spoiler, it happens early). The game has enough polish that it could go somewhere eventually. It feels like an early demo though. Effort and love was put in, but it is lacking in its current state. You should be able to jump, and can't. The combat is clunky, and overall it wasn't enough to make me want to play more. I don't recommend it, but maybe it's worth noodling around with as it is free.

Игра 'Shadow's Grove' погрузила меня в мрачную и атмосферную историю, полную тайн и неожиданных поворотов. Графика, хоть и не самая передовая, отлично создает гнетущую атмосферу заброшенного поместья. Звуковое сопровождение выше всяких похвал - скрипы половиц, завывания ветра и жуткие шепоты действительно заставляют почувствовать себя в центре событий. Геймплей представляет собой смесь приключения и хоррора с элементами головоломок. Загадки достаточно сложные, но в то же время логичные, что делает их решение действительно приятным. Сюжет затягивает с первых минут и держит в напряжении до самого конца. Персонажи прописаны хорошо, им веришь и сопереживаешь. Из минусов могу отметить некоторую линейность повествования. Выбор, который предлагается игроку, не всегда влияет на исход событий. Также, ближе к концу игры, темп немного замедляется. В целом, 'Shadow's Grove' - это отличный хоррор, который я рекомендую всем любителям жанра. Если вы ищете игру, способную пощекотать нервы и предложить интересный сюжет, то это именно то, что вам нужно. Игра оставляет после себя приятное послевкусие и заставляет задуматься о поднятых в ней вопросах.

jogo muito bom, graficos lindos e a mecânica é facil de pegar, porém o jogo é muito curto. Fora isso, achei ótimo

Nice litte game, fun to play. Got stuck once but savepoint was nearby.