Shardlight

Good game, with some hinderance. Some story plots are guessed too easily just before being revealed. That's not too bad though. The main downside is that passed a point, the game becomes too easy until the end. Puzzles then are straightforward, like they were rushed, and you get to the end very quickly, which is anti-climatic. Other than that, it's worth it on sale. 3.5/5

I'd probably feel better giving this 3.5 out of 5 but since I can't give half stars, I'll go 4 since there's nothing particularly wrong with the game. The story is yet another post-apocalypse tale wherein your protagonist and her friends live in squalor after bombs leveled their society, some of them too young to remember life before the bombs. On your quest to be granted a lottery ticket for a vaccine to the deadly sickness going around, you end up joining a resistance effort against the rich and the powerful who live lavishly and keep the poor under their thumb. The story's not one that'll have you misty at the end but it's enough to keep you wondering what comes next. The art direction is good, as to be expected from a WadgetEye release, nice, charming pixel art backgrounds and a lot of different areas to visit so it doesn't get too stale. There's a lot of brown and yellow due to the whole 'fallout' theme but the artwork itself is nice and detailed. The game's puzzles, for the most part, are pretty easy as I myself never reached one that kept me stumped for any significant amount of time. Nobody likes to be stuck for hours but that "ah-HA!" moment of a tough puzzle finally solved never quite came. The toughest one for me was probably the chalkboard puzzle toward the beginning of the game. Otherwise, it's usually pretty straightforward what you need to do or who you need to talk to in order to move forward. Voice acting ranges from generally good to a little corny but it's generally good enough to keep from detracting at any point in the game. Characters are likable enough though nobody exactly oozes charm. Like much of the rest of the game, they're fine. Just fine. Overall this is a serviceable point and click game. Not sure you'll remember it forever but it'll keep you busy for a few hours and won't leave you regretting the time spent, most likely.

You are taken on a hypnotizing adventure

Widespread respiratory infection? Just the escapism I needed from COVID-19! The atmosphere and aesthetic of this game were what I enjoyed most. The look and sound of Shardlight kept me interested even when the gameplay faltered. What let the game down was familiar plot points as it plodded along its linear narrative. This was frustrating after the first scenes seemed to set Amy Wellard up for a choice between three factions - perhaps siding with one only to double-cross them later? Alas, I quickly realised that for almost the entire game you have no real choice at all. Flimsy characterisation also hurt the story. With stronger writing I felt there were a few moments that could have achieved a bit of emotional weight instead of being weightless. Enjoyable voice acting made me wish characters had more to say, especially the intriguing villain Tiberius who I thought had a lot more mileage in terms of both character and plot. More detail and activity relating to the rest of the Aristorcracy would have lifted the game, as everything else in the setting was overly familiar. The puzzles were straightforward, but luckily I wasn't looking for anything taxing. A few were fun and inspired, but sadly you're more often forced to just shoot at a buttons or switch that is just out of arms reach. Seriously. "My trust crossbow. I've got ONE bolt/I've got TWO bolts." For someone constantly low on ammo Amy Wellard is surprisingly trigger happy - not even pausing to pick up bolts that probably landed nearby! The worst moments of this game were when I could predict at the start of a scene/puzzle that I would definitely be shooting something out of reach, rather than having to think of a solution. Overall an enjoyable experience, if brief. I haven't played many clicky adventure games before, but if I had I'm sure I would have found it underwhelming. I did enjoy it enough to check out Wadjet Eyes other titles, and I'd certainly be interested in a more expansive sequel to Shardlight.

This is a nice looking, modern point and click game, with a decent story starring an assortment of characters. If it was longer I would have given it 5 stars.