The adventure genre has evolved dramatically since the born of video games. It first started with the point and click games and some of the big titles such as Monkey Island series and Grim Fandango were developed and published. However, the popularity of the point and click games did not last long as the game community was constantly demanding for something more exciting. In the last 10 years, some of the studios gradually started changing focus to some modern sub-genres of adventure, particularly "walking simulators". Soon, the titles like Gone Home and What Remains of Edith Finch proved that walking simulators are capable of engaging gamer's interset even with minimum gameplay elements if they are accompanied by a good story and a beautiful design.

The first game of Super Sexy Software is a beautiful walking simulator that I enjoyed every second of it. The Shattering has a strong story, and more importantly, it is successful in telling this story in every moment. The combination of surrealism and unique graphic design has resulted in a stunning psychological thriller.

The game places in the mind of John Evans, who is trying to remember the past with the help of his doctor. So we start a journey with John to realize what has happened to him during the different stages of life. The game story reminds me of What Remains of Edith Finch, where we dig into the past of a family and see their fates. However, in The Shattering, as we only play as John, it is easier to identify with him and feel his problems. One of the big advantages of the story is that it does not try to be overcomplex, and sticks to a series of logical events. We face two big questions at the beginning of the game: Who is John, and What has happened to him? As we progress in the story, we keep knowing about him little by little until the reality is revealed. The fact that everything is happing in John's mind could have resulted in totally non-linear and unclear events but the developers have avoided such an unnecessary complexity, consequently, we can follow the story and John's fate easily.

One of the amazing facts about The Shattering is that it never stops storytelling. I cannot remember a single moment in the game that I was wandering around aimlessly. Whatever is hepping in the game including the changes in the environment and the dialogues pushes the story forward and uncovers one piece of John's past puzzle. The dynamic environment and mild surrealism have helped The Shattering greatly in storytelling. I personally do not enjoy titles like Layers of Fear as the extreme surrealism and constant changes in the environment lead to a total madness and a nonsense story. However, in The Shattering, everything is at the service of the story.

The game contains four acts in total, and I believe the second act that depicts John's childhood is the best one. The entire act is happing in a house that later converts to an orphanage and a school. The implementation of time passing is ingenious in this act, as we experience a long period of John's childhood thanks to a masterful design of the dynamic environment. The changes in the sleeping room, the dining room, and the bathroom are completely successful in portraying John's miseries. As a result, we can get closer and closer to John's character and feel sympathy for him.

The unique graphic design of the game with the emphasis on the white color is a novelty that distinguishes it from other titles. It is indeed because of this unique design that the shattering and destruction of the environment become possible. Moreover, the voice acting, especially for the doctor, is flawless and impressive.

The gameplay is limited to a series of interactions with the environment, including opening doors and touching objects. These interactions are necessary to progress in the story and see the next event. However, sometimes finding the right object to interact is not easy. For example, I spent several minutes in Act II to realize that I have to lock the toilet door to complete a particular task. It can be considered as one of the gameplay problems, as it happens several times throughout the game.

I should also mention that during 3-4 hours of playing the game, I did not encounter a single bug, meaning that the game is quite stable at release.

Verdict:

The Shattering enjoys a beautiful story, and more importantly, it chooses a unique way to tell this story. The combination of surrealism and unique graphic design has resulted in a stunning psychological thriller.