Contrast Review

Contrast is an indie puzzle platformer developed by Compulsion Games for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and PC. Although the game is, quite frankly, visually alluring, the game itself just isn’t neither challenging enough, nor does it invite you to replay it.

Set in the early 30s, Contrast creates a beautifully built atmosphere in which the ambient and characters make sense. This oneiric scenario, in which shadows and light fuse and where characters and buildings might as well be considered as the product Tim Burton working together with the team behind BioShock: Infinite, transmits a powerful aesthetic force, but, to be honest, the initial impression goes quickly unnoticed because of the lack of context or any explanation whatsoever.

In the lamest terms, Contrast abuses the Mystery Box resources, just like J.J. Abrams does, and leaves the player confused and dazzled, wondering what the hell just happened and where everything came from.

The game's story is quite simple, but at this point, it would be impossible to discuss it without revealing some key elements that would spoil the game for future players.

We can just focus on Didi, the only daughter of a dysfunctional family, and her imaginary (at least we can deem her as imaginary) acrobat, stylish, mute, friend cleverly named Dawn, the controllable character with the ability to shift between a corporeal form and that of shadows.

This feature reminds me of the newly released The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, in which Link has to shift between 2D and 3D in order to solve puzzles and reach other parts of the levels.

Notwithstanding the fact that the ability and its execution are pretty interesting, Dawn's puzzles are a bit disappointing. They are not that much of a challenge, predictable, and do not seem rewarding enough.

Nevertheless, I admire the effort the game developers put into the construction of the world of shadows and how dynamic it sometimes seems. For example, one of the most interesting puzzles is a shadow puppet show in which Dawn has to play the role of a princess and travel through the story in the shadow world.

One of the main problems in the otherwise well-constructed world is the lack of context. On one hand, we have a noir-film ambiance with a lot of cabaret and jazz themes (with a great soundtrack); on the other, we have unfinished roads, pitfalls, and infinite abysses with floating rocks that have no further explanation.

To that matter, the shadow world does not have any explanation. The only, let’s say, tangible characters are Didi and Dawn; all of the other characters in the game are only visible through their shadows, and only Didi is able to see them and interact with them. Furthermore, the game starts almost right away, with no introduction to the lore or the world whatsoever.

Gameplay-wise, Contrast is a simple and predictable game with little (or none) replay value. The game can be finished, with all the collectibles, in about four straight hours of play. Dawn, even though she is presented as an acrobat, lacks flexibility or any ability other than jumping a bit high.

The movement span is very limited, and most of the time, you will find yourself moving boxes or round objects from one place to another while you activate levers and switches. That makes the levels a bit repetitive in their construction.

To wrap things up, I would dare to say Contrast is a beautifully well-built game in terms of design, graphics, and color; however, the studio forgot they were making a game. It is a moderately fun game and a good option if you have some time to kill, but it is definitely not a game to die for.