White Shadows Takes Us Into A World Of Monochrome

OK, so before I go into the newly released White Shadows, I strongly recommend you check out the trailer above! Go on, I'll wait. Now you have seen it, I will guess the first things you've just said to yourself was, "what in the nightmare fuelled monochrome madness did I just watch" as that's exactly what I thought. This is White Shadows, by Monokel, a modern fable about escaping a dark, weird and violent world. This puzzle-platformer really takes the idea of exceptional level design and stunning art styles and turns it right up to 11!

White Shadows puts us into the world of Ravengirl, our protagonist. She is trying to escape a vast industrial style city. Ravengirl needs to avoid deadly traps and very odd trials with one simple objective, reach Tin Town, where the last free people live. In this world, we are one of the many survivors of a deadly pandemic who are kept alive by covering themselves in white light. However, all the population are being exploited by the ruling wolves. Yeah, OK, that subject and the ideas behind it really do hit home, especially with everything that has been going on in the modern world and is still hitting home today. However, the game seems to take a Limbo or Little Nightmares approach where you continue walking, exploring the weird world and solving puzzles to progress further.

The aesthetics shown in White Shadows are distinctive and very impactful. The greys and whites really emphasise both the steampunk-inspired world but equally the main character and how they fit into this universe of weirdness. This style also tends to manifest the feeling of being overwhelmed or even the bleakness of the main character's situation, which I won't divulge into any further as I risk entering spoiler territory! But I will say a few words on the audio design where the soundtrack and general tones really solidify the overall feel of White Shadows, from its uncanny weirdness to the familiar feeling of isolation.

The atmospheric White Shadows will keep you on your toes while you keep pushing to the end. White Shadows is out now on PC, Xbox Series X and S and Playstation 5. Will you be experiencing this surreal monochrome world for yourself? Let us know in this article's comments!