Repressed (2019)

Beautiful. Haunting. Surreal… And runs on Linux! Repressed is a wonderful little gem with a really cool hook: you play as a shadow! Okay no, this isn’t the first game to play with shadows, but I hope the trailer video shows how this comes from a bit of a different perspective. Speaking of perspective, it’s a bit of a struggle to get your head around at first. My brain wanted to see the character when looking at the shadow, but that’s just not how light works. I think the thing that tripped me up the most was realizing that I have momentum, and calculating the momentum of a character that you can only see the shadow of is.. well it took some practice. However, I’m happy to say that after just a short while of messing around in the very opening area, my brain sort of ‘clicked’ and all the wonky movement made sense. If you immediately drop into the game and feel disoriented and out of control, set aside 5 or 10 minutes to just meander around the first few meters of the opening and get to grips with the way movement works before diving into the story. Once I got into the story I was hooked, as I have a bit of a soft spot for narratively driven linear experiences. The voice acting i…

Play as a shadow on the ground, platforming through memories to uncover truths and undo trauma. Interesting story and rather unique gameplay. A great little emotional adventure. https://youtu.be/ASvUHNGt2rc

I'm not sure whether I recommend this or not, but as I had to choose, I said yes. There is some true creativity on show here, but also a lot of filler and uninspired design going on. I don't regret buying it on sale, but if I had bought it full price I would not have been happy. Slow to start, it gets great in terms of puzzle mechanics in chapter 2 and the start of chapter three, but goes downhill from there. I fell this could have done with a LOT more polish, and a LOT more thought, and maybe a map system or other way to have a better view of how your manipulation of buttons changes the world. There is a LOT of running back and forth because the area you are meant to be affecting isn't currently visible or even loaded in. Overall though, I did have fun streaming this game for my little Twitch community, and we had a load of fun joking about it's rather poor story and conception of theraphy.

It isn't worth playing. Boring gameplay, cliche history, annoying controls, bad level design. I would only recommend buying it if you wanna play in first hand everything you shouldn't do when developing a video game. The only part I enjoyed on this experience was finally seeing the credits rolling.

Game is a short but memorable puzzle game that stands out thanks to its clever mechanics and unique premise. You play as the shadow of your own psyche, navigating a surreal landscape within your Memory Palace. This concept isn’t just for show — it directly shapes how you play. Light and perspective become essential tools, as shadows obey different physical rules than typical characters in games. While the game’s movement controls and some visual elements could use refinement, the overall presentation often feels clean and stylistically sharp. The psychological narrative adds meaningful depth, especially if you're drawn to introspective or symbolic storytelling. Some sections can be a bit disorienting, and it’s occasionally unclear where to go next. However, with a little trial and error, things tend to click into place. Even if the beginning doesn’t immediately grab you, it’s worth sticking with — it only gets better as you progress.

good