The Shattering

The Shattering
68
Metacritic
84
Steam
70.296
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Price
$9.99
Release date
21 April 2020
Developers
Publishers
Steam reviews score
Total
84 (237 votes)

The Shattering is a first-person, story-driven, psychological thriller. Its defining features are the dynamic environments, beautiful aesthetic and intriguing story. The gameplay is meant to submerge you in the mind of John, as you take each step forward into the twisted mystery of what happened.

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The Shattering system requirements

Minimum:

  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: Windows 7, 8, 10
  • Processor: Intel Core i3-2120 (3.3 GHz) / AMD FX-4100 X4 (3.6 GHz)
  • Memory: 6 GB RAM
  • Graphics: GeForce GTX 750 Ti / AMD Radeon R7 265
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Storage: 8 GB available space
  • Additional Notes: "Media Feature Pack for N versions of Windows 10" is required
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Elena
Elena

Normally I'm a big fan of games that tell you a thrilling story with an open ending. But the Shattering is just to open for my liking. Maybe i missed a few hints in my first playthrough but after the end i can imagine half a dozen explanations for what i just went trough with John.
Overall it's a short captivating story that leaves you guessing for the origin of John's problems but denies you the triumphant 'aha'-moment in the end. It's just so vague that it spoiled the game a little for me.

Monsi
Monsi

An unbelievable well-designed story game with great attention to detail. Playable in about 4 hours. So it's not too long but definitely worth the money. Can fully recommend this game!

Cam The Man
Cam The Man

The Shattering is a unique experience, but it wasn't the game I expected from the steam store page advertising, especially with respect to the horror tag. The game is essentially a first-person walking simulator where you recount the life of John Evans in a greyscale environment.

Overall, I just found the game to underwhelming -- all aesthetic, no substance. Oftentimes, I couldn't find the interact-able objects in the environment needed to progress for several minutes. Likewise, the game's narrative was confusing -- several mutually exclusive possibilities are presented as to what is really going on, but, by the end of things, no definitive answers are given.

medica1
medica1

A really interesting game...
The Shattering have good graphic , good story and a unique atmosphere . Try the demo , Me, I love the game !

Marion Moonlight
Marion Moonlight

Ugh, what a waste of 7 hours this game turned out to be...

First, it literally made me sick - I had to play in several sessions because of fits of dizziness and nausea. Turning off "motion blur" didn't help at all, by the way.

Second, the story was like a collage of cliches badly slapped together. The only thing that was midly original was the protagonist's hate of noise, I guess.

And last, to add insult to injury, the end was disappointing, at best. I like a lot of stories with the open ending, actually, but this one wasn't one. It felt like "oi, you think you're so smart, you guess what happened here" ending to me.

[DSDIZZT] Lalle75(GER)
[DSDIZZT] Lall…

Do not buy this game!
It is absolutely boring and short. You are the patient of an "invisible" psychiatrist who "talks" you through the game.
You remember your childhood, youth, first job, first girlfriend, but everything is totally cliché. The story is so boring, it's almost unbearable.
About the technology: No textures! The game is practically completely gray and white. Black is already a highlight. You just search the gray environment for clickable areas, and listen to the associated text and watch the animations. There are no visible people. You only hear the persons in the room. The few situations in which a human being is depicted are these faceless wooden dolls in human size.
After 90 minutes, I briefly considered returning the game, but then thought that maybe it would get better. After another 90 minutes it was over.
What a bummer. I would have been better off throwing the 6 euros as coins into the nearest river, then at least I would have had fun hearing it splash.

𝕭𝖊𝖊𝖇𝖔
𝕭𝖊𝖊𝖇𝖔

It's quick but I liked it It was a little spooky if you have ever had mental health issues

Lek
Lek

I do like (or even love) grayscale palette and so I like visual style here.
I do like to look on references (and here we do have plenty of them, references to references, a very lot of symbols/symbolism, et cetera)
It's not long and this is a plus too.

But despite of that during the whole playthrough one, single question keep thumping inside my skull:
"I can't understand -- why it is so boring?"

Donni Kubbitz
Donni Kubbitz

Nicely put together, great running, psyche sim!
I like how the story jumped around, at least for me it did.
Initially I would have given this game a good review for a chill game but it was definitely much more than just chill.
Again, I like the way the story was done because we could have come up with so many of our own conclusions and I did.
I really like how the sound was done as well. Very nice and good chemistry for each scene.

Firehawk0073
Firehawk0073

If you like walking simulators and stories about mental health, this may be the game for you. If you don't like either of those things, than this will definitely not be your cup of tea.

BeardoBenjo
BeardoBenjo

To keep it short and sweet if you enjoy games such as What Remains of Edith Finch, Gone Home or even something like Layers of Fear 2 then this game will more than likely hit all the right notes for you:

- Slow burn, intriguing & engaging story
- Dark themes of abuse, bullying & more
- Walking simulator (No combat, just exploration)
- Great art style, very appealing to look at
- Broken down into 40-45 minute long acts (the game is 4 acts long)

If you want a better understanding of the style & content of the game then here is the first act with no commentary for you to check out & make your decision: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZfFTgujZus&feature=youtu.be

Bennings Dekker
Bennings Dekker

loved the game.

everything was so sad but i felt so particularly bad duing John's years in the orphanage. His life while his parents were alive was like ok then one day everything starts to become apart.
The teddybear was really really touchy. His motives, his moves and the shape, the deformation it gains during John's adventure throuhgout his life is absolutely insane and scarry.

The epilogue was cool but a little bit longer that i expected. Also, Technically, id expect some challenging puzzles but even without them its ok in my book.
The story is not one of the most creative ones i ever saw or heard but the development was very nice.

thank you all very much for making this game.

guitarfreak42o
guitarfreak42o

I want to begin by saying this game is a beautiful, vivid, and artistic abstraction from some very deep underlying morbid tones and i LOVED that about this game and story. Written and presented with a lot of creativity. I of course give it a recommendation for the sole reason of its uniqueness and story that had a way of drawing you through until the end.
I do however have a couple critiques. I would say that this game played itself very independently from any input options given to the player and became extremely linear because of this. I think a title with this much story line potential could really benefit from a few varying opportunities rather than click to play straight through, giving a feel of deeper involvement and really allowing a connection to being John rather than simply watching his memories unfold. All said and done a very smooth gameplay and riveting story that had me play straight through to finish.

Quadangalo
Quadangalo

I can't exactly compare this to any other game or story available on the market as I haven't played others, however this was very intense for me. Its not a horror game but it delivers incredible emotion and storytelling, especially in the early parts of the story during Act 2. I felt the fear and suffering that John experienced like it was my own.

Well worth the money and a great experience!!

SpeedAsian
SpeedAsian

3 hours in (Update: Finished it. Still as amazing as I thought) and I can tell you, this game is bizarre and wonderful. Maybe even wonderfully bizarre. The Shattering truly takes you down the rabbit hole of someone's fragmented mind and you're often piecing together events and realizing how that fits into your life. Also this game is definitely not your standard issue horror (nor does it claim to be) but it definitely has those psychological elements in full. It's creepy, uneasy, and anxiety inducing, but all in the best ways.
Pros:
Right off the bat, the visuals look amazing. That empty blank palette really reflects your memory being unsure of some details. This reminds me a lot of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Memento. Little details here and there that change or are a bit muddy because the minor details are fuzzy as your memory.

Also minor detail, I love the textures in this game. Oddly, the cloth physics/simulation along with the shadow was just mind blowing to me. I notice the weirdest things sometimes though.

You'll notice real fast that the voice acting is super solid. Right off the bat I uttered a "Yes! Thank god!" It was such a relief as nothing stings like bad voice acting in a beautiful narrative. I was never taken out of the moment because of bad voice overs at all.

The story is SO good! Very interesting and when you figure elements of who John is as a person, things just click. Your perspective changes and it's the same feeling as when you meet someone and have one impression of them, then you learn more about them and change your perspective about them. It was like a good book, I didn't want to put it down, but it's 6am and I definitely need some sleep!

The level design is flawless. Set pieces come together and pull apart in an incredibly surreal way.

Cons:
I'm going to be SUPER nit picky here because there's very little that's negative about this game.
This game made me have feelings and I didn't appreciate that. (kidding...well kinda)

When you try a locked door, there's a giant bold message that says "This door is locked" or something rather. In a game this immersive, I would've preferred the door to just make the classic locked rattle, the door doesn't open, the player can figure it out from there. Just adds a hint of more immersion.

The fluorescent light flicker sound sounds more like a buzzing bug than a light bulb. I feel like it should be more of a hum. Yeah I said SUPER nit picky and there it is.

TLDR: This game is a walking simulator. No way around that. But it's one of the best ones I've played so far. The horror is very subtle and the story is just phenomenal as well as it's other production elements. This game makes it hard to believe that it's this studio's first game and definitely feel like a labor of love that puts it above a lot of AAA titles.

Chrisi
Chrisi

Nicely done in every way: story, graphics, and sound all play together to make this a beautiful experience. Highly recommended!

Drunknhippo
Drunknhippo

I don't have any poetic words to say about this game and thought I was going to be jumping in to something super complex after reading reviews about it but as far as gameplay goes this title is mostly linear so I had no real issues. Now the gameplay mechanics are extremely smooth and super well done, and what's been said already is it does start off kind of slow and remains alittle slowz but the story is so we'll made and put together that it keeps you interested and pushing through the seemingly painful memories of John. I just like others highly recommend this title. (I have to place the link cause gameplay diversity and it does have slight commentary) https://youtu.be/f53UWkFHsJA

HogwartsWombat
HogwartsWombat

This is the first game of its kind I’ve actually finished and I did so in one sitting. My usual games of choice are the big name RPGs (Witcher, The Elder Scrolls etc.), but since I’m also a big fan of entertainment that explores the human mind (Shutter Island, Inception, Memento, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind etc.), this looked like something I wanted to try. And boy it did not disappoint! There are some genuinely unique and beautifully executed functional visuals in the game, things are transforming and changing in front of your eyes almost constantly - and for very good reasons as you find out soon. One thing I highly appreciated (I don’t think this is really a spoiler) was that there are no jump scares, they almost always feel like a cheap way out and this game has higher standards throughout the whole story. It took me a good 4 hours to complete the main story, but I saw a few potential secrets and definitely different choices a long the way that I’ll need to go back and explore.
Visually the game is very appealing, lots of details with beautiful style, I played it on a 4K G-Sync display with 2080 Ti and it holds up very well - lots of games start to struggle to deliver rich details at high resolutions, this one does not. The sound is very well executed and a very important part of the game, headphones are recommended but I’ve played it just fine with speakers. The game design it very neatly done, there are a number of peculiar ways that you, the player, is guided/helped through the story, sometimes it’s sounds that give you cues where to look and what to do, other times it’s colors and special objects.
I would recommend this game to pretty much anyone who likes to explore the mind and its mysteries. Also if you feel like experiencing a thrilling mystery story with unique delivery, this is probably a much better choice than watching yet another series on Netflix, it will be worth you time and money.

Dext3r
Dext3r

I highly recommend the game. It is a very interesting experience and a story that keeps you guessing. What happened to the character?, What might be the reason for what is happening? It keeps you wondering till the very end.
If you like story driven games like Gone Home this is definitely a game for you but I recommend this to anybody who likes an interesting story.

holden22
holden22

This game is seriously great. Every chapter is completely different (it doesn't seem that way based on trailers) and the game kept surprising me until the end. The trailers are showing a very small portion of the game as to not spoil any surprise. If you enjoy beautiful narrative driven walking simulators and don't mind difficult themes, this is a game for you. Also, I can't believe a game with this level of creativity, quality of the narrative and attention to detail was done in a such a small dev studio. Definitely recommend!

BrassOh
BrassOh

Really beautiful game, recommend it to anyone. The story was good but I was left with some questions even after the ending. Really good game for screenshots too.

n1KE
n1KE

Game is beautiful and cool, interesting and smooth. It's a visual novel with some interaction if you will, it's well done!

[GAZArts]
[GAZArts]

Having just completed the game I'm don't mind admitting that I'm just in awe of what Super Sexy Software were able to accomplish here. The game play mechanics and animations are by far some of the best I've seen in a video game.

For all intents and purposes this is a Walking Simulator in the vain of Gone Home but its so much more than that. Its like someone took Gone Home, PT, Stanley Kubrick's The Shinning and Steven King's 1408 and threw them all into a blender. The result of which is this really intense and tragic story that literally unravels around you.

The optimization is worthy of note too with my rig barely breaking a sweat through out the entire experience, even in the more graphically demanding moments. The audio, both musically and voice acting compliment the game really well and I'm just surprised that more people haven't found this particular gem yet, games like this really need to be encouraged and celebrated.

Pros:
- Intense psychological story with some horror eliments.
- Beautiful graphics that get better as the game becomes more complex
- Tension building audio in terms of ambience, music and voice acting
- Great Optimisation even on my potato of a laptop
- Really reasonable price (I would have paid more)
- Reasonable game length

Cons:
- None.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUtnQu2UreY

TheRepublic
TheRepublic

The Shattering.

Expectations? Vastly expected. Enjoyed the motif of blue and shattering. Finding the cigs was hard. But the truth? Harder. The past? Painful. The price? Steep, like a tea bag sitting too long.

To build it up just to shatter it to pieces, in an experience that becomes us all. What is love? To me. To you. It's a a truth learned, but a missing piece. A shattered piece.

Did we enjoy the Shattering? Yes, with a side of no. We voted on this 3-2, and by split-decision, The Shattering's hand was raised as the victor.

Super Sexy Software: I'll be back, and I hope you will be with a better showing.

HASOLINE
HASOLINE

The game was really an interesting one, visuals and audio along with how the game progresses really met my expectations :) Thank you for creating this game :)

Cygnux
Cygnux

Haunting and at times heartbreaking. It's like a good book that you can't put down. Looking forward to the next creation from this group.

TreeTrunk
TreeTrunk

I was excited for this game after seeing the trailer and seeing it be compared to 'Edith Finch' which is a game I enjoyed, but it just gets less interesting and more frustrating as the game goes on.

You play a guy who had an accident and is remembering his past via his dreams/visions with the help of a shrink. The game is one big dream sequence. It consists of walking from place to place, clicking on stuff and seeing objects float into or out of place with voice overs narrating what they are supposed to represent. It quickly turns into a 'find the hidden object game' which worked so well to break my immersion as I'm just desperately clicking on everything in the room trying to get the game to progress. There are some parts where you choose what to say but it's really just another thing you need to click on.

John is a voice-less protagonist who has been through a lot of cliche trauma in his life, being bullied and bashed in school, was inconvenienced in having to find a job, which he found but it was still a 'shattering' experience as the job interview for it was scary, being told by his boss he needs to work a Saturday shift, not being able to work without constantly drinking wine, being mad at 'room service' coming to your door because of the noise, including what is implied at the end.

The games way of telling the story is intriguing at first, the game presents a nice creepy atmosphere in certain parts, the visuals and the world do well to articulate what John is trying so desperately to remember, and maybe finding the hidden object is supposed to play into that, but the amount of interest generated initially is nullified by the dullness of the latter parts of the game. I opened all those boxes and I understand that was supposed to be a positive memory sequence, but everything spontaneously goes dark and starts breaking, the dinner turns into a live beating heart and I guess it's still realistic because John's a trauma patient and can't remember everything right now, right? I'm not spoiling anything but the revelation in the end is supposed to be motivated by something else which is not addressed in the game. There's a newspaper article you find that tells you what witnesses in the area theorise what happened, but John is the only one who can know for sure and by the end he still doesn't remember it. The game teases a sequel at the end without providing a complete narrative. John being a trauma patient (and dare I say, this being an indie game) is supposed to be a good enough excuse for that I guess, but for me it still makes for a boring game. The acts of the game could have taken place over days or weeks where John finally remembers why he is there, how he got there and whatever other details that make the shrink just so interested in him. I'm usually quite tolerant when stories in media fall short in some way, but for this I feel it was a major event that took place before the ending, and is a main motivator for the ending. It's too much to leave that for a sequel.

"If you've played such and such games you'll like this" yeah, but you've also played better games than this. This game might be unique with the trauma patient premise, and while that is done well it still makes for an experience where you'd rather be listening to your Spotify collection again, or checking out what's new on youtube instead of clicking on this next blue-highlighted thing. I wish I could advise my past self to skip this one.

atarijaguar
atarijaguar

A somewhat disturbing 'game.' Nothing scary per say, as in jump scares. But it can play on past memories, both good and bad. Overall I would consider this a somewhat guided walking simulator. Depending on your point of view, this is a dark story. Would I recommend it? Absolutely. Enjoyed it.

InceptionCelery
InceptionCelery

Words cannot describe how much I love this game. I loved every bit of the story, despite how it tortured me towards the end. The visuals were FANTASTIC, the writings on the wall were impactful, and MY GOD, I LOVED THE ENDING! I will say that the level design for the hotel at the beginning of the game was kinda difficult to navigate, and the game wasn't as thrilling as it was heart-wrenching. I'm not entirely sure how a sequel to this game would work out, but IF YOU FIND A WAY, FEED MEEE!!

Vixen
Vixen

I absolutely love this game. It's sad, and very disturbing. My mouth dropped a couple of times with how dark this gets in moments. This game will definitely stick with me forever. I've played twice, and still can't figure out how to get the second ending. I do highly recommend this game.

Dag0n
Dag0n

Sorry, but no! This was a recommendation and supposed to be a game with a deep story telling/atmosphere and an unexpected ending revealing the whole plot......well, it´s not.

The story and the way it is represented is good, but anything else is boring and predictable. Half in the game you know in which direction this will end, there is no surprise and no AHA-effect at all. The gameplay is from boring to anoying.

Just a big disappointment, at least it was short.

sashok.net
sashok.net

This game got me hooked with their visuals and the art of storytelling right after I saw the trailer.
There are some really cool ideas on how the story develops and helps players emerge into it.
I would definitely recommend this game to everyone who likes narrative driven, slow-paced games.

deseven
deseven

It's nice to see such a strong first release from a completely unknown Polish team! I cannot recommend it enough for people who love narrative games. Some may say that the plot is not only lacking depth, but also consists of various cliches, and there may be some truth in that, however, all of it can be cast aside by a nearly perfect execution, character development and attention to details. Soundtrack and general sound design are also one of those gems you better not miss. I'm looking forward to see what they will do next, hopefully with bigger budget/team.

P.S. I can see where all those comparisons with Edith Finch are coming from, but don't make them fool you, apart from sharing a genre, those are two completely different games.

Rommel's Asparagus
Rommel's Asparagus

Decent story and interesting visuals

Kysara
Kysara

This game was so beautifully done that I could not put it down until I had finished it. Took about 4 hours. A lot of the story and motifs are left obscured throughout the game and can be completely up to each players interpretation. Going through their discord chat, nearly no one had the same ideas connecting the story. A captivating story about remembering your past and dealing with mental illness which was done with such class and sensitivity. I felt like I was part of John... I smiled, I cried, I was scared. I really felt the game. If you like story driven walking simulators, psychological interpretation, and immersive gameplay... this game gets my 100% approval.

Dallas McPhee
Dallas McPhee

Incredible game. However, I was thrown for a loop at the credits, because after this incredibly serious and emotionally intense game, the first words that greet me after the screen goes black are "Super Sexy Software."

Great game

zajac
zajac

If you are looking for mystery you will find answer in the game

TinBears
TinBears

Fantastic game! I love the voice acting, sound design, and the graphics were great. There was frame loss at certain points, but I am not sure if that was due to OBS and other things running in the background. All in all, I loved the game and highly recommend it if you want a short and sweet game to immersive yourself in for the rest of the night.

8/10

DingusButticus
DingusButticus

If you like walking simulators you will probably like this game. The story is interesting (so far) and the graphics look nice. My only complaint is that the movement feels a tad clunky.

chicken_kebab_
chicken_kebab_

it is an awesome looking game and with great sound effects. but overall the story is cliche and basic. also there's a few plot holes . personally, 6 hours of game play is a bit short for me . and is it just me or the controls are really hard to function properly.

Mike
Mike

I'll be real with you. This game isn't great. If I could, I would have given it a mixed opinion instead of thumbs up. With that being said, here's my review of The Shattering.

It's a unique walking simulator about a troubled writer on his therapy session. But it's uniqueness pretty much ends on the fact that it's pretty much entirely black and white. It throws choices at you left and right but they don't change anything, it has a somewhat of an interesting story, but both of its endings are very lackluster and same-ish.. if you want to buy it, I'd say wait for at least 50% off.

I have 6 hours in only because I went for 100% achievements. Game is maybe 3h long.

My rating: 5/10 because there's potential. I hope your next game will have a proper choice-consequence system and not mimic Layers of Fear (minus the jumpscares) so hard ;)

Don_Midnight
Don_Midnight

This is one of the best games I've played recently. It is thought provoking, the visuals are stunning, and the story is slow but the good kind that keeps you engaged. I loved every second of it.

Milchtüte
Milchtüte

A game that goes very deep into the psyche of the human being and deals with difficult topics. The implementation is just great.

neoadorable
neoadorable

Clearly the team has a lot of good intentions, and there's some really good ideas and art herein. But it's just...boring. I'm sorry to say that. Rarely are games outright boring, but not bad. There's nothing wrong with The Shattering, except it's truly not compelling IMO. It's just a kind-hearted but listless walking sim with basic puzzles. I'd say don't pick it up.

maximus3000sa
maximus3000sa

A very interesting walking simulator, the use of a monotone palette is really beautiful and the story is excellent. Well worth playing.

sudo
sudo

First of all, I fairly recommend "The Shattering", it is a short walking game with simple and clean 3D graphics and appropriate sound track.
Secondly, decryption is one of pleasures in the game, they are simple and interesting. Such as endless corridors. I consider it as a pro.
Then, the second advantage I think is novel level-selection, this game uses different kinds of door represent
each level. Also, when the main character finished all levels, the broken face restored which points out the title of the game again.
Furthermore, the number of levels is quite enough and reasonable, even though there are only 4 levels.
Moreover, the game use special method to tell players a story, which the doctor help the main character to find his lost memory. The players (us) will experience his memory.
However, one of the thing I think they could improve is multiple endings, we got lots of dialogue choices during the game, but whatever we choose we can only get the same answer, so I think this game is unfinished.
Additionally, there are too few items we can interact with, I almost clicked all items, which expect the main characters to interact with those objects, I am very disappointed about it.
To conclude, this is a game I recommend you to play, simple decryption and beautiful graphics and soundtrack will let you feel what is the feeling of main character.

parogen
parogen

Just an abridged life simulator of guy in crisis and spoiler: also murdered his wife. This is the kind of game where you have to double back on things too many times.

Games like this have succeeded with great writing and acceptable interactivity. This has neither.

You can get this game if you want to be depressed, because honestly I related a bit too much to the workplace parts, but most of the game is just a sorry excuse for a story game. I related because I have a depressing work history, but mostly I was banging my head on why I am still playing this game with such flat writing.

Worth it on sale (or whatever price you are comfortable paying for an okay game).

bjcalvillo
bjcalvillo

masterpiece of a horror game totally atmospheric
especially the childhood act got me good

mihaimold
mihaimold

Loved it a lot, although it is a bit cliche in some moments, overall it is quite an interesting story. It has interesting message that would resonate with people who are dealing or have someone close to them deal with psychological problems. Interesting use of game design and game mechanics.

UnicornZombiez13
UnicornZombiez13

It was a very cliche storyline.

ratbikenate
ratbikenate

Cute little story/walking game. Really enjoyed the visuals and some of the colour shifts were really great and atmospheric.

Controlled well, no bugs.

Some sections were a bit sloggy/slow mostly because I couldn't work out what to do next as was searching for ages. Personally I would benefit from a little more guidance at times.

Paid about seven quid for it and felt like I got my moneys worth. Though I'd have felt a bit short changed if I'd paid much more.

CindyK_JA
CindyK_JA

The Shattering is quite a game/experience and turned out to be more compelling than I expected. It is played from the first person perspective of John who is recovering from a severe injury. He is in therapy as he attempts to rebuild memories. The game starts out slowly and then pulls you in as John walks through four key segments from his life and continues to meet with a psychiatrist. Gameplay consists of exploring environments, moving freely, but controlled by doors that lock and unlock as the story progresses. There are no puzzles but there are many items to interact with. The game auto-saves frequently so your progress is never lost.

Here's what I thought was so special about The Shattering:
1. Artwork is black and white with splashes of accent color (blue butterflies, red wine, yellow candles, etc.). It is just beautifully done.
2. Sound track is primarily environmental sounds which, when combined with the art, create a very immersive experience. I was constantly aware of how much the sound track was adding to the atmosphere of the game and playing with headphones is a must.
3. Although John interacts with other people who speak to him, there are no faces or bodies shown. The developers did a masterful job of creating the illusion of characters in great detail. They also used mannequins and a teddy bear as placeholders which reflect emotional impact.
4. John's mind is shattered and the game builds and destroys objects and scenes in a way that makes you feel his isolation, rage, fear, hope, and desperation.

Be advised that there is a single save slot so you have to play from the beginning if you want to try for the alternate ending needed to obtain 100% of the achievements.

Overall, I think this is a beautifully done game. At the end, I remain unsure of what was real and what was imagined but perhaps that is all part of the 'shattered mind' experience. I highly recommend it to those who enjoy an exploratory journey that is unique and thought provoking.

blaze764
blaze764

This game was sad but very beautiful as well. The story was engaging and the music was lovely too. Even though most of the game was in black and white (including the short tv shows), that just made the game more interesting and cool to me. I really enjoyed this game even though it was a sad story, I would it again and more games like this too. Exploration games are my favorite on the pc so if you like games that tell stories with exploration, little to no action, and a great soundtrack, this game is for you.

Wrekka Sensei
Wrekka Sensei

great visuals, pulling on heartstrings, reminds me of "What remains of edith finch" though edith finch is stiil king, very cool and thought provoking game. hopefully people will enjoy it the way i did.

Mutz
Mutz

Writing just wasn't quite compelling enough to hold it up.

Jess13
Jess13

This game is... beautiful. From the story to the animations it is just well done. I play a lot of RPG style games and it's hard to draw me into a game, but this game... pulled me into it. It's so well written and well executed. It keeps you wanting more! The only negative thing I can say about it is that it is a short game. I completed it in 4 hours with 2 15 minute breaks. so it is possible to beat in under 3 and 1/2 hours. I hope to see more from this Dev/Pub team.

Johnmusic992648
Johnmusic992648

I think this is a very interesting, unique and beautifully abstract game. I recommend it for gamers who enjoy story-heavy games with incredibly simplistic point-and-click puzzles and a heavy emphasis on atmosphere.

-------VAGUE STORY SHAPE SPOILERS-------
I will say that I was a bit let down by the game's ending. Not to say I didn't like where the story ended up, but I feel like it veered in that direction far too quickly without properly planting the seeds. The rest of the story - even the more ambiguous aspects - are very slowly and carefully rendered.

I understand the reason for taking such a wild left turn at the end - because we are supposed to feel like John, and have our world turned upside down. However, it just felt unearned in some respects, and therefore left me more confused and bothered instead of satisfied by a good story with what could have been a well executed ending.

Catman
Catman

I enjoyed playing the demo, but did not like that there was no option to turn off subtitles. I bought the game thinking the option would be there. No option, refund requested. I get distracted by subtitles. I want to enjoy the graphics without the distraction.

Thank you for the update! I repurchased! Thank you!

PoppiFields
PoppiFields

Great game. The beginning was a bit meh...but get past the hotel and there are moments of great sadness and beauty. Not horror tho.

Quebec Lima
Quebec Lima

This game is no fun at all, you just go from one point to the next and click a thing... played for half an hour and requested a refund.

ctebball
ctebball

This beautiful game is worth every penny. Buckle up and enjoy, friends.

Jennarator
Jennarator

A beautiful game....The ending shook me. 10/10

ᚱᚢᚾᛏᚢ
ᚱᚢᚾᛏᚢ

This game was overwhelming for me. The visuals are stunning, the story unravels step by step, you wander around to gather the little pieces of the puzzle.
The ending could have been more intense plot-wise, yet I would definitely recommend this game to anyone who is looking for a game to space you out from the reality for a few hours.
10 inkblots out of 10.

Dravvad
Dravvad

The Shattering is a pretty decent psychological story, though it's by no means groundbreaking with its overall plot. By the time you get to the ending, you'll see that it's a bit more standard than it is when it starts off, but its visual representation is still a big positive.

The artistic style is probably its strongest suit. The black and white design allows for interesting vignettes, shadow usage, and it also means colors stand out when they appear, helping to enforce certain scenes.

The gameplay is relatively simple as it is a walking simulator with some puzzles. The puzzles are not that complicated, though the game does reach a few points where it's very easy to miss what you're expected to do. At one point, I spent around 10 minutes trying to figure out how to get a certain hallway to show up and it turns out there was a very tiny switch (which did not stand out) in a corner somewhere. The way I found it was by looking up a "Let's Play" and it turned out that they spent around 10 minutes wandering in circles until they found it as well. So there's definitely some problematic situations like that where you might be lucky and immediately find something to interact with, but other people won't.

It's hard to talk about the story other than to say that you're delving into the main character's mind in order to see what sort of traumatic situations have led him to his current state. A therapist in the prologue leads you into this and almost the entire game is observing various timelines and emotional situations within John's brain.

I'd estimate the general playtime is around 4 to 5 hours, give or take, depending upon your pacing.

If this doesn't sound worth its full price, you could always wait for a sale. I think it's worth a try and it has some great production for an indie studio.

PrincessBarbzz
PrincessBarbzz

was a good game. Except it pretty much crased at the last chapter, i lost all the saved files, and i really not gonna start again from the beginning

Toddziak
Toddziak

Short, but interesting psychological game that lets you dive into the shattered mind of one traumatized individual. Reminded me of Layers of Fear with how it messes with you, although The Shattering despite featuring heavy topics and suggestive elements is not a horror story. Pretty interesting experience overall.

Aethelstan
Aethelstan

The game is short at full price. Overall it has some issues that are common with this kind of game. The description is correct when it says there are no complicated puzzles but there are some sections that result in some "click everything until you find the item the game wants you to click" parts. It's a shame because it sucks you right out of the atmosphere.

It's a game of two halves. It starts really strongly but the final act and the epilogue feel rushed and abrupt. The aesthetics are good, the voice acting is decent and it's well worth a few hours of your time but the finished product is carried hard by the first two acts.

Sullen778
Sullen778

Just not intriguing enough to keep your attention for over four hours. Not always intuitive progression.

machinedgod
machinedgod

So, John, this review, John, isn't that great John, because -John- I didn't really like the game, John. Its an OK walking simulator John, but, John, playing the "Find the right object and click on it" just didn't sit right with me John, would you agree?
Plus, John, it sort of crashes, John, for me every 10 minutes John, so yeah... John...

Risk buying the game and playing through the intro and you'll get what I mean.

ChaserCars39
ChaserCars39

GOOD game...going get the Shattering 2 :)

Anonymous
Anonymous

Although the concept might be interesting. I still need some excitement to keep me tuned in.Sorry but this is just boring.

[c14g]ZUPEK
[c14g]ZUPEK

A great story told I'm about 5 hours. Very mood setting. I'd recommend this game for anyone who wants to get lost in an engaging, emotional, story of mystery and some suspense. I've been playing games since '90. This up there. Grest for people who love story driven games. Good to play with your significant other with the lights off.

Indie developers for the win!

m.ox
m.ox

Walking simulators are a staple of PC gaming thanks to such titles as Gone Home and Firewatch, games that emerged from the indie scene to critical and commercial success. It is a contentious label, but mostly accurate as you spend a lot of your time exploring locations and interacting with the world around you. The Shattering is another example of this genre, that aims to explore the human psyche as well as the wonderfully realised theatre-like scenes presented to you. The Shattering is the debut title from SuperSexySoftware, a small development team based in Gdynia, Poland.

It is likely that the first thing you notice about the game is its striking style. The Shattering as a whole is extremely stylised, but its choice of colour palette, or lack thereof, immediately stands out. Everything is a sea of white, black and shades of grey with only the occasional object being doused with a single colour. It’s an interesting choice that at first seems arbitrary, but is later revealed as key to the overall theme.

The theme itself is evident from the moment you boot up the game. We are prompted with a warning that the game contains sensitive topics related to mental well-being and health and this is further cemented as the game opens on our character in a psychiatrist’s office. This Doctor acts as our narrator and guide through the game. His notes adorn the loading screens, helping us better understand John, our player character, and his situation. Throughout the three odd hours you explore John’s world the game attempts to address isolation, loneliness, PTSD and suicidal thoughts, amongst others, with varying degrees of success; more on that later.

The Shattering ultimately takes us through different times in John’s life; beginning at childhood and going on to explore his young adult life, leading to the present. The acts are inconsistent in length which makes the game feel uneven, but each segment offers enough in its visual design to push you through its narrative. The narration is supplemented by some good environmental storytelling as gaps in the story are filled using notes within objects you interact with. A patient’s chart will give you hints as to why you are where you are and details hidden in the scenery help flesh out context for your character’s emotions, for example.

Visual design is where the game really excels. Environments are well crafted and, as alluded to before, feel like sets from a stage show or play. This is further cemented as the game impressively constructs and deconstructs the scenery around you. This works very well as a representation of John’s memories brought to life; an instance of water slowly flooding into an office and a toy boat appearing, as we start to recall our childhood, stands out as a moment of great game design and visual storytelling. Another section involving your childhood home morphing into something else is another section worth mentioning, but not spoiling.

All of this is rendered with the detail it deserves, but not as much can be said for the audio design. Outside of some clever use of audio, telegraphing the story, early on; there’s little to address in regards to sound effects. Voice acting is professionally done, with performances that try to bring the characters to life, but often characters are barely explored so that this just falls flat.It is also worth mentioning that Al Bowlly’s Guilty of loving you makes an appearance, because of course it does.

Guilty of confusing you is perhaps more apt though, as the aforementioned song appears to set the tone early on as a period piece. This is contradicted from the get go though, given the dates available to you, by exploring the game’s interactive objects. The confusion over the game’s timeline is further compounded by the choice of old television shows and movies that appear on screens. Perhaps this confusion is by design, but it really just served to break the immersion created by the environment. The same can be said for the game’s location as it can seemingly jump between places with little context.

The narrative journey as a whole is underwhelming. Whilst it is commendable to broach such subjects as mental health, and the game does convey some aspects of it well, a lot of the message feels shallow and spread thin. It can feel like mental health symptoms are addressed in a list like manner, but never explored and instances of loneliness, depression or trauma feel cliched. Realistically the game doesn’t offer a new or even interesting perspective on such a weighty subject. Again, it is very good to see these subjects tackled in gaming, a media form so often thought of as just guns and explosions, but it lacks a specific story to be told within it. Instead seems to rest on a safe tale of numerous competing mental health issues, that can become difficult to keep track of or interest in.

Mechanically the game is what you would expect, with the main aspects being interacting with objects and/or exploring an area to completion so you can move onto the next. There are no crouching or jumping mechanics, which feels constricting in a game based around exploring, but this isn’t a detraction from the experience particularly. An early instance of using typed sheets to help your progression was interesting but sadly not exploited elsewhere in the game. You’re sometimes given dialogue options, but these only serve to unlock an alternative ending and really have no impact on the game beyond that.

The Shattering is a really well made game that excels in its art direction and its visible attention to detail, but falls short in regards to its storytelling and the themes it wishes to embrace. Sequences can feel stitched together without a natural flow, and ultimately the protagonist feels a little empty considering the game’s seemingly devoted attention. In a busy genre The Shattering doesn’t come close to stalwarts such as Gone Home, Firewatch & Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture but its intentions are worthy of respect and SuperSexySoftware are a developer to keep an eye on.

The Punchening
The Punchening

Well, that was depressing.

Fascinating, though. Extremely well executed; sound design, visual consistency, and atmosphere were all really well done. A good tale of mystery until the very end.

Still depressing.

*Looks up developers*. Ah yes, Poland. It all makes sense now.