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SHINY (PS4)
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Publisher: Soedesco.
Developer: Garage 227. Released: February 2018. Genre: 2D Platformer. Other versions: PC. Posted 7th January 2019. By Tom Clare © 2019 |
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Hailing from Brazil and arriving on Steam in 2016, Shiny would eventually make its way to the PlayStation 4 around a year and a half later. Its heart’s in the right place, and there’s some adequate platforming to be found here. However, a host of technical troubles, some bargain-bin presentation, and a general brevity to the experience suggests there may be better to come from the developers at Garage 227.
The player assumes control of the robot Kramer 227, and your mission is to help power a space rocket so as to save robotkind from impending doom, with the planet Aurora on a collision course with the sun. The story, if you can call it that, is only here for the sake of context, with two cut-scenes acting as bookends; one before you begin, one when you finish the adventure. Nevertheless, it does establish an interesting setting, with its range of industrial complexes, cityscapes and factories creating an appropriate sense of human abandonment and neglect.
Kramer has a small range of abilities, including a shield protecting him against falling boulders. Careful though, using it slowly drains his energy.
A non-violent adventure, Shiny consists of 21 ledge-hopping 2D platformer levels, very much rooted in the old-school. It wins points for its evocative array of hazard-strewn dystopian levels, and for delivering some solid, if basic, platforming. Each level sees you attempting to liberate as many as four hidden robots, whilst collecting as many batteries as you can find. Along the way, you’ll face the usual array of moving platforms and deadly pitfalls, and face the odd mad dash through a crumbling cavern. There’s plenty of action and, thanks to some nippy controls, a decent lick of pace to the proceedings.
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As you explore, Kramer’s energy slowly depletes. Fortunately, generators repair the robot, whilst simultaneously acting as a checkpoint marker. There’s plenty of these to find around the levels, resulting in a fairly gentle level of difficulty, but at least they help ward off frustration, and there are relatively few cheap deaths. There’s also a trio of somewhat tepid power-ups to unearth. A shield bubble deflects falling debris, whilst the ability to cool Kramer through button-mashing having set the robot on fire, well, that is what it is. At least the jetpack is fun to use, and helps cut out a lot of risky jumps in the latter stages.
FOCAL POINT: TROPHYLESS SEASON?
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Shiny might have enjoyed a longer shelf life had its trophy list not been botched. The list of requirements is fine, featuring tasks that encourage the use of the various abilities, finishing all the levels, as well as various completion-based ones designed to draw the player back in post-game. Unfortunately, no fewer than 9 (yes, NINE) trophies are unobtainable. What’s especially irritating about this is that a few of them, notably rescuing a certain robot and finishing a level without dying, should have been flagged within five minutes of play-testing. Five of the eight battery/robot collection trophies don’t work. For a version that released so long after its Steam counterpart, and has enjoyed both physical and digital releases, it’s extremely disappointing that such fundamental issues were not rectified pre-release, or at least patched.
Whilst Kramer 227 looks okay, Shiny on the whole looks poor. Some of the backgrounds look extremely low-rent and many of the effects are just plain crumby. Sections that see Kramer being winched along shake jarringly, as does the camera whenever you attempt to manoeuvre it to see a little more of the surroundings. The synthy dance music is alright, if somewhat inconsistent with the game’s theme, whilst the sound effects range from some acceptable, robotic bips and bops, to some absolutely heinous noises emanating from the deadly fanblades.
There are no enemies but plenty of platforming obstacles standing between Kramer and the end credits.
Most gamers will power through the 21 levels in no time at all. A level select option can be located, rather oddly, buried amidst the ‘Extra’ section of the main menu, helpfully listing any batteries/robots the player might have missed. However, Shiny suffers from a number of bricked trophies, limiting the appeal of pursuing a 100% completion. The levels don’t really develop, either. They evolve, certainly, but there aren’t really any big moments, moments that stay with the player, and the last couple of levels can only be seen as an anticlimax.
Whilst by no means a disaster, Shiny is undone by its limited ambitions and a severe lack of polish. Major issues with the presentation mean it looks very amateurish at times, and with so many platformers out there offering more in all departments, it’s a tough sell.
Whilst by no means a disaster, Shiny is undone by its limited ambitions and a severe lack of polish. Major issues with the presentation mean it looks very amateurish at times, and with so many platformers out there offering more in all departments, it’s a tough sell.
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VERDICT
"Most gamers will power through Shiny in no time at all. Whilst by no means a disaster, it's limited by a lack of ambition and polish." OVERALL: 4/10 |