Tandem : A Tale of Shadows

Tandem : A Tale of Shadows was reviewed on a PS4

As a challenging puzzle game with a unique premise, Tandem : A Tale of Shadows largely succeeds at what it sets out to do. You control a little girl Emma and her magical teddy bear who can walk on the shadows that Emma creates. It’s definitely an intriguing mechanic and a great selling point for Tandem. The game is further enhanced with an Art deco visual style that fits the game’s themes of shadows and lights.

What is Tandem : A Tale of Shadows?

Tandem: A Tale of Shadows is a puzzle game that switches between a top-down perspective when controlling Emma, and a 2D side scrolling perspective when controlling her magical teddy bear Fenton. You switch between both of them as Emma uses her lantern to create shadows and tries to set them up in a way that allows Fenton to literally platform his way across shadows towards a magical crystal that unlocks the next level. You can quickly switch between the both of them with a press of a button, making the act of trying out different approaches to solving the puzzles an effortless one. Tandem is first and foremost, a puzzle game, and it never tries to be anything more than that.

The Disappearance of Thomas Kane

Emma’s story begins with the mysterious disappearance of a boy named Thomas Kane, the young heir of an eccentric family of magicians whos live in a mansion full of strange and dangerous contraptions, living toys and intriguing machines. Emma, alongside her new teddy bear companion Fenton, will set out on their search for the young boy.

The entirety of the game takes place in the creepy Victorian-era Kane mansion, with a design and a visual style that’s clearly inspired by games like McGee’s Alice in Wonderland with its heavy usage of gothic imagery and gloomy locations. The game is split into several sections, with each taking place in a different area of the mansion. Each of the manor’s sections are distinct and offer their own assortment of clever obstacles to overcome.

It’s easy to adore the game’s dedication to its creepy art deco and steampunk style. Unfortunately, this enchanting visual style comes at a steep price. The game struggles to run on a base PS4. It’s badly optimized and many of the levels stutter and run at a low FPS despite the game not looking like it’s that demanding, visually wise.

Shadow Play

Controlling and manipulating shadows and light is an original idea that is mostly well executed in Tandem. The puzzles are varied enough and can be real brainteasers at times. As you progress in the game, the levels get more complex, and the puzzles more challenging. This provides a steady pace and does a great job of keeping the game from getting stale during its later stages.

What the game lacks though is a cohesive narrative that ties the puzzles together. Besides the short cutscene that sets the story up at the beginning, it lacks any sort of a narrative that explores Emma and Fenton’s relationship, or the origin of the magical crystals. This really hurts the game, as there’s no motivation to push on through to the end, besides the puzzles of course.

There’s only so many shadows to manipulate and mechanical creatures to avoid before the game becomes tedious and repetitive, even if the puzzles themselves are entertaining and offer enough variety. Without a proper storyline or character development, the game never elevates itself beyond the status of a simple puzzle platformer, which is quite a shame.

Overall,

Tandem’s unique premise and challenging puzzles will satisfy any fans that are craving for a simple puzzle game that’s easy to pick up and play. It also throws enough variety at a steady pace so it never feels as if you’re retreading the same stages during your playthrough.

Its fairy-tale like aesthetic also makes it a treat to progress through its levels. The lack of a meaningful narrative isn’t quite the deal breaker, but it would definitely be off-putting to anyone who’s looking for a story to invest in. That’s why I’d only recommend Tandem to someone who’s purely looking for a puzzle game, as its puzzles are an absolute joy to solve and provide more than enough challenge.

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Special thanks go to Homerun PR for providing us with a review code.

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You should play Tandem : A Tale of Shadows if you

• Enjoy solving challenging puzzles
• Love the game’s gothic visual style
• Don’t mind the lack of a proper narrative
• Love light and shadow-based puzzles

Tandem : A Tale of Shadows’ Score

7.5/10