Developed by Monochrome Paris and published by Hatinh Interactive, Tandem: A Tale of Shadows is a puzzle platformer where you get to experience a unique gameplay twist. Combining both the 3D and 2D gameplay mechanics, Tandem: A Tale of Shadows delivers an experience that is not just pretty to look at but also challenging and aesthetic at the same time. This is our review of the PS4 version of Tandem: A Tale of Shadows in which we switch dimensions and solve some challenging puzzles.
Tandem: A Tale of Shadows follows the story of a girl named Emma and a bear named Fenton. Emma is looking into the disappearance of a famous magician called Thomas Kane and somehow ends up in his mansion which is filled with magical traps and deadly creatures. On her way, Emma runs into Fenton the teddy bear, who is thrown out of a moving carriage also heading to Thomas Kane’s mansion. The mansion is both creepy and beautiful and you can thank the Tim Burton-inspired art style that the game features. The story is played in the form of levels that you choose from a menu that shows your location inside the mansion such as the garden, kitchen, or boiler room.
The main point of discussion here in this review is obviously going to be the gameplay of Tandem: A Tale of Shadows. Tandem: A Tale of Shadows combines two different genres 3D exploration and 2D side-scrolling and it not just combines them but also makes switching between the two really easy. With a single press of a button, you can switch to Emma and play in her top-down 3D world and explore the various environments or switch back to Fenton and explore the dark, shadow realm in his 2D side-scrolling level. Switching between the two is really easy and for progressing in the game, you have to use both of the characters in tandem as you move forward and solve various puzzles and difficult scenarios.
Emma is played top-down and you can explore the entire level with her normally as long as you avoid the obstacles and deadly creatures. Emma can pull around the furniture to solve puzzles and she can also pull or push levers and press buttons with her weight. SHe is equipped with a lantern that can create shadows and Emma can manipulate the environment around her to move the shadows around in order to Fenton to move on them. Fenton on the other hand is only playable in the 2D side-scrolling shadow realm where you can jump on platforms to reach your goal. While Fenton can only stand on platforms to press buttons, he is the only one who must collect the crystal at the end of the level which allows Emma to move forward to the next level.
As you would know by now, progression in each level is dependent on both Emma and Fenton. One moves forward, helps the other and this practice is followed by the other one as well. This ensures that both of you keep moving forward as Fenton opens up paths for Emma by pressing buttons for doors and Emma plays around with shadows to create paths for Fenton and also uses different levers or pushes around the furniture to adjust shadows in order to create a path for Fenton. The main goal is always the same. Fenton needs shadows to move around however if he comes inside the shadow, he will not survive or you cannot switch back to Emma. In this way, both of you must help each other out while remaining in different dimensions.
Lucky for you, there is no death in Tandem: A Tale of Shadows and if one of your characters dies an untimely death, they are automatically and instantly revived on a safe ground giving you an instant chance to rectify your mistake and try again. Apart from platforming hurdles and challenges for Fenton, both of them also come across various horrific creatures that can kill them both. Puzzles and scenarios get progressively difficult and the final level in each chapter always brings a big surprise for you. Some of the later puzzles also involve quick reactions of you changing between both Emma and Fenton in order to move forward in the game. This creates an additional challenge along with the regular platforming and puzzle-solving. The timing bits were sometimes a little bit frustrating for me, but they were still manageable after a few fails. While the level selection looks pretty, it sometimes made me feel like I am playing a mobile game, so I was not very impressed with the level selection screen.
The learning curve for the game is not that high as well. For Emma’s part, you easily get around and do things however for Fenton, some of the platforming sections in the latter part of the game become really tough. Still, if you have played a few platforming titles in the past, these should not post much of a trouble to you. The overall difficulty of puzzles is from moderate to challenging. While you can figure out what you have to do in the game pretty easily, sometimes the solution is really tough for example specific sections require you to play as Emma for a bit, pull a lever, and then quickly switch to Fenton to perform a platforming section and then you
On its core, Tandem: A Tale of Shadows is a solid puzzle game and one that can keep you busy for a pretty decent amount of time. It features great mechanics and the attention to detail in the levels is just brilliant. In each of the levels, you will notice small details that you would not normally see in puzzle games like this, but this just shows that the developers have put in some great work when it comes to the level design of the game. The game gives you a spooky vibe at all times and some of the creatures of the game are really based around the same theme as well.
Tandem: A Tale of Shadows surely brings a unique concept to the table and executes it brilliantly. Although I prefer the colorful world of Emma, it being joined with the shadow world of Fenton is what makes the game complete and how switching between the two to progress in levels is what sets this brilliant puzzler apart from the rest of the titles. You have both 3D and 2D in the same world along with top-down open-level exploration along with 2d side-scrolling platforming combined in the form of a puzzle solver. Mix that with a brilliant art style and a decent soundtrack and you have a solid puzzle game. One of the best aspects of Tandem: A Tale of Shadows is that it can easily cater to a diverse number of players due to its challenging puzzles and beautiful art style.
Final Verdict:
Tandem: A Tale of Shadows appeals to a large demographic which could be casual players as well as puzzle game lovers who love hardcore puzzles. The cartoony art style gives the game an image like it is for kids however the puzzle-solving is really good and some of the platforming sections in the game are brutal. Each level offers something new, and I absolutely love the art style and the level design of the game. The decent gameplay and puzzle-solving take your mind away from the mediocre story of the title. If you were waiting for a decent puzzle game, Tandem: A Tale of Shadows should be right up your alley. Even if you are not a puzzle game fan, the genre-combining gameplay and beautiful art style of Tandem: A Tale of Shadows will still appeal to you. Highly recommended if you love puzzle games.
Final Score: 8.0/10
