Schim review

Our VerdictNot hard enough to be a challenge, but not painless enough to be relaxing.

Our Verdict

Not hard enough to be a challenge, but not painless enough to be relaxing.

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Need to knowWhat is it?An isometric puzzle-platformer where well-lit floors are lava.Expect to pay$22.50/£18.90DeveloperEwoud van der Werf, Nils SlijkermanPublisherExtra Nice, PLAYISMReviewed onWindows 11, Ryzen 9 5900X, 32GB RAM, RTX 3080Multiplayer?NoOutNowLinkOfficial site

Need to know

What is it?An isometric puzzle-platformer where well-lit floors are lava.Expect to pay$22.50/£18.90DeveloperEwoud van der Werf, Nils SlijkermanPublisherExtra Nice, PLAYISMReviewed onWindows 11, Ryzen 9 5900X, 32GB RAM, RTX 3080Multiplayer?NoOutNowLinkOfficial site

Back in 2007 or so there was a real trend for indie puzzle-platformers, usually about a sad boy who had to go from the left of the screen to the right for some reason. Though it’s not a 2D platformer, Schim reminds me of that era, when indie games would be about taking a single mechanic then expressing it through a different iteration in each level while squeezing as much emotional heft as possible out of storytelling on a budget.

The city—and a slice of countryside—you cross is explicitly Dutch, as are Schim’s creators. Some of the maps could be almost any videogame city with cars driving on the right, but occasionally you’ll see a parked bicycle dangling over the side of a bridge it’s chained to, or an unusually clean park, and realize you’re in continental Europe. I wish there was more of this local color, especially when you leave it behind for a generic factory level or the like.

At the start of each chapter you’re treated to a lengthy pan over the map, zig-zagging across the course you’ll be following. You don’t need to plan your path in advance, however, as it’s almost always super clear where you need to go. Painfully so, in fact. Where you might expect the interactions to build into brain-bending puzzles or challenging feats of jumping, they never do.

(Image credit: Extra Nice, PLAYISM)

A shadow frog hops toward a family of ducks.

(Image credit: Extra Nice, PLAYISM)

A forklift approaches a factory.

The Verdict57Read our review policySchimNot hard enough to be a challenge, but not painless enough to be relaxing.

The Verdict

57Read our review policySchimNot hard enough to be a challenge, but not painless enough to be relaxing.

57Read our review policy

SchimNot hard enough to be a challenge, but not painless enough to be relaxing.

Schim

Not hard enough to be a challenge, but not painless enough to be relaxing.

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Our Verdict#

Our Verdict