subject: Review: Linger in Shadows - Interactive Eye Candy [print this page] Linger in Shadows doesn't fit into the other game genres out there. Instead, it is one of the first of a new genre called Interactive Art, with no real game play involved and barely any story. Linger in Shadows is basically a short movie filled with beautiful art that you can mess with.
Available Platform - PSN/PS3
Genre - Interactive Art
ESRB Rating - E (Mild Fantasy Violence)
Release Date - October 9, 2008
Publisher/Developer - SCEA/Plastic
Gameplay: 6/10
Linger in Shadows makes use of the SIXAXIS of the PlayStation 3 controller as it serves as a way to navigate your way around and enables you to mess with the fabrics of time itself. You can pause, rewind, and fast forward at will. It does support trophies and they are fairly easy to get. You get the main ones directly from just following the simple instructions and the other ones by spotting the hidden sigils placed throughout the game. Most of the sigils are easy to find, while a couple you have to have a really good eye for.
What story I could gather from this experience was simply that you are in the spectator's seat, watching as an entity lurking in the shadows makes its way out of the dark and into the light. A ruined city graces the horizon and you see a cat and dog, left behind to fend for themselves. But what does the entity feel about them being here? You can guess but there is no real way to tell. Just as we have no idea how the city became the ruins it is or what the entity is or protecting. I personally wished for a little bit of a back story but I think the lack of one didn't hurt the game that much.
Graphics: 8/10
The graphics are stunning and seem like they belong in a museum. The digital art has overtones of mechanical fixtures, towering buildings, and little Easter eggs like a panda and a wooden model used in art classes. I do think that the level of art wouldn't have been possible on the PlayStation 2, but it could easily be done for the Xbox 360.
Challenge: 5/10
There isn't much of a challenge here. The game itself has no difficulty, as the actions performed are to the point and you have instructions that even young kids can understand. The real challenge is in looking for the sigils of the other demo groups. As stated above, there are some sigils that you will notice right off the bat and others that will require you to use the SIXAXIS and game's controls to view. The only reward for finding all the sigils is a trophy for each and that hundred percent completion for the trophies.
Replay Value: 3/10
Once you "beat" the game and collect all the sigils for the trophies, there is no reason to play this game again. If you want to listen to the main theme, you can download it via the PSN for free. I would like to see Plastic expand on this and make an experience that will last awhile.
Sound: 9/10
The musical score, in my opinion, is lovely. I didn't find it to be too heavy nor too light. It fits the experience well and I enjoyed listening to it even after I finished playing Linger in Shadows. It goes from a classical sound as the title and credits roll, to a industrial sound as a black shadow figure emerges from the dark, and back to classical as the shadow traverses through the city.
