Stylish noir-themed puzzler stands in Contrast to traditional adventures

Written by Jack Allin — November 15, 2012 at 16:51

When it comes to adventure games, genre distinctions aren't always black and white. They're more like light and shadow, with plenty that falls in between, as evidenced by upcoming titles like Contrast.

Contrast stars a young woman named Dawn, who has the unique ability to "turn herself into her shadow and then interact with the shadow world." Dawn must use her gift to help the only person who can see her, a little girl named Didi. Only by shifting in and out of shadow can Dawn unravel the mysteries behind the little girl's troubled family and help restore her future. 

As seen in the game's first trailer, Contrast takes place in a stylish, noir-themed setting, a "surrealistic, 1920s, vaudevillian dreamscape; a rabbit hole of theatre, memory, drama and intrigue" that includes a diverse cast of characters, including cabaret singers, circus performers, and illusionists.

Contrast's shadow-based puzzle-solving includes manipulating light sources to create new landscapes, and "your choices directly impact Didi's future; your light reveals what stories remain in shadow." The game also involves light platforming elements, but indie developer Compulsion Games has confirmed to Adventure Gamers that Contrast is "more of a puzzle game than a hard core platformer", its action "not particularly twitch-based" but rather a means to complement puzzles that can be solved in more than one way.

One of the first games voted in through Steam's Greenlight program, Contrast is currently on pace for downloadable release in the first quarter of 2013.  In the meantime, be sure to drop by the developer's website.