Shu is a very beautiful, colourful and immersive game for the type of game that is on offer. The 3D environments are crafted so beautifully it’s hard not to stop at times just to have a look. The animations and hand drawn character sprites are also a winner. It feels nostalgic whilst remaining fresh and overall a well designed game.
I like that a lot about Shu, and it really did enhance the gameplay experience. There is, however, a downside to such a beautiful game, and that is the gameplay itself. The gameplay, even though enjoyable in small doses, isn’t faultless. Shu would be a very average platformer if it wasn’t for the added villagers that do help break up the gameplay and do add an element to the game that works well. It’s easily the main feature and it’s heavily relied on, which is also a down-side because it can become a bit tedious and repetitive. It’s hard to avoid being repetitive in platformers, but the ones that avoid the repetitiveness are much better games than sadly what is on offer with Shu. Don’t get me wrong, Shu is an enjoyable, beautiful game, and it offers some perfectly balanced levels with the right amount of difficulty with fantastic approachability. What it does, it does it well. There is a small gripe I have and that is the response with jumping, it feels a bit delayed at times, especially in segments when you are running away trying to avoid being flattened by a boulder. I died numerous times on a segment that was actually really easy, but the button delay was just frustrating.
Shu only consists of 15 levels but that doesn’t mean the 15 levels that are on offer are short or not enjoyable. I haven’t enjoyed a platformer like this in a while and that’s mainly due to such well crafted levels. In every level there are collectables to be found which add some re-play ability and offer something else to do other than jumping/flying around to the next platform or level. There are also little hatchlings hidden around, with six hatchlings per level bringing the total to 90 hatchlings hidden all over the game. There is also a time trial mode and a leaderboard system for you to see how you stack up against others online. A nice package indeed.
Shu, even though has a bit of an issue with gameplay, it’s not a major issue but it does have some that may be frustrating. It’s a platformer that offers some of the most beautiful 2D/3D designs and well designed characters that makes the experience really enjoyable. It’s nice to play a colourful game and Shu certainly is colourful. Gameplay-wise as stated above, it’s nothing ground breaking , offers some nice elements and manages to run at a solid 60 fps. The replay value and general value of the title is there. If you want an enjoyable platformer that doesn’t try anything too eccentric this is the perfect platformer for you.