Are you ready to prove that robots can have a heart? The 2016 PC indie platformer, Shiny, has released digitally and physically on the PlayStation 4. Shiny tells the tale of a robot by the name of Kramer 227. He spends the game working out a way to escape the hostile planet of Aurora while rescuing his fellow robotic pals. This family-friendly game from developer Garage 227 is best known for its music. Garage 227 hopes Shiny spreads the message of the necessity for preserving resources through its non-violent platforming adventure.
Shiny is playable on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The PC version holds a 51 meta score based on ten critics. HookedGamers was most positive, awarding the game an 8.5, ending their review with “I’ve reviewed a pretty staggering number of side-scrolling platformers over the last few years, and a disheartening number of them have fallen to mediocrity due to one of two reasons- they either don’t bring anything fresh to the table, or they try to shake things up too much and don’t put enough attention into the actual platforming that forms the core of the genre. Shiny isn’t going to melt your face with novelty or depth, but it is an example of the kind of platformer I’d like to see more of. One that doesn’t run any longer than it needs to, asks a price to match, brings enough ingenuity to keep things engaging, but never pushes so far that it loses sight of the foundation that makes it great“.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, ZTGD gave Shiny a 3. The condemning review ended with the following words of discouragement: “When I review a game, no matter how bad it may be, I try to find some kind of redeemable feature that stands out, like something that stops the gameplay from being a total letdown. But with Shiny, there just isn’t one. An uninspiring story, bugs and performance issues and frustrating gameplay makes Shiny a game I just cannot recommend for anyone“.
More about developer Garage 227:
Garage 227 Studios is a Brazilian independent game development company founded in 2014, with Studios in Sao Paulo, Brazil and an office in Los Angeles, CA. Garage was founded with the mission of turning passion into games and the firm belief that games can have a positive impact in the world.
More about publisher SOEDESCO:
SOEDESCO® is a worldwide publisher of both digital and boxed games on multiple platforms. Our portfolio includes third-party titles like Wuppo, Owlboy, Tricky Towers, Among the Sleep and N.E.R.O. SOEDESCO also publishes their own IPs including Adam’s Venture® and Real Farm.