A post-apocalyptic adventure game from the publisher that brought you Primordia, Gemini Rue and Technobabylon! A young woman stricken with a deadly plague searches for a cure in a hostile world.
The world ended on the day the bombs fell. Since then, it’s always been like this: disease, hunger, death. The ruling Aristocrats — a faceless oligarchy that controls all resources — have unchallenged authority. There’s never enough food, water, or vaccine to go around. The rich receive regular doses of vaccinations in exchange for their unconditional government support. The poor live in fear, superstition, and squalor until they die. Amy Wellard, a young woman reluctantly working for the government to qualify for the vaccine lottery, believes there’s a cure — and she’s going to find it. Even if it costs her her life.
Very Positive
786 Steam reviews
| LANGUAGE | AUDIO | SUBTITLES | INTERFACE |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Y | Y | Y |
Herausforderndes Retro-Spiel mit stimmiger Story, sinnvollen Dialogen.
Great point & click adventure. Don't really like pixel graphics, but this game had a wonderful story, likable female protagonist, and didn't need too much outside help. Steam clock says 6.5 hours, but I feel like it was more like ten?
What a great game!! Loved the story line so much
Shardlight immersed me in a dystopian future, almost reminiscent of Orwell’s 1984. The story stood out with its portrayal of people fighting a plague and the upper class believing they controlled everything. It was quite a melancholic future and a difficult situation. The puzzles were easy, making the story progress quickly; I would have liked a bit more challenge. The classic pixel-art style was used to its advantage—those who like it will enjoy it, and those who don't, won’t. The music was a strong positive, very well-composed. However, the controls were limited to the Adventure Game Studio (AGS) engine, and there was no hotspot button, which was limiting. Overall, while it was a good world and setting, I felt it ended a bit too soon. I’d give it a 7/10.
If you enjoy traditional point-and-click adventure games, you'll find this one satisfying. Like most games from this publisher, It's well written, with strong voice acting and lovely-looking pixel art. Most of its puzzles are intuitive and straightforward. The major downside is that the game's quite short, around 5-6 hours in length. While this isn't a fatal problem, I felt the short length of Shardlight didn't match the ambitious scope of its plotline. But overall this game is worth buying, especially if you get it on sale, as I did. Rating: 7/10.
This is the first adventure game I have played that felt truly post-apocalyptical. Excellent atmosphere and voice-acting. One or two puzzles that felt a little bit clunky, but otherwise a solid game well worth your money. If you complete the game you owe it to yourself to do it again with the commentary track turned on. It's nice to hear what inspired different design decisions and why the finished game looks like it does.
[h1]Worth Your Time; Not Your Money[/h1]
The game has some interesting ideas around setting and story, but they are mostly overshadowed by a rushed ending and low graphical resolution. Some thoughts:
[list]
[*] Control (moving your character around the scene) is a bit messy as your only option is the mouse and the low resolution means you'll often be accidentally interacting with the scene instead of moving to the exit.
[*] The puzzles are contrived and make no sense with the world. As an example: at one point you need to trick a character into thinking you're infected by pretending that a severed and decaying arm of a person who died from said disease is yours. Who does that??
[*] On the plus side there is virtually no pixel hunting and majority of the puzzles are easy/intuitive to solve so you can enjoy the game without needing a PhD in "Adventure Game Logic".
[*] Guards have muskets. Guards never actually fire their muskets. You can't explain that!
[/list]
I can go on, but the rest are just nitpicks. Did I have fun with the game? For $4.50 I absolutely did and even finished it twice, however it's not worth much more than that. If you don't see this game on a deep sale (70% off or more) or are not an absolute fanatic of WEG releases then just buy Unavowed instead. It's a much more competent and richer game.
tl;dr - Shardlight walked so that Unavowed could run.
Shardlight is a dystopian point-and-click adventure from Wadjet Eye Games, built on classic AGS foundations but focused primarily on story and atmosphere. Its pixel art and voice acting are strong, and the bleak setting becomes more engaging as the narrative progresses.
The game deals with themes of illness, inequality, and moral choice, but its approach feels calculated. Familiar elements from earlier Wadjet Eye titles are clearly present, and the designer’s own voice often feels overshadowed by this formula. Dialogue is polished and professional, yet somewhat impersonal.
Puzzles are mostly simple and rarely demanding, with smooth navigation and clear inventory use. Shardlight relies more on its characters and setting than on gameplay challenge, and while it holds interest through detail and presentation, it never fully distinguishes itself.
Overall, Shardlight is a competent and atmospheric adventure, but for me it remains one of the weaker releases published by Wadjet Eye Games — solid, but not exceptional.
it's ok, nothing special, like most games developed by wadjet eye. check the demo to get a feel for it but even if you like it, there might be disappointment down the road.
unskippable credits are always annoying, how egotistical can they be? there's more than one ending, so you'll want to save near the conclusion to check the others, but failing a simple skip credits option, alt+f4 is what you're left with.
if you're looking for excellent sci-fi point & clicks, go with technobabylon and primordia. despite similarities in style, both were made by other people, only published by wadjet eye.
Encore un très bon point & click retro-style par Wadget Eye Games.
Comme d'habitude, un fort aspect narratif, une ambiance réussie (bon, faut aimer le post-apo hein, on est d'accord), une superbe esthétique en pixel-art, un doublage intégral d'une très grande qualité, des puzzles pas tirés par les cheveux (mais relativement accessibles).
Bref. Si vous appréciez les jeux Wadget Eye Games, vous pouvez y aller les yeux fermés. Si vous ne connaissez pas et aimez le post-apo... voilà un bon endroit pour commencer.
Gut 8 Stunden Spielzeit für Old-School-Point&Click-Fans (Inklusive Old-School Grafik). Gute Story, erwachsenes Setting, wenige Rätsel, aber vollkommen okay! Ich hatte meinen Spaß und habe für ein alternatives Ende nochmal neu geladen, um alles zu sehen. Abgesehen davon ist es genre-typisch sehr railroady. Die Figuren passen zur düsteren Atmosphäre, aber bleiben aufgrund der kurzen Spieldauer zwangsweise ein bisschen an der Oberfläche. Das Spiel könnte ca. 4 Std. länger sein, um in solchen Angelegenheiten mehr in die Tiefe zu gehen.
Great writing and voice acting, well designed immersive post-apocalyptic world and a captivating story.
I would love this to become a franchise: games, comic books, series, movies... The world created for this game has so much potential.
I'm a fan really, it's beautifully crafted, the storytelling is spectacular, the music and visuals are great and it's just fun to walk around and explore the locations. The time played count is somewhat wrong, took me about 10 hours to finish the game while exploring as much as I could
Awesome game. loved the puzzles - good mix of progress and difficulty. Definitely recommend!
I really enjoyed this game. Interesting story, great pixel art and high quality voice acting. Recommended.
Graphics is like it is but the plot music and characters are top.
Recommend
Die Protagonistin Amy Wellard ist eine sympathische, greifbare Hauptfigur, die man gern begleitet. Das Endzeit-Setting ist großartig erdacht und liefert eine tolle Atmosphäre. Allerdings ist die Story im letzten Drittel ein wenig vorhersehbar und die Rätsel sind zwar sehr solide und logisch, aber weder ausgefallen noch schwer. Ein kurzweiliges Vergnügen, das jeden Cent wert ist.
The story and characters of this game and the puzzles are enjoyable enough but have to say what really carries it is the atmosphere, just such an interesting world with amazing background art, colours and soundtrack!
cardinal sin of point and clicks - puzzles with no logical through line. try everything on everything syndrome. BAD
No es el mejor juego del mundo, pero es bastante bueno. No son puzzles super dificiles ni muy fáciles, una de mis empresas favoritas en juegos de este estilo(aventuras gráficas), juego terminado 100% con todos los logros...recomendado.
-------------------------------------------
It's not the best game in the world, but it's pretty good. The puzzles aren't super difficult or super easy. It's one of my favorite companies for games of this style (graphic adventures). Completed the game 100% with all the achievements... recommended.
Fun point and click game. Another classic from Wadjet Eye.
j'étais pas convaincue au début, mais en fait j'ai vraiment adoré ! Le seul problème c'est que parfois il y a des bugs, on a pas les succes ou un objet, j'ai du le refaire trois fois haha, mais il est court et c'est bien dosé !
Wadjet delivers a more adult experience than what i've been used to (to this point only going through Blackwell Series and Gemini Rue). This one dealt with something of a Revolution and confusingly had a lot of Frenchmen in it in Napoleonic Era Uniform for reasons I wasn't able to fathom, however our protagonist is compelling and well written and as with typical Wadjet Games there's an element of mystique and magique intrigue. No ghosts this time around, but it was a truly nice little jaunt and i'd happily go back again.
Really do recommend. All of Wadjet games i've played to this point have been fascinating and well crafted, it's a name i've come to associate with quality when it comes to the Point 'n' Click-Style Adventure Games and you should too.
[h1]UNA AVENTURA DISTÓPICA[/h1]
Una aventura post apocalíptica , píxeles como puños y una buena historia que contar son las cartas de presentación de este [i]Shardlight[/i], un título atractivo e interesante de la también atractiva e interesante [i]Wadjet Eye Games[/i], uno de los pocos estudios y editores independientes que siguen apostando fuerte por las aventuras gráficas.
Si por algo destaca el juego es por tener una historia entretenida e interesante, al fin y al cabo las distopías post apocalípticas siempre han tenido su atractivo, y unos personajes muy bien elaborados. Más interesada por presentar una trama bien ambientada y narrada que un juego complejo y difícil, [i]Shardlight[/i] es una aventura que apuesta más por contarnos una buena historia, plagada de todo tipo de situaciones, que por plantear puzzles y acertijos complicados que entretengan al jugador más de la cuenta.
En ese sentido se puede decir que es una aventura relativamente fácil y lo es por dos motivos. Por un lado estamos ante una aventura donde prima la lógica y la coherencia, nos nos vamos a encontrar en situaciones donde tengamos que resolver puzzles inverosímiles o absurdos, y por otro lado el propio diseño del juego invita a que el jugador no se atasque demasiado porque cada situación, cada acertijo, tiene su resolución a pocas pantallas del mismo.
Normalmente prefiero que sean un poco más difíciles y supongan un mayor reto, a menos que como pasa con esta aventura, sea por el bien general de la narración.
El apartado artístico es una pequeña maravilla y aquellos que disfruten con los píxeles de antaño, como es mi caso, disfrutaran mucho con el juego. Una aventura gráfica de corte clásico con un excelente diseño artístico que ayuda mucho a su estupenda ambientación.
Mención especial a la traducción hecha por la comunidad... cuantas buenas aventuras nos perderíamos si no fuera por ellos.
[h1]Conclusiones de una superviviente del holocausto nuclear[/h1]
Pues estamos ante una aventura totalmente RECOMENDABLE y muy disfrutable, con una historia atractiva, muy madura y bien elaborada que hará disfrutar al jugador que se interese por las buenas narraciones.
Su escasa dificultad invita a que los jugadores más noveles o casuales que quieran explorar el género puedan disfrutar del juego sin muchas complicaciones. Desde luego [i]Shardlight[/i] no va a ser la aventura que te tenga atascado por mucho tiempo.
Más que RECOMENDABLE para los amantes del género en general y los aprendices de Mad Max en particular.
ABSTENERSE los más impacientes, los intolereantes a la lactosa... digo a los píxeles y los que no saben disfrutar de una buena historia si poner cara de estreñido.
8/10.
No
Прикольный квест на 3 часика, имеет 3 финала, жаль русификатор ломает игру, а обновлённый не выпускают.
Short little Point and Click-Adventure, with one or two exceptions not particularly hard. I enjoyed it very much and can recommend.
An exciting adventure set in a dark and morbid world. In this post-apocalyptic dystopia, oppression and exploitation are omnipresent. Society is divided between the powerful aristocracy and its beneficiaries on one side, and the impoverished working population on the other. The character design and world-building blend post-apocalyptic elements with tropes of the French Revolution, creating a bizarre and fascinating scenario – highly creative and deeply entertaining!
Ok I finished all the Wadget Eye games so I can compare (Old skies being the latest banger), this one was the only one missing, and give a balanced advice. Ok, to me it is not clearly the best of this studio. I activated the in game commentaries and this is great to know what's in the mind of the designers and developers even musician and what they wanted to achieve while you play, you really feel the "behind the scenes" stuff that you never notice as a player. Problem is that, indeed, when you play the game you do not really feel they really succeeded doing what they wanted to do in their comments. I think they missed the aim, not in design and art, and voicing (which are very good) (the game is up to their standards) but in story-telling. I think they lost too much extra energy deepening the psychology and back-story of secondary not useful characters to set an atmosphere and try to create a whole-world while a more direct approach, like linear straightforward would have been more effective. It is the problem with those post apocalyptic cyberpunk universe...it's too large, you need to cut too much to the edges to make a story told quick...so despite nicely designed puzzles, nice characters, great voice overs, you stay on your hunger and it it a bit dull and lacks of fun. Maybe it is personal and I am not a big fan of post apocalypse stuff but it's their game I liked the least...It is technically good, but I had not a lot of fun playing it. I strongly recommend, Old skies that is day and night and shows the progress of this studio...or Rosewater, or any "fun oriented" Point and Click with a least "serious" approach...a more "Sierra moonlight 90" approach. being too serious is a challenge also because you need to create a whole universe with limited ressources and this is no easy tasks. To sum up: it's not bad but I had not a lot of fun from it. I still recommend it for fans of the genres because, everybody knows there are scarce on the market. The main designer compares a puzzle in its comments to a Daedelic one from "Chains of Satinav" but the comparison stops there because Satinav was much better in my opinion. If you take Kathy Rain also you also have very linear and not trying to create a whole world around it...it's not great either but it's more direct and has more impact. Happy this studio is still creating and they also do more impacting stories.
Love the world-building, the whole art direction and atmosphere of the game. Some of the characters are very cool. The storyline, however, is fairly stock-standard in its arc, and I think if you're going to do that then you want to build it in to a grand and satisfying climax, which i don't think they succeeded in fully. The alternative would be to add a load of twists in to make it more interesting but, aside from a couple of moments, there were not really many revelation moments.
I have still given it a thumbs up as I did enjoy the playthrough, but it doesn't hold a candle to something like Primordia from the same developer.
Another gem from Wadjet Eye.
Eu gostei.
Como sou fã de Point & Click eu coleciono jogos desse estilo. Esse jogo foi um dos primeiros que eu comprei no Steam.
Good story, fun game.
Good game from Wadjet Eye Games. The artwork is beautiful. What I like the most is the grim and bleak post-apocalyptic setting. The "puzzle" are just there to keep things entertaining as it's mostly a narrative game. Diverse and good voice acting. Female protagonist, which is refreshing and welcome.
Recommended for fans of the genre.
This is classic Akira Kurosawa story. Main hero is a very cunning persona.
Overall impression is great!
O jogo é muito interessante, gostei da trama e do design do jogo.
It's okay, but one of the weaker Wadjet Eye Games. I got the feeling the story didn't really know what it wanted to be. There are many elements that are interesting and unique on their own, but they don't quite fit together. Around the middle of the game, the narrative also starts to fall apart and things begin to make less and less sense. Characters weren’t exactly the most believable or deep, too.
The puzzles were mostly okay, but not particularly engaging. Art, VA and atmosphere are really good as always.
Honestly, it felt like they should've built [spoiler]Denbys rescue[/spoiler] into the climax of the game and just cut most of what came after.
Still a nice game, though.
Very nice game.
Art direction, dialogue, puzzles are all great. Reminds me somewhat of Blackwell series.
I agree that the "good ending" is somewhat unwarranted, but that is not a big deal. Still great game, highly recommended.
Bof, c'est ennuyeux, les personnages sont plats et tout est très attendu... Dans le genre enquête post apo whispers of the machine est vraiment meilleur. Aussi les énigmes et combinaisons sont absurdes ou illogiques (mettre le feu à du savon plutot qu'à un chiffon, devoir montrer un élément à un personnage pas du tout concerné pour avancer etc) et c'est agaçant à la longue. Dommage
Decent game, good story. Liked the setting and style.
the beginning wasn't half bad but towards the end it just got so boring, predictable and useless, I started skipping dialogue. the characters were just so dumb and flat, no depth or complexity at all. top it all off with an anticlimactic ending. the plot is just as straightforward as you can imagine it to be, no real twists or revelations. just meh overall.
All in all, a highly recommended game that you can comfortably play through over a weekend. I really enjoyed the pixel graphics and the general post-apocalyptic atmosphere. The world-building was also engaging - I would have liked to learn even more about this world. The voice acting was consistently very good throughout and contributed to the atmosphere.
I have a few minor criticisms regarding the writing - the protagonist was sometimes a bit "characterless"/too diplomatic, but that's probably a matter of taste.
Only the ending didn't appeal to me - it became a bit too cartoon-villain-esque for my liking (without revealing too much). [spoiler]I found that many questions remain unanswered at the end regarding the social structure and political system of the city after the game's ending.[/spoiler]
Despite the minor criticisms of the writing, I enjoyed the game and wouldn't mind learning more about the world/lore in the future (maybe in a successor).
This is absolutely one of my favourite modern (21st century) point & click adventure games. Amazing art, a fabulous voice cast, a great story and a fantastically grim world to explore.
I played this through twice; once some years ago when I first bought it and then a second time only recently.
When I first played it, I liked the game 'just fine' as a PnC and would have recommended it to anyone who is a fan of the genre.
After having played it through a second time, I see where I missed some of the nuance the first time around. The world is more complete than my first impression, and the voice acting is really top notch. I liked it much more the second time - but to be clear, I don't remember too much of my first playthrough. Maybe it's more about coming at it with a more mature mind.
Still, if you love PnCs, you'll want to play this. If you love good VO, you'll want to play it. Some puzzles are a little obtuse but it's par for the course and part of its charm.
Gradevole avventura punta e clicca. Ho apprezzato lo stile pixeled e la trama è OK.
Enigmi tutti piuttsto semplici a parte forse un paio. Giusto un paio di ostacoli che sono sembrati un po' buttati a caso, ma c'è un buon scorrimento.
Ha alcuni lati negativi: la mancanza del comando per vedere con cosa si può interagire nella scena lo trovo ormai un must, soprattutto per le grafiche a bassa risoluzione. Stessa cosa per il "doppio click" per andare velocemente fuori dalla scena.
Alcuni enigmi infatti sono diventati ostici solo perché non ho "visto" qualcosa sulla scena.
It has some good bits, but overall felt mediocre. Don't think I like Francisco Gonzalez as a writer enough to give any of his other work a chance. The art looks fantastic though, Ben Chandler did a great job.
Wonderful writing, voice acting and art — another great point-and-click adventure title from Wadjet Eye Games!
El mejor juego de Wadjet Eye con diferencia.
La banda sonora es increíble y vale la pena.
By far my most beloved game that i own
Shardlight is an adventure game by one of my favourite developers/publishers of the genre, Wadjet Eye Games. Like many of their titles, it was made by utilising the Adventure Game Studio game engine. It is set in a post-apocalyptic city a couple of decades after World War III. The city is ruled by Aristocrats, who control all resources and appear unchallenged.
A deadly disease in the game, Green Lung, has cost the lives of many. Our character, Amy Wellard, is so afflicted and has taken a so-called lottery job to hopefully win a ticket that will give her a chance to secure medicine that will offer her temporary respite. This job leads Amy to be exposed to a growing rebellion within the city and causes the main moral conflict within Shardlight.
There is a lot to love about this title. It has the same kind of charm that other games by Wadjet Eye have. The more point-and-click adventure games I play, the more natural the puzzle elements within the genre become. I would highly recommend Shardlight to anyone who enjoys graphical adventure games, especially those with such a dystopian setting.
Hmm. Games and stories, eh? Ludonarrative dissonance.
But adventure games, right? Where stories and games most tightly mesh and the best parts of both mediums come together to elevate the whole--
...
There's a puzzle chain in Shardlight where in order to infiltrate an underground rebellion you need to plant weeds to feed sheep so the farmer will give you a gas mask which you can later refurbish with activated charcoal.
...
--and I find myself wondering what kind of 'thriller' book would feature such a dull sequence of events, and would prevent you from skipping ahead past the dull parts until you had proven you'd fully read and understood these scenes.
If this was more systemic (survival horror, for example), there'd be lively challenges to overcome along each leg of the journey. If it was a film, surely this sequence would have been edited down... or if it was demonstrating the hard work and diligence of the main characters (as in something like Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul) we'd be interested due to the dynamism of the staging, by the clearly articulated stakes, by the compelling, dimensional characters.
Shardlight's biggest problem is that it's a slow, dreary story in a slow, dreary world with mostly two-dimensional characters. Ben Chandler's artwork is absolutely GORGEOUS - I mean, it's hard to overstate how fabulous his backgrounds and characters are in this game, and there is a strong visual language and careful use of colour that just oozes atmosphere and intentionality from every pixel on screen. AGS does a great job of providing some beautiful effects and video sequences - Chris Jones' venerable Adventure Game Studio engine puts in yeoman's work here.
All of which can't disguise that this is a story with very few surprises (but at least one really good one!), which fulfils the tired beats of an oppressive overclass of a dystopian nation overcome by a plucky underdog. There's some nice, varied puzzle design (enough to leave me thoroughly stumped at moments, though I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed) that broadly avoids moon logic... but I rarely felt any kind of forward momentum or intrigue. All the good guys are virtuous and self-sacrificing, the bad guys are bullying and sinister and... Really, the main draw forward were some interesting puzzles and Ben Chandlers art. Did I mention his art was gorgeous?
Compare this to another game about an upstart underdog seeking to overturn an oppressive tyrant - Full Throttle. I'm not comparing the music, the sheer amount of money and staff poured on the presentation, just the narrative. From the start, it's packed with reversals and betrayals, people acting against their best interests and desperate gambles. Shardlight, in comparison, plods along. There's some interesting worldbuilding, but very little character writing beyond what's required to setup their initial identity - and for a gameplay genre that leans so hard on storytelling like point-and-click adventures, that's a serious weakness.
...That revelation about the little helpers, though? Really enjoyed that. =)
Sound effects are suitably atmospheric, and voice acting on the whole is excellent as expected from a Wadjet Eye game - Dave Gilbert does excellent casting and production (with the exception of a particularly wooden delivery from a market saleswoman). I can't get that enthused about the music - it's dusty and sad, mostly acoustic guitar noodling... supporting the atmosphere without getting in the way, but also without really doing anything interesting or noteworthy.
It IS worth noting that the developers originally released a set of prequels to the story on the AGS website, as follows: [url=https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/play/game/1704/]The Rebirth/The Reaper[/url] I'm quite fond of these stories, the first in particular, a brutal little story of a world turned upside down. Honestly, I think this material should have been included or incorporated into the main game of Shardlight, as they act to provide some character depth and foreshadowing to the main story that might have spiced things up a little bit had they been included. Maybe give them a go before starting your journey into Shardlight?
So. Yeah. Visually sumptuous (especially if you love some crunchy late nineties point and click presentation), the rudiments of some solid worldbuilding, but doesn't get very far and takes a long time to get there. Worked without complaint on my PC, and had some entertaining puzzles and one really good twist.
A grudging shrug out of 10.
If you know and love Wadjet's other retro pixel art games like Blackwell or Unavowed, you will feel right at home with Shardlight and enjoy it.
positive:
+ interesting post-apocalyptic setting where a sickness threatens everyone's life
+ likeable main character
+ solid writing and dialogues
+ puzzles/riddles DO NOT suffer from moon logic
+ good voice acting
neutral:
~ the puzzles are a bit too easy, but maybe this is exactly what you are looking for
negative:
- the ending (with three choices) is very abrupt and short compared to the rest of the game, but has a satisfying conclusion
It´s a very good and solid game. The lore, alhought a bit cliche, is fun. I loved the main vilain, his design is awesome and he was a pretty smart dude. The puzzes are not that hard, excluding two that are very complicated and there are not enought hints on how to solve it.
I recommend the game and would also urge people to play the other games from Francisco Gonzáles. They are even better than this one.
The storyline is great and its very entertaining. I love the art style its classic and gives a nostalgic feeling. I def recomend.
Pros:
- Art
- Setting
Mid:
- Story
- Puzzles
Cons:
- Not able to highlight interactables, so sometimes I was lost just because I didn't realize something was interactable. Especially small things with the pixel graphics. I'm shameless, so I enjoyed it with a guide though. Unless you're a hardcore puzzle fan, I'd recommend playing with a guide too.
Enjoyable game. Simple puzzles. Decent story. Nice art direction. Ignore the negative comments that are OCD about the definition of "vaccine".
post-apocalypse背景下艰难求生的故事，末世氛围感很足，剧情最后的转折有些铺垫不足所以稍显突兀，但玩法美术等其他方面都很成熟所以整体体验还是很流畅的
（好喜欢Tiberius和Reaper的角色形象设计……！很有古典舞台剧味
Went back multiple playthroughs over the years just to get 100%. Worth every second. Amazing story & storytelling.
+
Wadjet Eye never fails!
This one’s yet another must-play by Wadjet Eye Games for fans of classic point ‘n’ click adventure games. It delivers everything an adventure game lover could want: an intriguing post-apocalyptic world, engaging puzzles, and a deeply atmospheric story. The game’s hand-painted pixel art is stunning, evoking the golden era of the genre while still feeling fresh. Just imagine [i]Fallout[/i] as a point ‘n’ click adventure, and you’re pretty close to [i]Shardlight[/i].
The story follows Amy Wellard, a mechanic navigating a society controlled by an oppressive aristocracy in the aftermath of a devastating plague. The writing is sharp and immersive, with well-developed characters and a mystery that keeps you hooked from start to finish. The voice acting is great, as always, I’ve noticed it’s something Wadjet Eye consistently excels at, and it adds a lot to the game’s emotional weight, making its bleak world feel all the more real. I think the puzzles are well-balanced, never feeling too obscure or frustrating, and the game respects the player’s intelligence by integrating problem-solving seamlessly into the narrative. I also appreciated the darker tone compared to games like the [i]Blackwell[/i] series or classics like the [i]Monkey Island[/i] franchise.
Overall, no adventure gamer should miss this one. The way how it’s blending classic mechanics with a gripping dystopian tale is something I enjoyed a lot. If you have a soft spot for thoughtful storytelling and atmospheric world-building, this one’s for you.
I originally played the game in 2016, and replayed again.
[h2]I would rate this more as mixed.[/h2]
I could [i]kind of recommend[/i] it, at the same time I personally would have a hard time recommending it to friends.
Shardlight does have some good story telling.... but unlike other Wadjet eye games this one didn't stand out to me. Most other Wadget games can pull some sort of emotion out of me, but not this one. If I'm not at least somewhat emotionally invested in these games and stories then it's not worth finishing, but I can push myself to finish some like I did with this for a second time. I think this time it's some of the characters that just irked me.
[h1]I only replayed it so I can leave a review based on what I know now- not what I remember from 8 years ago.[/h1]
I wasn't too fond of the game in 2016, and sadly I still feel the same way now.
It's not a bad game, but it's not a good game either. It's like, 'so close yet so far' type of situation.
So many things done right, but yet the execution just didn't always hit.
This is a post-apocalyptic game, where there's a 'plague' and you're set out to find a cure.
And like every other Wadjet game, it's a very dark game with multiple endings, but the endings felt underwhelming and rushed. To be honest most of Wadget's game endings tend to feel rushed, but this one felt really rushed..
Look, the story is ok, but at a few parts it falls apart, feels forced, contradicts itself, inconsistent, and sometimes literally left me scratching my head...
Like- (this involves some major story spoilers)
[spoiler]The beginning with the letter..... Why did she show it to Tiberius? I get there needed to be something to kick off some of the plot but..... what?..... Then the Doctor, I really liked the doctor, but he's trying to make a cure, yet he left working for the government because they were hoarding the vaccine....... and he was set out to make a 'cure' yet forgot his notebook......... for said cure.[/spoiler]
Maybe I'm over thinking some of this, but this is some the stuff that stood out to me as wtf moments.
There's quite a few moments where I was left scratching my head but those were the two major story points that got me.
Sound issues:
I don't know if it's just me but I had issues with the music being loud enough that I couldn't hear the characters talking half the time even though I had turned the music down.
I also noticed a REALLY annoying loud sound when characters walk over rugs, I don't know why but the sound amplified and it was terrible.
I am a big fan of Wadget and their games, their story telling for their games tend to be really brilliant and interesting...
Shardlight does have good story telling, but the story also falls apart at the same time.
I tend to replay P&C adventure games, especially those I love or really like, but I don't think I'll replay this one again.
3/10
Great pixel art, voice acting, puzzles. Would recommend!
Very impressive environments and worldbuilding, ending feels a bit rushed, but its a really engaging journey
Приведу этот обзор и на английском тоже. I will give this review in English too.
Игры от Дэйва Гилберта (Уаджет Ай) и Франциско Гонсалеса (Грундислав Геймс) стали для меня давно знаком качества и невероятно интересного приключения, глубоких и серьезных историй. Эта игра не стала исключением, но заняла особое место. Легкая ностальгия и грусть, как будто в поисках важного утраченного, попытках его вернуть и исправить, присуща юной героине Эми, страдающей от серьезного заболевания, которой необходимо собрать все силы и решить массу вопросов как для себя, так и для спасения будущего, вникнуть в политические интриги, поднять для себя вопрос веры - во что и насколько сильно, и вместе с иными героями игры пройти длинную дорогу. Качественный пиксель и интересные квесты не дают скучать, игра длинная и увлекающая за собой во вселенную альтернативного будущего, которое возможно очень близко...Браво создателям!
The games from Dave Gilbert (Wadget Eye) and Francisco Gonzalez (Grundislav Games) have become familiar to me for a long time and incredibly interesting adventures, historical and serious stories. This game was no exception, but it occupied a special place. A slight nostalgia and sadness, as if in search of an important lost thing, trying to return and correct it, is inherent in the young heroine Amy, suffering from a serious illness, who needs to gather all her strength and solve a lot of issues both for herself and to save the future. delve into political intrigues, raise the question of faith - what and how much, and, together with other heroes of the game, go a long way. High-quality pixels and interesting quests do not let you get bored, the game is long and takes you into the universe of an alternative future, which may be very close...Bravo to the creators!
Shardlight undenaibly a good retro Indie point & click game.
Wadjet Eye Games once again delivers a decent product.
A simple story with good writing, grounded characters with nice voice and smart puzzles.
A post-apocalyptic world going through the usual genre cliches, but hey,
it is still very endearing as we live through the perspective of a simple but ingenious citizen.
There are no magic, mutants or demons in this game. Just the good old post-apolacypse setting.
The puzzles were surprisingly logical and well designed,
meaning no insane moon logic or developer tunnel vision (as is common in the genre). Quite Enjoyable!
(Everyday I thank we don't get another Sierra or Lucasarts game..)
From what I read, the ending was polarizing for some but I liked it.
How it tested where your ideologies stand, good thing I got the "good" ending.
Shardlight is a decent entry.
I liked it.
A beautifully grim take on the post-apocalyptic, [u]Shardlight[/u] excels at the key aspects of point-and-click adventures. The story is dark and compelling, and I always knew how to progress. The characters are intriguing; I felt sad for the good ones and righteous when the villains got their due. The puzzles challenged me, but I enjoyed solving them. The voice acting, especially the protagonist, stood out. If you liked [u]Technobabylon[/u], I highly recommend this game.
point'n click reussi dans un monde qui pourrait être le notre bientôt: pollution, maladies chroniques et inégalités à leur paroxisme. Heuresement que notre héroïne est là pour nous proposer autre chose!
The unwritten law of every good point-and-click adventure is to have [i]something special[/i], something that makes the journey across the game's world worth having.
Unfortunately, as much as I tried, I couldn't find anything in Shardlight that could represent that special [i]element[/i]… nothing really stood out to me.
Questionable actions by the main character; a [i]convenient[/i] deus ex machina; the uninteresting, unoriginal situations; the one-dimensional characters; the frequent inability of the interface to differentiate between left and right clicks of the mouse in a meaningful way; the plain, sometimes [i]weak[/i] voice acting; the forgettable music (especially the painfully out-of-tune ending song)… everything contributes to create a dull, [i]almost irritating[/i] gaming experience.
I can [i]hesitantly[/i] recommend this game to those who want to complete the "Dark Futures" bundle, by Wadjet Eye Games… everyone else should really look elsewhere.
hideous, my eyes will never recover
Sehr gute Atmosphere! Rätsel machbar. Zieht einen in dne Bann wie eines der guten alten Pixel Adventure. Gute Sprecher und gute Musik
A much darker game for Wadjet Eye than usual, this is still an interesting enough story with a creative visual palette. There are some interesting themes of dying with dignity, how to survive in a collapsing society, and life during a plague that are, uh, let's say depressingly relevant. But it's not all gloom and doom and I do think it has its own take on a somewhat overused genre. There were a few points where I was bumbling around not knowing what to do but for the most part the puzzles are pretty straightforward, and you get a big fat juicy choice to make towards the end.
Fun adventure game. took me just under 8 hours to beat it. I enjoyed the setting, characters and plot. I feel like it did a good job giving the feeling of what a "post apocalyptic" society might look like. puzzles were interesting, but not too hard, voice acting was solid. Worth a pickup if you are an Adventure game fan.
Eu já gosto de point & click de graça, ainda me vem um jogo bão...
pelo genero vale a pena e pela história também!!
Shardlight is a great point-and-click adventure from Wadjet Eye Games. The post-apocalyptic setting is immersive, with beautiful hand-painted visuals and an atmospheric soundtrack. The voice acting is excellent, making the characters and story feel alive.
The puzzles are logical and fit well into the narrative without being frustrating. If you enjoy story-driven adventures with a unique and thoughtful world, this one is definitely worth playing. Give it a try!
Another winner from Wadjet!
Enjoyable and Interesting story that gets intense with a few surprises at times.
Another great point n click from Wadget Eye games. Great characters, voice acting, and an interesting world they created in this game. I really liked playing through it. It's not too difficult, one or two more hard to figure out puzzles where you need to notice a couple of things without them being immediately pointed out. The "Good" ending seems kind of out of left field, but I think it's kind of cool regardless. I liked the characters and world in this game, and enjoyed the developer commentary. Love the art direction and the background art! Still haven't played a game that I disliked from these developers!
i would say this game is worth a play especially on sale, the graphics and art style in general is fairly easy on the eye and the story and world-building was on point and very enjoyable i loved the entire story, the actual game-play was slightly lacking not in its actual function just that the puzzle's were not very difficult there wasnt really a moment i fealt really challanged in fact i felt the game held my hand a bit through it all. that being said my 8 year old has done a playthrough and it was difficult but not impossible for him to get through. I feel this is an amazing beginner level entry to the point-and-click genre.
Love it
I know this game is a little older, but really, it is worth a try. It is a nice callback to great indie games and deserves a chance. Really a good ol' point and puzzler
If you are a fan of great point-and-click adventure games, you'll greatly enjoy this one. It has great voice acting, fantastic music, a simple interface, and interesting story. No dead ends, no frustration, and no getting lost. Great work by the team at Wadjet Eye.
Tbh, I'm gonna buy every title from Wadjet or this dev.
Another amazing game by Wadjet Eye. You can tell that the people involved in this game really love the genre and understand what makes a great point and click game. Voice acting and music in this one are wonderfully executed!!
shardlight tells an incredibly deep story of disease, war, famine, and political corruption. the characters are all very unique and well-characterized, helping to create a deep story with memorable characters. the art of the game is very nice, with some very detailed and interesting backgrounds in the numerous different areas you can explore.
the game plays out as a point and click adventure, including numerous puzzles to solve. i will admit, some things can be a bit difficult to figure out without the assistance of a guide, but theres numerous guides/walkthroughs to help you out. most achievements are missable (other than beating the game and getting at least one of the three endings) and the steps to getting the achievements are incredibly strict. the achievements themselves arent too hard to get, just the order in which things must be done doesnt leave a whole lot of wiggle room.
This game was visually appealing and had a female protagonist. In the intro, I thought we were going to get good writing. Unfortunately, the writing ended up being the worst part of the game. The protagonist was inconsistent to the point of absurdity. I could not believe I had to do the things required by the game's plot, especially the way she interacted with the villain.
Lovely story, great playability. Just like the ol times.
Seriously, the story would be a good movie. Denby sucks.
Beautiful pixelart, stunning voice acting, gripping story. Loved it.
excellent story and very good game play, it's wadjet games so we know what to expect. there's a couple of irritating puzzles!! but all good
Graphics are old, but don't let that put you off. The story is excellent. The puzzles are not too easy and not too hard. Works like a classic point and click game. Enjoyed the heck out of it!! Hint: save often.
Una aventura muy bien hecha, con un guión muy interesante y ungran reparto de voces. Resulta fácil de jugar, ya que las situaciones se resuelven con lógica y no hace falta ir constantemente de un lado para otro. Me hubiera gustado que hubiese una opción de "puntos calientes" al darle a la barra espaciadora, pero el pixel hunting tampoco resulta excesivo. 9/10
Another fine example of a great adventure game, and made by a small team.
The story is great, the graphics are great, the voices are excellent, and the puzzles are not too hard (although I needed to use a walkthrough twice, but that's more because I didn't think of something).
I did had one crash, [spoiler]pointing the raven to the machine on top of the guardbuilding without first having done something[/spoiler] resulted in a crash.
Looking forward to playing more by this team.
When it comes to Wadjet Eye Games set in a post apocalypse, I don't think this is my favorite but Primordia is really difficult to beat in that bracket. As it stands though, the world presented here is really interesting. When it comes to post-apocalypse worlds as settings, I think I prefer the ones where civilization has shifted rather than collapsed. Shardlight shows a world that's still orderly and in many ways still quite normal, but the world has still clearly been devastated by war and disease. Navigating this world, meeting the powers who are around and seeing how they may use their power was really engaging to me, and the puzzles that link the narrative were quite clear with a handful of exceptions where achievements were concerned.
I've seen some negative reviews for this game based on its subject matter, but I really don't think that should stop anyone who is interested in this type of game from giving this one a shot. Again though, if the subject matter is too 2020 for you, check out Gemini Rue, Primordia, or Technobabylon.
I only just realized that I have a number of games by Wadjet Eye Games, and I've been really happy with all of them. Unavowed, Old Skies, Strangeland, here I come!
I had to really mull over what score to give Shardlight, more than I usually have to at least. On the one hand, this is a truly beautiful game, maybe Wadjet Eye's prettiest game. The background and portrait art is sublime, some of the best I've seen in a point & click game to date. The music is excellent too and the voice acting is the same high standard you'd expect from Wadjet. Storywise, Shardlight is nothing if not engaging, with a setting that seems a touch derivative at first, but soon reveals a multitude of interesting elements. Amy, the protagonist, is strongly characterised too, and though her motivations become a little muddled by the end, she's a main character and the rest of the cast is varied and decently written too.
So what's wrong? Well, it comes down to the gameplay unfortunately, though I hesitate to say it's "wrong". Like Francisco Gonzales' previous game, A Golden Wake, the puzzles are often simplistic and a touch dull. It's certainly an improvement on that game, but not by as much as I'd like. Outside of a couple of slightly more interesting head-scratchers, the puzzling fare is mostly uninspired inventory puzzles, with the solution almost always obvious. Where other Wadjet games each have an interesting wrinkle to their puzzles (Blackwell the ghost stuff, Gemini Rue the investigation work, Technobabylon more tech-y puzzles, etc.), Shardlight's gimmick is... a crossbow?
While I liked the story overall, it did feel a little rushed. I finished the game in a little over five hours and though there's an impressive variety and quantity of locations, you spend so little time in most of them that it makes Shardlight feel more slight than it is. Where a game like Gemini Rue resused its environments a little too often, I really wouldn't have minded if Shardlight had stretched out some of its more neglected areas a little. The story is generally quite straightforward too, which does mean there's not as much adventure game confusion on what to do next, but it started to feel more than a little rail-roady at times.
These seem like some fairly minor complaints, but they do combine to somewhat tar what could have been a really excellent point and click adventure. As it stands, I'd still heartily recommend Shardlight on its aesthetic and narrative strengths alone, it's still one of Wadjet Eye's best, but if you're hungry for some fiendishly clever or original puzzles, you just won't find them here. Fantastic art and a strong setting, absolutely, but treat it more as an interactive story than a true puzzle game.
just sorta meh
pretty good art style, but lackluster game play and story
It's fine, but not the best Wadjet Eye game I've played. Enjoyed the setting though.
Ein schoenes Point'N'Click-Adventure fuer Fans des Genres. Das Spiel
startet mit einem packenden Intro-Level, bietet eine tiefgruendige
Story, sehr schoene Pixel-Grafik, professionelle Synchronsprecher
sowie einen stimmungsvollen Soundtrack. Eines der ersten Raetsel nach
dem Intro-Level erschien mir etwas haarig, aber danach, glaube ich,
blicken Profis schnell durch. Ich hatte es nach ein paar Stunden
durch. Das Spiel erinnerte mich ein wenig an "Beneath A Steel
Sky". Die Story hat natuerlich Parallelen zu "Hunger Games".
Liked it though not as much as their other games. The narrative works well but the characters aren't as captivating.
Yes.
