Game:

Shadows of War (2015)

Category:

Review

Duration: 1:42

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Liyla and the Shadows of War is a game about war.

Specifically, it is about the 2014 Gaza war, as told from the perspective of a civilian desperately trying to get his wife and daughter to safety.

Liyla and the Shadows of War is not a happy game.

It’s also by far the shortest game I’ve reviewed, and I’m including Dr. Lengeskov, The Tiger, and Etcetera from my list of Top 10 Free to Play Indie Games from the end of last year.

It won several awards and was nominated for something like a dozen more when it was released, and I can see why.

Gameplay
I know that I usually put a joke or something in these headers, but for Liyla, I’m just not feeling up to it. This fifteen-minute game made me cry, okay?

Liyla and the Shadows of War has some incredibly simplistic gameplay. It’s a puzzle platformer. You move around, you jump, and at certain points you can interact with object in order to affect the environment in a safe way. I’m reminded somewhat of Limbo or Inside, and not just because of the aesthetic.

Puzzles are short and simple and very straightforward. The first puzzle is actually the hardest, where you have to navigate around a ruined building so you can reach a dumpster for cover. Part of the simplicity of the puzzles comes from how incredibly forgiving the game is for failure. Dying causes you to restart the current screen with all your progress intact.

On one hand, this makes most of the puzzles insultingly easy. On the other hand, the game does not pull its punches with character death.

#adventuregames #war #rpg #virtualreality #openworld #indiegamereview #gamereview #gamers

To read the full review about Liyla & The Shadow of War visit: https://indiegamefans.com/liyla-and-the-shadows-of-war/

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