SCHIM - Reuniting a Shadow with its Human

Did watching Peter Pan or Dr Who’s Silence in the Library ever make you wonder, “What if my shadow was alive?” Well, now you can play out your living shadow fantasies, in the cosy adventure game SCHIM.

SCHIM was developed by Dutch duo Ewoud van der Werf and Nils Slijkerman, and published by Extra Nice and PLAYISM. It is a true labour of love, with a beautiful aesthetic, wonderful score, and an easy-to-follow story that sticks to the “show don’t tell” approach.

SCHIM Release Date Trailer

Simon’s Gaming Specs

I played SCHIM on my custom gaming rig, which features the following specs:

Component	Details
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
GPU	AMD Radeon RX 6800
RAM	32GB DDR4 3600MHz
Storage	NVMe and SATA storage

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A Charming Story Filled with Ups and Downs

In SCHIM, you play as a shadow attached to your human, following them from a young child to adulthood. You’ll be there as they hit those major milestones, first day of school, first girlfriend, college graduation, and more. But life is never perfect, your human will experience many lows alongside these highs. And just when things can’t seem to get any worse from him, disaster strikes; you and your human are torn apart.

It’s up to you to reunite the two of you, jumping from shadow to shadow, always just one step behind. When occupying a shadow, you can interact with what is casting it, which can often unlock the path you need to follow. Turn on a traffic light so that people will use the crossing, letting you ride along in their shadow, or raise a barrier which extends its shadow giving you that extra reach.

Yes you can make the duck and ducklings all quack!

As you chase your human, they will carry on their life, but they know things aren’t quite right. They’ll travel through a wide variety of locations, from bustling streets and alleyways to more exotic locations, such as the beach and zoo. Even some more existential places! These locations act as the levels for SCHIM, and with over 60 you’ll be chasing your human for a while! But if you persevere, eventually you will reunite the shadow with their human, letting them get back on track with their life.

Your human goes through a lot without you

Simple But Beautiful

SCHIM keeps things simple, for both the gameplay and aesthetics. A perfect combination for delivering a phenomenal gameplay experience. What’s more, it doesn’t overstay its welcome. Before you know it, you’ll have smashed through all its levels be itching to go back and grab all the collectibles and try out some of the hard mode options.

The best way to play SCHIM is with a controller. With which, you’ll have precise control over where your shadow moves, thanks to the controllers’ analogue sticks. Additionally, the rest of the controls are perfectly mapped to the buttons of a gamepad, there is a button to jump, another to interact with objects, and the camera is adjusted through the shoulder bumpers.

Just some of the moves you can pull in SCHIM

For the artwork, the developers utilised a cell-shaded effect. Each level uses a bold colour pallet, consisting of generally one main colour with the addition of a couple of extra shades. The simple line drawings depict a rich and detailed world, full of everyday objects, including a huge number of bikes – it is a Dutch game, after all! What’s more, everything is beautifully animated and so smooth as it moves. I’m certain some rotoscoping has gone on to capture the intricacies of movement.

Now, if you need some new calming tunes to add to your lo-fi playlist, then SCHIM’s soundtrack will be an excellent addition. Composed by Moonsailor (external link), they are the perfect accompaniment to this adventure. They’ll keep you feeling nice and relaxed even when you’re stumped at how to get to the end of a level, which trust me will happen a few times.

My Thoughts on SCHIM

For me, SCHIM is one of those perfect games that anyone could pick up and enjoy. Its simple controls and charming presentation will keep you hooked. In fact, SCHIM could be a fantastic gateway game, if you’re looking to get someone into the hobby. It has just the right difficulty curve, guiding them through everything they need to know early on, and gradually asking that little bit more.

The artwork and soundtrack are perfect for drawing you in, it’s all so charming. The shadow is very cute, with its eyes sticking out of whatever shadow it’s in, and its little hops are adorable, especially with the accompanying plop sounds it makes. The basic look of the world is easy to grasp, leaving no question as to what you’re looking at. And as I said, the soundtrack is a masterclass in how to keep things nice and relaxed.

How Can I Play SCHIM?

SCHIM is available to play on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

To play SCHIM on PC you’ll need a computer with the following specifications:

Component	Minimum Specs	Recommended Specs
Operating System	Windows 7	Windows 7
Processor	Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz	Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz
Memory	2GB	2GB
Graphics	GeForce GTX 650 (1024MB VRAM)	GeForce GTX 650 (1024MB VRAM)
Storage	2GB Available Space	2GB Available Space

Best Gaming PCs to Play SCHIM

With its low system requirements, SCHIM can be played on a wide range of PCs. However charming this game may be though, you’ll want to play other titles eventually. Here at Overclockers UK, we have a phenomenal range of gaming PCs and laptops ideal to play SCHIM and much more. We’ve picked out three we think are perfect to hop on to, but we have an extensive range for you to explore.

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