Contrast

Ha, I have played this game twice, fully. I truly enjoyed the retro vibes like a perfume of Coco Chanel Mademoiselle.

It's has its own character. Tbh, for its date of release. This game holds on pretty well. The graphics and the story are good.

Though I bought this game in 2014 (I think) I only just now finished it and I am cursing my past self for not finishing it sooner. This is such a beautiful game with an interesting story that could be well expanded upon, though I am glad for what we have here. Dawn lacks a personality, but we do find out more about her by the end of the game, which leads to a ton of speculation. I have played we happy few and enjoyed it, but I haven't picked up South of Midnight yet but I will now since I love what this studio is doing.

Had this in my backlog for far too long. Wonderfully charming game. Great artwork, fabulous music, and the puzzles are quite fun. Playing around in the shadows for platforming is a nice touch.

A nice little indie game, about 3-4 hours with a pretty well thought out movement mechanic where you can shift into the shadows to solve puzzles. The overall story itself is pretty good but nothing overly memorable. I'd definitely recommend it if you can get it on sale.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=253784552
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3355854382
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=255158286

An special game. A incredible artistic design (1930s). A beautiful history and great soundtrack(1930s). An original gameplay (Use shadows for platforms 2D and good graphics for 3D). The only problem is that game is only english language and texts disappear so fast and read it is complicated.
Game work perfectly in steam deck.

I'll keep this review short but sweet...

As someone who has completed this game on two different platforms, I am definitely a fan of this wonderful masterpiece. The puzzles are intriguing, the story is compelling, and the voice actors deliver their lines well. The mystery woven throughout adds just the right amount of interest. The use of shadows make one question what is real versus fantasy. The jazz music in the background adds to the feel more than should be permitted. Fun fact: "House on Fire" is a song that lives rent free in my head, popping in every once in a while to say hello.

If you somehow missed out on this game, I'd recommend snagging it up, especially during a sale.

Fun art design and cute gimmick of "shifting" into light and using shadows as platforms, but the stilted gameplay and straightforward story makes for a forgettable experience.

Worth a play if you're interested in how Compulsion has evolved over time

AWESOME GAME!!!!

A concept that isn't another repetition of what you've seen already, remarkable music, engaging narrative and the noire climate make me want to have even the title screen on all day.

Contrast is a short cute game about a young girl Didi on a mission of saving her parent's relationship. Didi isn't alone on this hard task though as she can always rely on her dear imaginary friend Dawn.

Gameplay-wise it's a puzzle platformer where you need to progress by switching from normal 3D to a shadow 2D world. All you need to do is manipulate the light source in the 3D world to create a path from shadows through which you can overcome obstacles or solve different puzzles. The shifting mechanic is rather clever and fun although it can be a little bit frustrating in some moments thanks to clunky movement/camera and you can get forcefully expelled from the shadow realm as a result.
The achievements are pretty straightforward and mostly tied to story progression. Any missed collectible can be picked up afterward without the need to collect everything again.

The graphics are very nice, and the mood of the 1920s and the Noir theme is dripping from it. In the whole game, we can fully see only Didi and Dawn, others are portrayed by their shadows which creates a peculiar atmosphere. The voice acting is done very well, with the only exception being Dawn who doesn't speak nor show any kind of emotions - she is just an unbiased helper. The soundtrack is beautiful and the main song is simply exceptional.

The game isn't anyhow long and has a good pace. It has a surprisingly serious story that is portrayed through children's eyes. The ending feels slightly abrupt and points to a possible sequel - which would be great, but I don't think it's gonna happen, shame as it's a really enjoyable game and I can safely recommend it.

I've played this game quite a few years ago. And now I started playing it again. And I just realised how amazing it is. The great graphics, the tantalising puzzles, the natural amount of control over the character.

Only one remark: the save games (restore points, whatever) are not frequent enough. Sometimes I experienced that the story suddenly progressed but I wasn't done exploring, so I restored the last save. But most of the times it restores way to far in the past so you have to play quite a large chunk all over again.

Weird game. Cool mechanics. Confusing puzzles. Nice visuals. Scattered tone. Short enough.

Contrast has great art and an amazing soundtrack, as well as a straightforward plot with a gameplay featuring some creative puzzles. Simply put, if you like games such as Psychonauts, Voodoo Vince and Grim Fandango, this is a good call. Just make sure you play using a Mouse and Keyboard instead of a Gamepad — there's something weird going up with the player movement that halves the jump height when you're using one.

I like the grafics, the story and the music is so amazing.

Short, but nice. it's quite easy on on the platforming part, but the controls can be a bit wonky here and there.

The controls and graphics are obviously a bit funky given the age of the game. The Aesthetics and music is great though. storyline was enjoyable too.

great

hidden gem

Loved the noir atmosphere and the soundtrack! Overall nice, short game with some interesting mechanics.

i love this game so much. it seems so simple at first but its so satisfying trying to figure out all the puzzles. i especially love the world design!! very magical but still feels so lived in. on one hand i wish it was a little longer but i think the plot wrapped up nicely anyway!<3

beautiful art direction, an intriguing story, and really neat mechanics (even though they're a lil clunky sometimes). i loved the reveal at the end, it didn't really click for me even though i'd been reading the collectibles the whole way so it felt like a neat little surprise. very much recommended to anyone who loves puzzles and can tolerate some platforming along the way!

Unique little game. Shame it's so short (less than 4 hours!) A couple frustrating moments, but take a step back and you'll get it. Really touching story. Recommend buy on a sale!

Genuinely incredible!
Endlessly beautiful story with adorable characters and great presentation
The gameplay is very simple, so you won't be challenged very much by the platforming. Although the puzzles were quite solid, especially towards the end; at least for me who usually barely plays any games containing puzzles, so mileage may vary, obviously.
It's a short one. I got all collectables in one go and it took me a little less than 3,5 hours, so treat it more like a longer movie, but please trust me when I say that it is worth experiencing!
On top of all of that it's more or less frequently on sale for 75% off and for that money, if this kind of game seems interesting to you, even just in the slightest, it's a must-buy.

It was pretty good. Relaxing. It had a nice atmosphere. The controls could be a bit better.

Beautiful game, cinematic and cozy. Highly recommend to anyone who likes jumping and puzzles. I like how there is no combat, just collecting and story. Puzzles are enough to make you think. I like that it was a short and sweet game.

wish it was longer!

Liked:
* timeless visuals
* short cute story
* unique game mechanic

Disliked:
* a bit clumsy control
* unanswered questions about the world of the game

the concept the music the art style.. this game is amazing

I love the art style, story, and concept of the game. The controls and timing can be a bit off, but that could also be a skill issue on my part. It does feel short, story-wise, once you get to the ending since you are spending most of your time trying to solve the puzzle to get to the next point. Would still play the game over and over just to not only get 100% on it, but to just immerse myself in the world.

A true work of art. A++++

This is a game that has been sitting in my backlog since *checks notes* 2017? I started it, but had never finished it. Until today. Again, I find myself wishing Steam had a neutral button. But I’ll (cautiously) recommend it-on sale. I think I paid under $4 for it and that seems fair. I’m going to break this review down into a list of pros and cons:

Pros:
-A very unique artstyle/setting and a dark/gritty atmosphere

-A story that isn’t among the best, but fits the atmosphere and does wrap up in a satisfying way at the end

-Uniquely stylized female protagonist

-Ran flawlessly on my Steam Deck

Cons:
-The protagonist is completely silent and the family she spends the entire game essentially fixing things for aren’t all that likable. Didi, the child that you spend the entirety of the game with can often be annoying.

-For a puzzle platformer that sometimes requires very precise movements, the controls are not as tight as they should be-which can lead to unnecessary frustration.

-The checkpoint system is very generous, but the save system is not. If you’re going through a tough level/part of a level and want to take a short break, it’s better to leave the game on then exit out and come back unless you very recently saw a “Saved” message in the bottom left corner-you might start several hard-to-obtain collectibles back and have to re-obtain them.

Overall, it’s a unique enough game that I’d recommend it (on a decent sale) to those willing to overlook its shortcomings. I’m happy to see the studio that made it continue to make unique games-and I will eventually pick their other games up-on a decent sale.

Cool style, but very short and simple.

The story is pretty weak, and the dialogue is a little overly cheesy even as an homage to film noir. The art and world design look great. The designs reminded me of the art style of French comics. The puzzles and shadow mechanics are interesting. Being able to shift in and out of shadows was a unique choice. Adding the shadow mechanics to an action or spy game would be a great way to add a unique touch to those genres. Hopefully the studio will continue developing this on future games. The game is fairly short between 4-6 hours for most players. You can play it all in an afternoon or use it as a break between 100+ hour RPG titles. Also see if you can find the Tardis, the warp core from Star Trek, and Luke's lightsaber hidden in the game.

Very aesthetically pleasing game.
I enjoyed it and would play it again.

The Story is gross, the gameplay is very buggy, soundtrack is awful, the artstyle is repulsive.

Avoid this at all costs and save your money, the Community Manager of Compulsion Games even mentioned said 'i hate gamers', especially and i quote "white males gamers were a mistake", which is incredibly racist and don't deserve to have a platform on Steam.

Contrast is a short but neat experience. It's a puzzle 3D plat former that relies mainly on a shadow gimmick not only for the platforming but for the narrative as well. Overall its does a lot of little things that make you go "Oh that's neat." Contrast won't blow your mind but if you pick it up on a sale you won't regret the couple of hours you put into it.

I do wish the game was longer and there was more added, because the story, mechanics and design are just as magical and wondrous as when I first played this game years ago

Ran a little choppy at times but I would still recommend it. Fans of puzzle platformers and the general aesthetic will get a kick out of it.

Fun game mechanics, worth a few bucks

Fun light puzzles, some are harder than others and some are surprisingly simple, unfortunately it is a very short game and I would like to know more of Dawn's the story.

Amazingly nostalgic of the early 2010's indy games, the art style, the story, and the music has a way of making you feel cozy and warm.

I played this game stream, and honestly the first act was fun, the mechanic was cool and i understood how the game works, then act 2 started and it went downhill., while i do like that the game doesnt tell me what i have to do specifically in this case there were so many moments i randomly got flung out of the shadow realm and i just raged, then at one point i just had no clue anymore and decided to quit.

the first act is fun, the rest is just rage inducing.
I dont recommend it at all

Very short but fun game that can be beat in about 3 to 4 hours but took me a bit more cause I am slow with the puzzles.

Fun platformer with shadow "elements" to change up game play and puzzles occasionally.

The story is good but kind of depressing especially when you realize how dirty the girlfriend/wife did the main character's dad.

There is some replayability if you go after achievements and don't get them the first play through. You can select chapters within the acts, instead of having to repeat the entire thing. I got this for ps4 when it first came out and recently got it for Steam as well. So it was basically like replaying the game all over since I hadn't remembered exactly where some of the items were located.

Overall it's worth buying.

Great story telling.
It's really good, simple, esp with a controller.

It's pretty, it has great music and the idea of it is fascinating. But, it's a little too simplistic, and annoyingly hand-holdy. All in all there is not much to play. In the end, it felt like I played trough an unpolished demo. It could've been great, but as it is, it just feels incomplete.

as short as this game is, i genuinely still love it. The aesthetic, the story, the characters and its world are all so intriguing to me however if i had to make one small complaint the shadow parkour would get a little janky sometimes and just kick me out for no reason. Still love this game though and absolutely recommend trying it if you're considering it.

I'm sure when this game came out over a decade ago, it was special, but still charging $10 for this in 2024 is absurd.

The game is 2 hours long to 100% in a blind playthrough and absolutely riddled in bugs and poor design to the point of being able to soft-lock yourself out of progression or completion, multiple times.

Get it on sale for $2 or less. Even $5 is too much now.

Some of the movement is a bit janky, but overall it was a fun game and the music and art style were great.

Overall a great game. Nice mechanics for a puzzle game. The OST is intriguing, sets the mood nicely and the plot resolves in a pleasant way. 9/10