The Shore | Windows PC Review
Developed by Ares Dragonis (who are a small dev team based in Greece) and published by Dragonis games, The Shore is an H.P. Lovecraft inspired survival-horror game and is currently exclusively available on Windows PC.
The Shore revolves around a character known only as Andrew, a fisherman who has lost his daughter at sea. He is determined to get his child back and will do whatever it takes. Andrew ventures out to a strange and mysterious island which then brings him into contact with weird foreign, other-worldly entities who offer to help him, but this help isn’t free, it will come at a price. Andrew has to decide whether he will make a pact with these entities to get his daughter back.
The Shore is an interesting tale that takes place in a game that is very much a combination of things. One aspect is an atmospheric adventure with great emphasis on exploration, and the other is that of a true survival-horror where need to fend off monsters and defend yourself. I found in both areas, The Shore was successful in delivering a unique experience that had me fairly immersed within the world and the atmosphere. Unfortunately, however, I found myself getting a little bit bored and confused which lead to frustration. By and large, the puzzles were far too simplistic and provided very little challenge to me and each puzzle felt the same as the last. I like my puzzles to require some thinking, experimenting and a to be with a process of elimination. But I found the puzzles in The Shore distinctly lacking those things. Maybe this is just a “me” problem, I don’t know. The long and short of it is, that I feel like The Shore could have succeeded just fine as a walking simulator, because those sections and aspects were the ones I enjoyed and appreciated the most.
The Shore truly shines for me with its narrative. Mostly, I find that H.P. Lovecraftian inspired games tend to rinse and repeat the already existing works of Lovecraft. However, I feel The Shore took that style, and used it in its own unique way, which I fully appreciated. I think it can be hard to make something in this style and be unique, but not too different, where the themes aren’t recognisable, but I definitely feel like they did a good job of achieving this ever important balance.
Overall, The Shore is certainly rough around the edges in some ways, but does provide a fun few hours of gaming. The power of the game is 100% in its atmosphere, and these strengths provide enough enjoyment for me that I was able to filter out the negative aspects and actually enjoy myself. I’ll absolutely accept a game being slightly unpolished if the rest is quality, especially given the fact The Shore was made by such a small dev team. If you're looking for a dark, mysterious, H.P. Lovecraft inspired game… The Shore is a worthy choice.
Lj’s Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
For more information on The Shore please use the following links...
Ares Dragonis - Developer | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website
Dragonis Games - Publisher | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website
Many thanks to Dragonis Games and PressEngine for the Review Key.
The Shore | Windows PC
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