Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

At first glance, Shit Game seems to set very low expectations with its cheeky title, but beneath that veneer lies a surprisingly rich and varied platforming experience. Players assume the role of an anonymous protagonist tasked with reaching a gate to complete each level. While there are no direct attack buttons or traditional combat mechanics, the environment itself becomes your arsenal. Crashing planes, giant heads, and floating eyeballs populate the stages, and clever use of timed jumps and environmental triggers allows you to dispatch enemies in inventive ways.

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One of the game’s strongest features is its finely tuned trial system. Each attempt is logged, and your completion time is meticulously recorded, inviting you to shave off seconds and experiment with different routes. This focus on precision platforming and time trials will appeal to speedrunners and perfectionists alike. The lack of a death penalty beyond restarting the level keeps frustration to a minimum, so you can fail, learn, and retry without penalty.

Despite its minimal presentation, the level design shows genuine thoughtfulness. Early stages ease you into simple jumps and environmental hazards, while later levels introduce layered puzzles that demand both timing and spatial reasoning. The decision to rely solely on the environment for “combat” encourages creative thinking, turning each level into a small puzzle box. The pacing is well judged, alternating between tense precision sections and more relaxed, exploratory moments.

Graphics

Shit Game opts for a stark black-and-white palette that at first appears “sloppily drawn,” but soon reveals itself as an intentional artistic choice. The high-contrast visuals lend an abstract, almost dreamlike quality to the world, where obstacles and platforms stand out crisply against empty backgrounds. This minimalism reduces visual noise, ensuring your focus remains on timing and movement rather than distracting details.

The surrealistic environments—complete with massive, expressionless heads and floating eyeballs—feel like sketches from a fever dream. Although the art style is unpolished by mainstream standards, it gives the game a distinctive indie charm. Shadows and silhouettes are used effectively to telegraph hazards, and the lack of color underscores the absurdity of your surroundings.

That said, there are moments when distinguishing between foreground and background elements becomes tricky, especially in fast-paced sections. A few levels rely heavily on visual cues that can blend together at speed, leading to unexpected missteps. However, these instances are rare, and the overall clarity of the presentation remains strong. The crude aesthetic may not be for everyone, but it undeniably contributes to the game’s unique identity.

Story

Shit Game doesn’t deliver a traditional narrative; there is no exposition or dialogue to guide you. The protagonist remains anonymous, and their motive for reaching each gate is left entirely to player interpretation. Yet this narrative void becomes a canvas for the imagination, inviting players to assign their own meaning to each bizarre tableau.

The surrealistic level design doubles as environmental storytelling. Crashing airplanes overhead hint at chaos, while giant disembodied heads and floating eyeballs evoke surveillance and existential unease. Though there’s no explicit plot thread, these recurring motifs create a subconscious sense of continuity, suggesting themes of struggle, observation, and escape.

In the absence of a formal storyline, Shit Game succeeds in engaging players through atmosphere and implication. The repetitive tracking of attempts and times also offers a meta-commentary on perseverance and obsession. You’ll find yourself returning not just for the challenge, but to uncover new interpretations of the world that unfolds around you.

Overall Experience

For all its apparent rough edges, Shit Game delivers a compelling platforming package that rewards curiosity and skilled play. The unorthodox art style and lack of conventional narrative may turn off those seeking high-end visuals or a guided story, but for players who appreciate minimalist design and environmental puzzles, it’s a hidden gem.

The instrumental soundtrack—comprised of familiar film score riffs and well-known melodies—adds an unexpectedly cinematic backdrop to your leaps and escapes. These musical choices heighten the surreal atmosphere and give each level a sense of dramatic flair, even as you’re jumping over giant floating eyeballs.

Ultimately, Shit Game shines as a testament to creative design on a shoestring budget. It strikes a fine balance between punishing precision and inventive level mechanics, all wrapped in a deliberately rough-hewn aesthetic. If you’re in search of a platformer that dares to be different and challenges you to look past first impressions, this game is well worth your time.

Retro Replay Score

null/10