Shadowmatic

Shadowmatic is a puzzle game developed and published by indie studio Triada Studio Games from Armenia.[1] Shadowmatic is a puzzle where the player rotates abstract objects in a spotlight to find recognizable silhouettes in projected shadows, relevant to the surrounding environment. The project is focused on delivering photorealistic graphics across iOS devices, combined with a challenging and relaxing gameplay. Shadowmatic was released on January 15, 2015 for iOS. The game won a 2015 Apple Design Award [2] for the attention to detail, high-fidelity rendering, excellent execution, and perfect representation of Multi-touch game play.

Shadowmatic
App icon
Developer(s)Triada Studio Games
Publisher(s)Triada Studio Games
Director(s)Ara Aghamyan
Designer(s)Arsen Avoyan
Programmer(s)Bagrat Dabaghyan
Composer(s)Serge Melkonyan
EngineIn-House
Platform(s)iOS, Android
ReleaseiOS
  • WW: January 15, 2015 (2015-01-15)
Android
  • WW: March 3, 2017 (2017-03-03)
Genre(s)Puzzle
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

Shadowmatic is a single player shadow puppet game. In the game, the player is presented with a very obscure, abstract object that, generally, doesn’t resemble anything. There’s an off-screen light source casting a shadow on the wall and the player's task is to rotate the object until the shadow forms a recognizable silhouette.[3] Some levels feature two or three floating objects, adding more dimensions to the solution as the player attempts to not only rotate them correctly, but also position them relative to each other within 3D space, and thereby reveal the silhouette. In the levels with two or three objects, a button is supplied to switch control between them. Holding down this button and sliding a finger on the screen orbits the two objects around each other, which is a necessary aspect of the shadow's formation.[4]

Like other puzzle games, Shadowmatic is based on levels. Each level is themed, and the theme is reflected in the room’s surroundings—the animal levels, for example, take place in what looks like a jungle, while baby-themed levels take place in a nursery.[5] The player will have to solve each stage before being able to move on to the next. In total, Shadowmatic has 70 levels that are spread out across the nine rooms. A progress meter at the bottom indicates how close the player is to finding it — the more dots are lit up, the closer.[6]

If the player is stuck, there is a hints system, where they can pay with the in-game currency to reveal a clue about the silhouette they are trying to find. Even though it’s there, the developers disrecommend using it to enjoy the game to the fullest.[7] In-app purchases exist to purchase more hints. The player can also earn hints by completing levels. The players earn hint-points depending on how fast they can solve it, and there are also secondary objectives and secrets that they'll discover as they go. The game has full Game Center integration for three leaderboards (score, completed levels, and secrets found), as well as 24 achievements to obtain.[8]

Accolades

Shadowmatic has received several awards including: "Best Game Art" Indie Prize at the Casual Connect Amsterdam 2016,[9] "Excellence in Visual Art" and the "Media Choice Award" at the DevGAMM Moscow 2015.[10] In June 2015 the game received the prestigious Apple Design Award at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 2015. Shadowmatic was featured in the CNN International's "Silk Road: Past, Present, Future" show's segment on digital technology and innovation in Armenia.[11]

References
  1. "New photorealistic 3D puzzle Shadowmatic available on App Store".
  2. "Apple Design Awards 2015". Apple.com.
  3. Spencer, Spanner. "Shadowmatic Review: Illuminating". Gamezebo.
  4. "Shadowmatic". PocketGamer.
  5. "You Should Play: Twist objects into shadow puppets with puzzler Shadowmatic". MacWorld.
  6. "Use your imagination to the fullest in Shadowmatic, a relaxing puzzle game". AppAdvice.
  7. "Use your imagination to the fullest in Shadowmatic, a relaxing puzzle game". AppAdvice.
  8. "Use your imagination to the fullest in Shadowmatic, a relaxing puzzle game". AppAdvice.
  9. "Indie Prize Award Winners 2016". Archived from the original on 2016-02-27.
  10. "DevGAMM Moscow 2015 Winners".
  11. "Yerevan: Between history and technology". CNN.
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