We’ve covered the Tim Burton inspired tale of a girl and her teddy a few times already this year, but finally it’s time to get hands-on, as Tandem: A Tale of Shadows unravels its dreamlike puzzling on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch and PC.
Available to purchase and download today thanks to the Monochrome and Hatinh Interactive teams, Tandem: A Tale of Shadows is a puzzle platformer in which light is a primary focus. After having taken home a few awards in the build up to launch, this is one that many gamers should be seriously interested in.
It sees you joining a young girl – Emma – and her mysterious teddy bear, Fenton. You see, this duo are looking to solve mysteries, particularly that surrounding the disappearance of one Thomas Kane.
The adventure that promises to unfold should well be a good one, especially when you take in the fact that Tandem deals with some serious visual brilliance, working with light and shadow to deliver up new ideas. With five Victorian-inspired worlds to traverse, with these themselves coming about thanks to the weird minds of Jules Vernes, Conan Doyle and Tim Burton, you can be sure this adventure will intrigue.
“We can’t wait for players to begin their investigations alongside Emma and Fenton today,” says Philippe Dao CEO and Co-founder at Hatinh Interactive.
It’s made all the more interesting due to the fact that the player view will change dependant on the situation at hand – Emma using a top-down view, whilst Fenton works in a horizontal side scroll. With horrors and obstacles in the path of them both, escaping the manors they find themselves in will be a tricky prospect. That’s unless their fate has already been sealed?!
The key features of Tandem: A Tale of Shadows works as follows:
- Stunning Art Direction – Discover playful and frightening worlds inspired by Jules Vernes, Conan Doyle, Tim Burton and Victorian era architecture.
- Clever Puzzles – Solve over forty puzzles and obstacles in order to unravel the mystery surrounding Thomas Kane’s disappearance.
- Dual Gameplay – Swap perspectives between Emma and Fenton. Light up the scene and cast shadows as Emma from a top-down view. Walk on shadows projected by Emma’s lantern from Fenton’s side-scroller view.
- Fight With Strategy – Players will face mechanical toy-like enemies and bosses throughout each dimension. Since Emma’s strategy is not to attack, players must rely on their wit to move forward.
- Narrative-Driven Adventure – Players are invited to discover creative and elaborate cutscenes. Clever fans will find hidden rooms that reveal clues about the disappearance of Thomas Kane.
- Diverse Mechanics – Push or pull objects to create shadows. Use alarms and traps to your advantage. Tandem features a variety of interactive elements for players to experiment with
We’re hands-on with Tandem right now and will be sure to provide our review thoughts in the coming days. If you wish to know more though then we highly recommend you check out our exclusive interview with the team behind the game – if anything it is able to provide some brilliant insight into how Tandem came about.
From there, the store of your choosing awaits – whether that be of the Xbox Store variety or of those covering PlayStation, PC or Switch offerings.
Game Description:
Tandem : A Tale of Shadows redefines the puzzle platformer genre with a unique top down and side-scroller gameplay and exceptional aesthetics. Help Emma and the teddy bear Fenton solve the mystery of the disappearance of the famous magician Thomas Kane.
