The Shattering

The Shattering is a tough story to follow and has some uncomfortable moments, but it’s an impressive spectacle at times and has a few tricks up its sleeve.

While The Shattering doesn’t have the scale or range of some genre entries, it's a fantastic example of a focused game that takes a vital and challenging issue and delivers a truly immersive experience. I’d really recommend adding it to the list of great gaming takes on mental health. I, for one, found the too-bright representation of mental illness hugely effective and couldn’t drag myself away from the keyboard until John’s story was told. I would repeat the health warning that the treatment of suicide is potentially triggering but, as long as that isn’t a potential risk for you, then The Shattering is a real indie gem.

Thanks to some clever subversion of a troubling dive into the psyche, The Shattering could go down as a new favourite in the narrative thriller genre.

The story starts like a million others but it does manage to keep the player engaged until the last minutes. An interesting narrative experiment that tells a simple tale in an unobvious way. [07/2020, p.64]

The Shattering offers a beautifully surreal and tactful journey into mental illness. “Emotional rollercoaster” sums it up perfectly; it’s a constant series of heart-racing peaks and melancholy valleys. Imaginative and affecting, take the time to sit down with John and get to the root of his plight.

Walking Simulator sprinkled with psychological elements, The Shattering does not revolutionize the established formula of style, but shows however that it has sufficiently digested its influences, What Remains of Edith Finch and Layers of Fear in mind, to offer a real identity by deploying treasures of good ideas when it comes to pouring into interactive narration.

The Shattering tells a common story of a man with an unhappy past, but fails to properly explore the delicate psychological themes related to John.

Despite its creative approach, The Shattering is a rather common Walking Simulator with an unsual artdesign that will leave even the most cheerful soul in a depressed state.

The Shattering has some big ideas that it simply isn't able to deliver on. There's a distinct lack of narrative cohesion along with pedestrian plotting and boring gameplay. Still, the game does some things that make it worth a bit of attention.