Shape of the World is a 2018 relaxing surreal and psychedelic walking simulator where the world changes with your interaction through various different ecosystems.
For the fans of games like Flower and Journey, there is a familiarity to Shape of the World. Perhaps not as dramatic and visually narrative as Journey, Shape of the World is more like a relaxing hike in various environments with different creatures and surroundings sprouting from the ground. With beautiful music and no deadly enemies, it is a harmless stroll accompanied with great environmental sounds that react to the actions you choose to make. The premise of Shape of the World by Hollow Tree Games is a first person experience that starts in the forests and with each passage through these triangle portals, it changes the state of that environment, moving it to the next elevation. We start in the low plains of the forests and eventually get to caves and mountains and finally to the peak. There are interactive elements like taking down trees, collecting various seeds and planting them. There are also stones that can be triggered to activate stairs which lead to unreachable areas prior and other portals in the environment to eventually open up the final one to exit that environment to the next one.
Shape of the World is a calm walking simulator with a lot of emphasis on relaxation and exploration. While it may not be for those seeking an intense gaming experience, Shape of the World offers something different: an escape. it is hard to not see the beauty of this game. Mesmerizing and imaginative visually, Shape of World sweeps you away into a beautiful world that grows around you filled with its own creatures on land and in the sky. Albeit a little whimsical particularly in the background colors, it is hard to not stop at the waterfalls or look out into the valley or swim through caves and be absorbed by every detail in the surrounding that you awaken as you walk through each environment. It can be done in detail where you walk through every area completely or you can go through this quickly and straight for each of the portals. Collecting seeds are also optional although sometimes they do happen to be in your path.
Shape of the World may not be complex but video games can very much be like books and movies, a way to escape reality. For explorers and hikers at heart, there is nothing here that will disappoint. Get ready to grow the world around you. It is every bit as satisfying as it promises.