This is a really strange game and I mean that in a good way. Even though it may not be a grade A title from Nintendo, developers Hundson have created something different and unique in this puzzle-platform game with a touch of action. The twist of the game is that your character can only jump across the shadows of objects which does create an interesting premise and out of the box solutions to solve your current predicament.

The story of A Shadow's Tale revolves around the shadow of a young boy who must scale the gigantic tower that dominates this world. Thankfully our shadow is not alone and he has a winged sylph called Spangle. The Spangle or Angel allows you to warp physical materials in the game. The key to the game is "light" and as you progress, so does the sun and ultimately night. If there is too much light, your character will be destroyed because as we all know, in bright light, shadows really exist.

The main soul of the game however is a platformer with a variety of puzzles and challenges thrown into the game. Apart from jumping and exploring and fighting, you need to find and collect three mystical glyphs that are littered through the gaming environment. Once found, you can them move onto the next level.

Combat is another key element to the game and in hindsight, the game has this real Prince of Persia mixed with Echochrome feel to it and I mean the original Prince of Persia game. As you do progress in the game, you are awarded “experience” which in essence allows you to level up your character which does assist in making the combat aspect of the game easier.

The control, especially for a third-party game works well the intuitive controllers of the Wii and everything feels just right. Although you can play the game like a normal platformer, you do need to interact with objects and puzzles on the screen with your Wiimote which is were the “Wii” comes into the game.

The good thing about these onscreen puzzles is that it helps breaks things up from exploring and combat. Interestingly enough, the onscreen control actually allows you to change some of the gaming environments in order to assist you with enemies as opposed to hack and slash or an onslaught of arrows. This is probably the most original game that I have played since Ico. Great controls, a well thought out gaming universe and more importantly, a character you care about.

Graphically, the title is a very Esher type experience which is not a bad thing. The stylised graphics and minimalistic approach works well and the shadow effects are a treat. There is some interesting game design, especially with the puzzles and at times it can be quite a surreal psychedelic experience. The soundtrack is ambient and the sound effects compliment the gameplay. It’s a nice looking title but nothing too flash.

Final Thoughts? In the end, A Shadow’s Tale is a game of many challenges and if you’re after something different than your stock standard MARIO game, than this is the title for you. It may prove difficult at the start but once you get the hang of things, A Shadow’s Tale is definitely one of the more interesting releases this year for the Nintendo Wii. More importantly, it's a very enjoyable and memorable journey through this world of shadow people.