If you had a spirit friend, would you tell anyone or keep it to yourself? If you needed help, would you be afraid to ask for it and could you offer help to those in need? When you think about it, friendship can mean more than you know and without hesitation, become one of our strongest values. But does the developer Jestercraft, give us the story and puzzles? Let’s find out with Seeker: My Shadow for PlayStation VR2.
Seeker: My Shadow has you exploring the diverse set of compelling levels and discovering the story by overcoming casual yet demanding puzzles as a single player or as an asymmetric cooperative with your mate. Locate and retrieve the lost Seeker Eggs and collect the concealed cards from each level while engaging in the exciting, puzzling, and family-friendly scenery that sends you on an immersive adventure that players of all ages can discover and enjoy. So before you go exploring and trying to solve the puzzles, there are a few things that you should be aware of. First, as always, find your favorite place to sit. This is a relaxing game for all ages, so be as comfortable as can be. Second, make sure those Sense controllers are charged. You don’t want to be ready to go to the next chapter only to have to stop because you forgot to charge them now, do you? Third, I am not going to spoil anything for anyone by showing later puzzles and stages and you shouldn’t want to have anything spoiled for you. And finally, just have some fun. With all that said, let’s continue…
Seeker: My Shadow has you controlling a Giant Spirit while assisting Kippo, a small and adorable Seeker, through a collection of casual puzzle levels set in serene and imaginative surroundings. You will seek, rescue, and gather your friends to safety as you also try to locate and retrieve those lost Seeker Eggs and try to collect the concealed cards from each level. The idea sounds simple, right? Well, for the most part, it is.
When you first start the game, you will notice that you are in a cottage, and front of you is a book that starts the story, by telling you the story. If you look right above you, you will see the left Sense controller which is showing you the simple controls for the game. Playing as a giant spirit, your hands only will show, (which may be being a spirit, you have not learned how to manifest your entire body) but it works here. You control a seeker named Kippo with the left thumbstick which is pretty simple and works well. Your human friend, Viktor, will not only help narrate the story during the puzzles, but that book is telling the story from Viktor’s point of view. You will also notice the words of press X to join. This is for a local co-op where two spirits, one using the PlayStation VR2 headset and the other using the T.V. as they work together to solve puzzles. At the time of playing, I did not have anyone to try this out with, but I can see where communication would come in handy.
You will also encounter different characters to read what they have to say. There will want to be on the lookout for those Seeker Eggs as you do need enough of them to progress throughout the story, as well as trying to find the concealed cards of each level. You never know where these cards will be, so you will be rotating the land to find them.
As you progress and as you would expect, the puzzles do get more challenging as you are trying to lead Kippo to find those Seeker Eggs. The Seeker Eggs can be anywhere, but trying to get to them will have you trying to lead Kippo through natural elements such as wind and using your hands in different ways to help. This could be having to pull something out of a pipe or turning some cranks in different ways to solve the puzzles.
As you progress, you get to read more of the story that unfolds, and you will also be made aware if you found the hidden card symbol for the chapter. As I mentioned earlier, you will have to collect enough Seeker Eggs to unlock the next chapter, which you will have to go back to the previous chapters and try to collect the amount needed. So it is a good thing if you just take your time with each chapter and collect everything you can.
Let’s talk about the graphics and sound. When playing, I noticed the pastel color palette that is being used. The characters and design layout are simple and pleasing while making for a bright and vibrant experience for the eyes. With the sound, you have calming music that doesn’t overstep or distract from the game while turning the focus on the characters and puzzles, which sounded good on the Pulse 3D Audio headset.
There are some things that I would love to see added. First, add to the background. I get that the focus is on the puzzles of the land in front of you, but it would be a nice change to add something different to the background surrounding the land. Maybe adding even more weather effects to the mix. Clouds and the occasional snowflakes are great, but seeing the sun, lightning, or rain would be a nice added touch. Second, the character interactions. When the character’s chat comes up, you sometimes hear this mumbling or nothing at all. It would be nice to hear the words that are being presented. I am not saying it has to be this spectacular Shakespeare-type dialog, but just a little something would be nice. And speaking of words, if the characters can’t have the dialog, at least have it when Viktor speaks and the storybook in the cottage read out loud. And it would be good to be able to interact with Kippo. Maybe a high five here and there or even being able to pet them on the head. Just a little interaction is all I am saying. Third, the co-op. Yes, I did not have the opportunity to try this out, and not everyone may have someone to test out the feature. I know there would be a cost, but having an online co-op feature would be fun. Fourth, And finally, the use of the PSVR2 features. It would be good to have at least the haptics added. When turning a crank, be able to feel a little resistance as you turn, or if Kippo falls, you can feel the impact for example.
Seeker: My Shadow provides a relaxing time where you don’t have to worry about trying to get the highest score or eliminate something. It’s a game that anyone of any age can play and adds to that family time where you, your partner, and/or your children can sit down, work, and spend time together. In life, we find the times that we can all be together become shortened as life continues and the ones that we care about the most, start to grow. But isn’t the times we remember and cherish the most, the ones when we have the time together?
Seeker: My Shadow is out now digitally for PlayStation VR2 on the PlayStation Store and Steam VR and the physical edition is at a retailer near you and on the Perp Games Store. A review code was provided.
To learn more about Jestercraft, please visit their site, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, follow them on Instagram, and subscribe to their YouTube channel.
To learn more about VRKiwi, please visit their site, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, follow them on Twitch, and subscribe to their YouTube channel.
To learn more about Perp Games, please visit their site, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, follow them on Instagram, and subscribe to their YouTube channel.
In case you missed the trailer, please enjoy. Until next time. I think there are a few cards I need to find.
