Fading Shadows - the official preview

For all the fans of rolling ball puzzle and mythology games, we checked out the nextPSP game, Fading Shadows. There are 50 levels you guide a small orb through with a beam of light. The goal is to take the ball from the dark underworld to a happy air world.

You not only direct the light, but it can be focused to have a stronger pull on the orb or spread to avoid becoming too hot. But the wider you spread the light, the less precise your control over the orb will be. Also, it's not just the ball that's affected by the light. You might have to focus to evaporate the water from a well, but then spread out so that you don't light the orb on fire.

The orb also has varying attributes depending on the form it's in. It can be metal, wood or glass. The metal orb is tough and can be blasted with a burst of heat to make it jump, but it'll rust if it's left in water too long. The wooden orb floats, but will catch on fire if exposed to heat for too long. And the glass orb is the lightest of all, but will shatter easily if you don't treat it delicately.

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Fading Shadows' early atmosphere is like a damp dungeon. Statues, relics and long forgotten boxes of old stuff litter the environment. The key to the game is going to be using the gameworld cleverly and logically. Mirrors need you to shine light on them and floor panels are only affected by the weight of the metal orb. You'll also be able to link up and compete through levels with a friend. That is, you'll be able to do that when the game comes out in July.

May 27, 2008