Shine – Journey of
Light Review

Shine – Journey of Light (2018) is an adventure puzzle game where you guide a ball of light through a world of light and shadow. As you delve deep into the world you discover a lost civilisation and piece together the stories of the past.

Play involves guiding your ball of light to find lost friends. As you discover other lights, they join with you and help you along your journey. You must avoid spikes, falling rocks and other dangers but you never come to any real harm.

The game works for players of all ages. Younger people may play it as a simple puzzle game, but for older players, there is a powerful metaphor here for the different stages and challenges of life. The game is bookended with narration, but it's the unspoken interactions that are the most moving.

Our examiner, Andy Robertson, first checked Shine – Journey of Light 2 years ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 20 months ago.