Shu is a 2.5D platformer that mixes old and new gameplay techniques to produce a relaxing and smooth game experience.

Players take control of Shu, who must traverse the land to help save villagers from an ominous growing darkness. Interestingly enough, Shu is an Egyptian God of Wind and is said to have a calm and cooling effect. All these effects are felt during the game as Shu uses his ability to capture wind gusts to traverse different parts of a level. The game’s environments and score do come off very relaxing and calming – even with the impending doom.

A nice aspect to the game involves the villagers that Shu saves from the incoming darkness. These hitchhikers are more than passengers on a journey to safety.  Each villager offers a new ability to help Shu, and themselves, to safety. These attached villagers can help Shu walk on water, jump up walls, break blocks, and more. Each new area offers new villagers to save and, in turn, new abilities to use. This aspect helps to change the feeling of the game a little and help freshen up the gameplay mechanics.

Shu is an enjoyable platformer with gorgeous level and sound design. Shu’s platforming mechanics are simple and repetitive, but the addition of the villager abilities make the whole game fresh and new. I didn’t find myself overly stressing or engaged in what was happening around me. At first the lack of engagement was a turnoff but I then realized that I was embracing the relaxation and enjoyment I felt playing the game with my feet up, headphones on, and blanket wrapped around me.

The actions of the characters are stiff but somehow the developer still created smooth and flowing gameplay. The platforming itself is complaint free and, once again, the score and level design are beautiful. The key word for this review is relaxing. Shu didn’t blow me away as a platformer but it’s still a really solid and enjoyable game.