Contrast is an engaging, story-driven puzzle platformer about a young girl and her imaginary friend–who can switch between shadow and light.
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Story & Themes
Contrast is a story about a young girl who must, with the aid of her (supposedly) imaginary friend, help her fractured family. Didi comes from a broken home; her mother is a singer in a nightclub, and though Kat loves Didi, she can't support her daughter the way she would like to. Didi's father is a good-for-nothing who's been kicked out of the house. Johnny has engaged in scheme after scheme, some more legitimate than others, but none of his ideas has ever been successful. It's implied he hasn't treated Kat well in the past, either.
When we first see Didi, Kat tells her not to sneak out of the house anymore before leaving for her nightclub gig. Here we are introduced to Dawn, the player character, a young woman who seems to be invisible to others. Dawn never speaks, and has the fantastic ability to meld from light to shadow--the mechanic that makes Contrast so interesting to play. If, for instance, Didi needs to get across a wall, Dawn can jump into the darkness and run along the tops of shadows till she arrives at the top and help Didi up.
Of course the first thing Didi does once her mother leaves is get Dawn to help her sneak out, setting the tone for the rest of the game. Contrast sees Didi eavesdropping on shadowy conversations between her mother, father, her father's dubious "investors," and a magician named Vincenzo. Johnny, in a last-ditch effort to reunite his family, is putting together a circus; unfortunately, he's awful at it, and Didi and Dawn must run around behind the scenes fixing broken components.
There's also a charming mini-game in which Dawn must take the part of a princess in a shadow puppet play.
Contrast's themes include love and what it means to be family,
Save Points
Players may save at any time by accessing the menu.
Heads Up!
Violence There is one scene in which a character is having his finger broken by thugs (though it only appears as shadows on the wall). There is also talk of "ending up in the river."
Scary Imagery The atmosphere in Contrast is fairly eerie, and definitely not comfortable, but there is no graphic imagery that is obviously meant to scare.
Sex & Nudity There is no overt sexual content, though it is implied that Kat has cheated on Johnny at least once. Kat's silhouette also appears unrealistically curvy (think Jessica Rabbit), though most characters are highly stylized.
Substance Use Characters smoke tobacco.
Conversation Starters
Spoilers Warning!
There are times when, despite loving someone, they just aren't good for us. Do you think Kat is right to take Johnny back?
- What did you think about Didi being the one who had to fix everything for her parents? In what ways might this be unrealistic or unfair?
- Even though Vincenzo is Didi's "real" father, he clearly has no fatherly compassion for her, while Johnny seems to care deeply about Didi despite knowing he isn't her biological parent. Are there people in your life who you consider family who aren't biologically related to you? What is your definition of family?
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