Shardlight on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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A post-apocalyptic adventure game from the publisher that brought you Primordia, Gemini Rue and Technobabylon! A young woman stricken with a deadly plague searches for a cure in a hostile world.
Shardlight is a adventure, point & click and female protagonist game
developed and published by Wadjet Eye Games.
Released on March 08th 2016 is available in English on Windows, MacOS and Linux.
It has received 746 reviews of which 673 were positive and 73 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.5 out of 10. 😎
The game is currently priced at 14.99€ on Steam, but you can find it for 2.42€ on Gamivo.
The Steam community has classified Shardlight into these genres:
System requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- OS: Windows ME or higher
- Processor: Pentium or higher
- Memory: 64 MB RAM
- Graphics: 640x400, 32-bit colour: 700 Mhz system minimum
- DirectX: Version 5.2
- Storage: 2 GB available space
- Sound Card: All DirectX-compatible sound cards
MacOS
- OS: 10.11
- Graphics: 640x360, 1.8 Ghz system
Linux
- OS: Ubuntu, Debian - (64 bit)
- Processor: 2.7 GHz Dual Core (and above, can run on single core)
- Graphics: OpenGL
- Sound Card: Alsa/PulseAudio/DSP
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
Hmm. Games and stories, eh? Ludonarrative dissonance. But adventure games, right? Where stories and games most tightly mesh and the best parts of both mediums come together to elevate the whole-- ... There's a puzzle chain in Shardlight where in order to infiltrate an underground rebellion you need to plant weeds to feed sheep so the farmer will give you a gas mask which you can later refurbish with activated charcoal. ... --and I find myself wondering what kind of 'thriller' book would feature such a dull sequence of events, and would prevent you from skipping ahead past the dull parts until you had proven you'd fully read and understood these scenes. If this was more systemic (survival horror, for example), there'd be lively challenges to overcome along each leg of the journey. If it was a film, surely this sequence would have been edited down... or if it was demonstrating the hard work and diligence of the main characters (as in something like Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul) we'd be interested due to the dynamism of the staging, by the clearly articulated stakes, by the compelling, dimensional characters. Shardlight's biggest problem is that it's a slow, dreary story in a slow, dreary world with mostly two-dimensional characters. Ben Chandler's artwork is absolutely GORGEOUS - I mean, it's hard to overstate how fabulous his backgrounds and characters are in this game, and there is a strong visual language and careful use of colour that just oozes atmosphere and intentionality from every pixel on screen. AGS does a great job of providing some beautiful effects and video sequences - Chris Jones' venerable Adventure Game Studio engine puts in yeoman's work here. All of which can't disguise that this is a story with very few surprises (but at least one really good one!), which fulfils the tired beats of an oppressive overclass of a dystopian nation overcome by a plucky underdog. There's some nice, varied puzzle design (enough to leave me thoroughly stumped at moments, though I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed) that broadly avoids moon logic... but I rarely felt any kind of forward momentum or intrigue. All the good guys are virtuous and self-sacrificing, the bad guys are bullying and sinister and... Really, the main draw forward were some interesting puzzles and Ben Chandlers art. Did I mention his art was gorgeous? Compare this to another game about an upstart underdog seeking to overturn an oppressive tyrant - Full Throttle. I'm not comparing the music, the sheer amount of money and staff poured on the presentation, just the narrative. From the start, it's packed with reversals and betrayals, people acting against their best interests and desperate gambles. Shardlight, in comparison, plods along. There's some interesting worldbuilding, but very little character writing beyond what's required to setup their initial identity - and for a gameplay genre that leans so hard on storytelling like point-and-click adventures, that's a serious weakness. ...That revelation about the little helpers, though? Really enjoyed that. =) Sound effects are suitably atmospheric, and voice acting on the whole is excellent as expected from a Wadjet Eye game - Dave Gilbert does excellent casting and production (with the exception of a particularly wooden delivery from a market saleswoman). I can't get that enthused about the music - it's dusty and sad, mostly acoustic guitar noodling... supporting the atmosphere without getting in the way, but also without really doing anything interesting or noteworthy. It IS worth noting that the developers originally released a set of prequels to the story on the AGS website, as follows: [url=https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/play/game/1704/]The Rebirth/The Reaper I'm quite fond of these stories, the first in particular, a brutal little story of a world turned upside down. Honestly, I think this material should have been included or incorporated into the main game of Shardlight, as they act to provide some character depth and foreshadowing to the main story that might have spiced things up a little bit had they been included. Maybe give them a go before starting your journey into Shardlight? So. Yeah. Visually sumptuous (especially if you love some crunchy late nineties point and click presentation), the rudiments of some solid worldbuilding, but doesn't get very far and takes a long time to get there. Worked without complaint on my PC, and had some entertaining puzzles and one really good twist. A grudging shrug out of 10.
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This one’s yet another must-play by Wadjet Eye Games for fans of classic point ‘n’ click adventure games. It delivers everything an adventure game lover could want: an intriguing post-apocalyptic world, engaging puzzles, and a deeply atmospheric story. The game’s hand-painted pixel art is stunning, evoking the golden era of the genre while still feeling fresh. Just imagine Fallout as a point ‘n’ click adventure, and you’re pretty close to Shardlight . The story follows Amy Wellard, a mechanic navigating a society controlled by an oppressive aristocracy in the aftermath of a devastating plague. The writing is sharp and immersive, with well-developed characters and a mystery that keeps you hooked from start to finish. The voice acting is great, as always, I’ve noticed it’s something Wadjet Eye consistently excels at, and it adds a lot to the game’s emotional weight, making its bleak world feel all the more real. I think the puzzles are well-balanced, never feeling too obscure or frustrating, and the game respects the player’s intelligence by integrating problem-solving seamlessly into the narrative. I also appreciated the darker tone compared to games like the Blackwell series or classics like the Monkey Island franchise. Overall, no adventure gamer should miss this one. The way how it’s blending classic mechanics with a gripping dystopian tale is something I enjoyed a lot. If you have a soft spot for thoughtful storytelling and atmospheric world-building, this one’s for you.
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Shardlight undenaibly a good retro Indie point & click game. Wadjet Eye Games once again delivers a decent product. A simple story with good writing, grounded characters with nice voice and smart puzzles. A post-apocalyptic world going through the usual genre cliches, but hey, it is still very endearing as we live through the perspective of a simple but ingenious citizen. There are no magic, mutants or demons in this game. Just the good old post-apolacypse setting. The puzzles were surprisingly logical and well designed, meaning no insane moon logic or developer tunnel vision (as is common in the genre). Quite Enjoyable! (Everyday I thank we don't get another Sierra or Lucasarts game..) From what I read, the ending was polarizing for some but I liked it. How it tested where your ideologies stand, good thing I got the "good" ending. Shardlight is a decent entry. I liked it.
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When it comes to Wadjet Eye Games set in a post apocalypse, I don't think this is my favorite but Primordia is really difficult to beat in that bracket. As it stands though, the world presented here is really interesting. When it comes to post-apocalypse worlds as settings, I think I prefer the ones where civilization has shifted rather than collapsed. Shardlight shows a world that's still orderly and in many ways still quite normal, but the world has still clearly been devastated by war and disease. Navigating this world, meeting the powers who are around and seeing how they may use their power was really engaging to me, and the puzzles that link the narrative were quite clear with a handful of exceptions where achievements were concerned. I've seen some negative reviews for this game based on its subject matter, but I really don't think that should stop anyone who is interested in this type of game from giving this one a shot. Again though, if the subject matter is too 2020 for you, check out Gemini Rue, Primordia, or Technobabylon. I only just realized that I have a number of games by Wadjet Eye Games, and I've been really happy with all of them. Unavowed, Old Skies, Strangeland, here I come!
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I had to really mull over what score to give Shardlight, more than I usually have to at least. On the one hand, this is a truly beautiful game, maybe Wadjet Eye's prettiest game. The background and portrait art is sublime, some of the best I've seen in a point & click game to date. The music is excellent too and the voice acting is the same high standard you'd expect from Wadjet. Storywise, Shardlight is nothing if not engaging, with a setting that seems a touch derivative at first, but soon reveals a multitude of interesting elements. Amy, the protagonist, is strongly characterised too, and though her motivations become a little muddled by the end, she's a main character and the rest of the cast is varied and decently written too. So what's wrong? Well, it comes down to the gameplay unfortunately, though I hesitate to say it's "wrong". Like Francisco Gonzales' previous game, A Golden Wake, the puzzles are often simplistic and a touch dull. It's certainly an improvement on that game, but not by as much as I'd like. Outside of a couple of slightly more interesting head-scratchers, the puzzling fare is mostly uninspired inventory puzzles, with the solution almost always obvious. Where other Wadjet games each have an interesting wrinkle to their puzzles (Blackwell the ghost stuff, Gemini Rue the investigation work, Technobabylon more tech-y puzzles, etc.), Shardlight's gimmick is... a crossbow? While I liked the story overall, it did feel a little rushed. I finished the game in a little over five hours and though there's an impressive variety and quantity of locations, you spend so little time in most of them that it makes Shardlight feel more slight than it is. Where a game like Gemini Rue resused its environments a little too often, I really wouldn't have minded if Shardlight had stretched out some of its more neglected areas a little. The story is generally quite straightforward too, which does mean there's not as much adventure game confusion on what to do next, but it started to feel more than a little rail-roady at times. These seem like some fairly minor complaints, but they do combine to somewhat tar what could have been a really excellent point and click adventure. As it stands, I'd still heartily recommend Shardlight on its aesthetic and narrative strengths alone, it's still one of Wadjet Eye's best, but if you're hungry for some fiendishly clever or original puzzles, you just won't find them here. Fantastic art and a strong setting, absolutely, but treat it more as an interactive story than a true puzzle game.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Shardlight is currently priced at 14.99€ on Steam.
Shardlight is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 14.99€ on Steam.
Shardlight received 673 positive votes out of a total of 746 achieving a rating of 8.47.
😎
Shardlight was developed and published by Wadjet Eye Games.
Shardlight is playable and fully supported on Windows.
Shardlight is playable and fully supported on MacOS.
Shardlight is playable and fully supported on Linux.
Shardlight is a single-player game.
There is a DLC available for Shardlight. Explore additional content available for Shardlight on Steam.
Shardlight does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
Shardlight does not support Steam Remote Play.
Shardlight is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.
You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for Shardlight.
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Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.
Last Updates| Steam data | 06 June 2025 14:06 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 12 June 2025 03:23 |
| Steam price | 14 June 2025 12:47 |
| Steam reviews | 13 June 2025 19:52 |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Shardlight, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.
- SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about Shardlight
- SteamCharts - Analysis of Shardlight concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Shardlight compatibility
Game modes
Features
Online players
1
Developer
Wadjet Eye Games
Publisher
Wadjet Eye Games
Release
08 Mar 2016
Platforms
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