Projection: First Light; The Butterfly Effect (REVIEW)

Have you ever taken a moment to stop and really look at your surroundings? I mean, really look at your surroundings. It helps you see things a little more clearly. When I’m more aware of my surroundings, it changes my thought process; be it sound, or in this case light. This is exactly what Projection: First Light teaches you.

We begin our story with Greta, a young girl who creates quite a stir in her hometown. While running around trying to capture a glowing butterfly she’s spotted and suddenly becomes enamored with, she winds up causing quite a bit of damage to her town. 

This butterfly is what is going to change the events of her life. Once caught, the townspeople approach Greta’s parents quite angrily to ask for reparations. Greta, now grounded, runs to hide in her room. Being that Greta is quite an adventurous, albeit destructive child, she kicks her table in her room, which sets the butterfly off to another adventure. You can’t do all that damage and not finish the job right? So here begins the journey: You chase the butterfly, leaving your parents to wonder where you’ve run away to. 

Projection: First Light is a beautiful puzzle platformer where you are forced to get creative in your explorations. Photographers rejoice! Knowing light placement and source is going to make this a breeze for you! You will learn the best way to manipulate light and shadow around you to push you forward in your journey across the world’s stage. As it turns out, this is much easier than shedding your own inner darkness and finding self-enlightenment.

Being a straight forward platformer can be dull, but the developers made sure this game would be anything but. With gorgeous puppetry, and backgrounds that shift and appear as you move forward, you will feel like you’re wandering through a wonderful stage play, all directed by you. You won’t find dialogue here, but the actions and imagery from NPCs make the story incredibly clear. Pair all of this with soft melodies, you will simply feel relaxed, while still challenging your mind.

Projection: First Light is available on PS4, Xbox One, Steam, and Nintendo Switch.