With a very well made atmosphere, a good storyline and a high quality Jazz soundtrack, Compulsion Game's title takes the player in a very seductive world. But the true strong point of the game is in its addictive gameplay, the possibility to shift between 2D and 3D serves both the game and the story by providing us with a peep of the real world, seen through a game of shadows. Without being flawless, Contrast manages to be a very good platform game that will win the hearts of most gamers for sure.

Contrast is a nice puzzle game with an amazing art direction but not so amazing gameplay. The dualism between light and darkness is nice, as the setting, a noir grotesque version of the ‘20s, but the game itself lacks on the technical side, and, after a while, even the puzzles become boring.

If you cannot think outside the new game genres, try at least some unusual combination with the current ones. That's the message of the artistic arcade game Contrast. It's a character-driven piece of work where two gaming styles along with their atmospheres unite. However, it's lacking both in richer content and more enjoyable controls to reach excellence.

When it works, Contrast is a beautifully executed vaudevillian tale of sadness and intrigue, but when it doesn’t, the frustrating glitches and awkward controls will drive you mad.

Simple, yet poetic game of shadows and light, which would benefit from a little more polish, so it wouldn’t grate on its players’ nerves. [Issue#237]

Contrast is a game with a beautiful mood, great music and a lovely film noir-inspired visuals. The plattforming and gameplay is mediocre, with few and short highlights.

Many of Contrast’s individuals parts are beautiful, special, funny and even a little profound. Viewed as a whole though, with a little distance, the end result is confusing and difficult to look at. Contrast is rushed, messy, and, just like that, it’s done.