Little Kitty, Big City
Little Kitty, Big City
Game
Game2018
Shape of the World
Developer Hollow Tree Games
A serene first person exploration game in a surreal, organic world that reacts to your presence. Journey through a psychedelically colorful ecosystem of flourishing flora, rambling waterfalls, burgeoning mountains, glowing monoliths and graceful creatures. A 1-3 hour escape from work, anxiety and stress. From the Steam store page
195 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Sep 22, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
71
Fresh
137 positive · 55 negative
95% range 65–77%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 137 | 55 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
3 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
327 of 425 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Mixed: beautiful visuals and music, but short and lacking gameplay.
Many players praise the game's stunning visuals and relaxing atmosphere, with some calling it a "mystical journey through a cryptic but stunningly gorgeous world" (R11) and noting the "nice, calm atmosphere" (R7). The music and sound design are also frequently highlighted as immersive and well-done. [11][7]
However, a significant number of players criticize the game for being too short, with playthroughs often under two hours, and for lacking meaningful gameplay or story. Some describe it as "just a walking simulator" (R13) or "boring and confusing to play" (R36), while others note technical issues like crashes (R29, R31). [13][36][29][31]
Praised visuals · music · atmosphere
Criticised short length · lack of gameplay · technical issues
Summary drafted by an AI model from the 36 reactions it cites ([n] links open each post), then checked by code: every paragraph cites real posts and every quote is verbatim. Written Oct 8, 2026. Method
Reactions
60 of 195 · most liked firstSteps awaken worlds unseen. Stories murmur through shifting hue. The ground shivers, the sky bleeds ink. A living stillness—breathing, new.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Some parts of it look nice but that's about it. If it were good, it wouldn't need a "play it for at least 3 hours at once" achievement to boost the playtime. It's also extremely overpriced, there's literally 30 minutes of actual content in.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Framerate cap fix C:\Users\ "Your Username" \AppData\Local\Shapeoftheworld\Saved\Config\WindowsNoEditor engine.ini add [/script/engine.engine] bSmoothFrameRate=false set engine.ini to read only enjoy this amazing game :)
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Enjoyable chill game, really nice ambient music. Really great if you want something relaxing to play, but very short...my completion time+credits came out to 1hr 21min.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Crashes as soon as it loads. Looking at the community hub I discovered a thread of people having the same problem including a response from the game makers saying they weren't going to be able to institute a fix. Kind of annoying that Steam is using this to sell its indie gems package.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Huge walking simulator fan here, I even moderate the walking simulator group. Most of my money goes on walking simulator. This is .... I don't know. Some sort of student project showing they can use unity? You walk aimlessly, no story, no narrative , and worse of all, no payoff. Reminds me a lot the equivalently absysmal (pun intend abzu), where nothing every happens, but at least abzu made sense. I guess based on the rating the 'in joke' is that you have to intoxicated to play this? Wow. And…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It doesn't work. The thing hard crashes shortly after launch with no error message, straight return to Windows, and none of the people who already had this problem on the forums were offered a solution. I would love to sink in there and have an informed opinion, but I can't, alas.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Cute, and Epic Shape of the World, is an unusual choice for a title, for a game that would sit alongside EIDOLON, Flower, Proteus and ABZU. Other games in the "peacefull" exploration of psychadelic environments seem to go with one word. I'll bet there are exceptions, but the point is, it's very cute and it's very fresh. Borrowing elements from Proteus in many departments with the exception of the map being pre-made, the trees and wildlife are all procedurally generated to be different each time…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Shape of The World is a casual exploration game where the world reacts to your movement. It's surreal and psychedelically colorful ecosystem of different kinds of flora and creatures where you journey through portals in the world and collect seeds that you can use to plant more trees. I had a lot of troubles with the changing color schemes as most of them hurt my eyes a lot and it made my head hurt. I took some breaks between my playing and then continued it. I did still manage to 100% the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's okay, but a bit boring. The few gameplay mechanics weren't really cohesive, didn't have much (if any) explanation, and didn't appear to add much to the game. The graphics are nearly excellent, but fall flat (pun intended) in that the lack of shadows and textures makes depth perception confusing, and the world becomes a bit difficult to navigate effectively. I don't regret playing it, but I would have regretted paying for it at its current price (even on sale).
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Today's video is a look into a game called Shape of the World and how sometimes the games we play can tell us what the designers were thinking through their design. youtu.be/C-4LGNWI7VI?...
unlabelledView post →The visuals are stunning, even if I, like other reviewers, did not love the pastels in the initial levels, and the sound work is immersive, impressive, and very well done. It reminds me a lot of Journey, Abzu, and other games of the genre, where you get to spend a little while immersed in colorful graphics and just vibe, but... ...unfortunately, there was no vibing to be had in my case, as the controls on this thing feel just awful. I felt like I played this whole game wading through the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Shape of the World is a nice adventure game with some original colored graphics and a cozy ambiant. I recommend it!!! 💗💗💗
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nice, calm atmosphere, decent interactivity. Mostly exploration with nice visuals and music. I played through it in about an hour. Almost got stuck relatively early once, but for the most part guidance is good and subtle, not overbearing. Replayability is somewhat inherently good if you are looking for the calm atmosphere.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So far I'm... not quite as impressed as I thought I'd be. Don't get me wrong, the visuals are nice, as is the music, but it's a little too repetitive to be enjoyable. Also, the pace of walking is a little too slow (I like relaxing, I do not like being "forced" to relax), and it seems the save system doesn't do a good job. Once I got stuck and another time the game crashed for me, and both times I felt I had made significant progress, only to find out that I got put back at just after the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is for people who love Journey. Different look, but similar idea. First it felt like I was just aimlessly wandering around, but the game guides you without making it too obvious. There isn't any real gameplay as such, but in a few places it got a bit tricky finding the way forward. I totally enjoyed the journey and started a new one as soon as I finished the first, because I want to look around a bit more this time.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →VR REVIEW ONLY You can view my 3D gameplay in VR here: https://youtu.be/x63-GK3fBr4 You can play Shape of the World in VR. I did it using a VR tool called HelixVision. If you don't know what that is, it's a VR tool that let's you play 3d fix games in VR. The best way to describe it is that it's like playing a game in a 3D movie theater in full stereoscopic 3D (anaglyph 3D). The game ran smoothly. I have never played this game in 2D, but the visuals in VR are stunning. It reminded me a lot…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game accomplishes what it sets out to do very well. You should know what you're getting into since this is a walking sim. That said, I really liked the exploration aspect, and the sense of serenity and wonder it was able to instil. The sights and sounds match and go beyond the expectations set by the trailer. Recommended if you want a short escape without much gameplay. It goes on sale for pretty cheap.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Visuals are nice but the game felt boring and confusing to play. Walking was too slow and I got motion sickness for some reason. FInished it just for the sake of finishing it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Conclusion: never buy steam keys, otherwise you can't refund the garbage like this.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I tried hard to like this game, but I found it a frustrating experience. Often I could not figure out exactly was represented on the screen or what was necessary to move forward. Twice I soft-locked the game and had to restart at the beginning of a chapter. Excellent effort by the team who created this game, but not my cup of tea.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Such a mystical journey through a cryptic but stunningly gorgeous world! Shape of the World takes you for a short trip to wonderland and immerses you in the lovely world it depicts.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a short and atmospheric walking experience; the aesthetic and the sound are good, however there is hardly any gameplay and no story to speak of. It's overall a thumbs up, but I don't think it's worth the full asking price.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just walking simulator, you can watch full game with no commentary on youtube and save your money.. and no, I am not a person who just "didn't get it" - I loved Proteus and saw art in there.. this one was just pseudoart..
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Beautiful game. Just a walking simulator and doesn't try to be anything it's not. Originally treated this like a game and got confused and frustrated at first due to getting lost trying to figure out where to go and what to do. So don't do what I did. It's less of a game and more of a relaxing experience. First couple of levels were really hard on my eyes, everything was too bright and blended in together too much, even gave me a headache. But after those first couple of levels, the rest of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →"Shape of the World" is not really a game, it's a console ported broken procedurally generated walking simulator... so immediately the overall game design concept is a failure. Walking simulators are narrative experiences, and this walking simulator doesn't have a narrative. Instead you just wander around low poly minimalist procedurally generated environments looking at stuff... that's all there is to this. If you can get it to work. For me, the game crashes to desktop within the first…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →floaty movement gives me motions sickness like no other
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Shape of the World is exactly what it’s made out to be, a calm exploration through an everchanging landscape filled with exotic creatures who might not always be where you expect them. To progress you make bridges appear by interacting with parts of the landscape around you. You’ll be visiting deserts, forests, swamps, caves, and mountains. You are also a bit of a gardener and can plant seeds, which turn into trees, which you can then prune. There is no story other than the one you tell…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wanted to like this game but I just didn't. The controls were clunky, there was no direction and little indication on where to go or what to do. You move so slowly though the environment that I found myself pressing "w" till my finger hurt trying to move forward just a bit faster, because thats all you can do, and its so painfully slow.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →𝓟𝓔𝓐𝑪𝓔 𝓐𝓝𝓓 𝓣𝓡𝓐𝓝𝓠𝓤𝓘𝓛𝓘𝓣𝓨
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →6/10 i would grab it on deep sale finished in 37 minutes, decent ride walking simulator where you can plant and remove trees
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pretty, sure, but I really couldn't get into it at all. I guess it's just not very compatible with me, but I think it does what it sets out to do well.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have no clue what's going on.. i don't know why I have to click the things I have to click... I don't know why some clicks do something and some don't.. and most importantly I got motion sick af. So no recommendation from me. (Especially not for full price, holy cow.. got it on sale)
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It pains me to give this game a bad review but the bugs in this game is appalling. The visuals are great but I wish this game was fixed because I am not the only who's facing issues with this game. Maby this is better on console then PC.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Absolutely pointless. Just listen to some relaxing music.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'd suggest to follow the description of this game. It simply is what it is: a linear exploration game with interesting visuals. I would approach it almost as if it is an interactive museum of some sort, rather than an articulate game. It is really short. I have an hour and a half on record, but it potentially can be shorter. If it's on discount, I'd suggest you to try it, as it is visually appealing... even though there could have been more particular animals, which weren't as good as the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Played through this game on an edibles session. Damn, that was a good choice! Essentially a walking sim with light puzzle elements, this little tour managed to fill me with both wonder and dread in roughly equal amounts.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's basically just a walking simulator. Of course, that doesn't have to be a bad thing. This game did not impress me personally. The idea of the game and the visuals are not bad, but for me badly executed. At first I thought the colours were pretty, but after a while my eyes hurt. Especially in a level where it rains a lot. Unfortunately, there are also no settings for the visuals. Another problem for me was that I often got stuck. You can accelerate yourself with an action and thus also fling…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Lacks direction and exploration gets punished by getting stuck too easy. Nice visuals are meaningless when you can't get past chapter 2.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have no idea what I just played
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Psychedelic Nature Simulator
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I just bought, installed and completed this game in less than 2 hours: completely worth it! This is the kind of one session experience that most probably people imagining the cyberspace in the 1980s were thinking of. Simple animations and landscapes, almost psychedelic palette changes, minimal interactions, intuitive color and sound cues and everything pervaded by an atmosphere inspired by Japanese art and depictions, also thanks to the electronic soundtrack. It flows like no other game,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Artsy walking simulator. Really. You walk along and the landscape shifts around you. Increasing amounts of alien fauna appear around you from place to place, sometimes timid and sometimes inquisitive but never hostile. The most game play there is consists of clicking pillars and boulders to create undulating bridges to new locations or tossing seeds to create trees. Aside from that, it's just walking through pastel landscapes to the next landscape until you run out of landscapes. I…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is No Man's Sky if it were serene instead of "chill", took place on a single planet with multiple biomes, used pop-in artistically, and made the game short enough for most people to enjoy playing through it. The "soundtrack" is less dynamic than NMS though, as its only dynamic qualities rely mostly on player actions.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I always wondered what a PS3 tech demo was like. Or an alpha build of the unfinished swan but without a story... Ooooo whales, nice music. #walkingsimulator why do you shoot balls? 🥴
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Enjoy and explore a dream-like world with unfamiliar landscapes and unknown life. Strange fish float and fly in the sky, bizarre animals walk the land, and unusual trees and plant life grow where you step. Shape of the World is a slow-based exploration game with 9 levels, each with unique and interesting features. Hidden secrets are scattered about and with no main path to follow, you are encouraged to take your time, maybe plant a few trees, and get lost in the psychedelic atmosphere.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A very pleasant exploration game with amazing vibes. Some things that really stuck out were the sound design, which is very chill and emotional (especially while high, idk if that was intentional but it really enhances it), as well as it's tree planting mechanic, which for some reason was very satisfying for me. Every time I've played it (three sessions so far), I've left feeling much lighter and more carefree than before, similar to the mental health benefits of going for a walk in your local…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As an aesthetic experience, Shape of the World is quite successful. It's gorgeous to walk through. The music is very pleasant, and it rises and falls though the game in a very seamless way. As a game, there isn't much going on, although I think this is slightly more than what most folks would call a "walking simulator" here. It gets my endorsement. That said: There are a couple of cons. As an emotional experience, it falls kind of flat. It somehow manages to be at once quite beautiful and yet…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If this what heaven or hell looks like, Then I am ready to die.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Disappointing as a game, *brilliant* as an interactive music album. Chemical influence strongly recommended while playing this.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great to play stoned
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Beautiful and mellow little first-person abstract game with fabulous ambient soundtrack. Reminiscent of a free-roaming Rez with a focus on exploration and flow of movement rather than on combat.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I got it on a discount and my first play-through took 81 minutes. Knowing what I know now, I'd pay full price for it. It's a beautiful exploration game with, frankly, fantastic music. The shifts in color had me impressed with the balance and contrast. + Beautiful visual "story" without a plot. + Impressive variation of color schemes. + Ever-changing world that is a marvel to walk around in. + Some collectibles that inspire more fun. + Impressive synth soundtrack. - Motion blur (can be turned…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of the best "games" I have every played. I would describe it as a piece of interactive art, that hypnotizes you with absolutely gorgeous visuals. If you ever went to the Planets exhibition of TeamLab in Tokyo, and you enjoyed it. You might like this, it gave me the same feeling of awe, but better.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a chill walking simulator with a lot of pretty colors and flying whales . Who doesn't love flying whales ?
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/9686972/]Follow "First Person Exploration and Puzzle Games" for more games like this! A relaxing first-person walking simulator. You walk around and look at all the things, and occasionally click on the things. There's not much in the way of gameplay, and no story at all. To be honest, I didn't enjoy it. This is not my idea of what a good walking simulator is. However, there are definitely people who enjoy this sort of game, and to those people…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Decent but also a bit boring exploration walking sim. It's achievements are quite grindy.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very much enjoyed that 60 minute visual assault, thank you :)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A slow roller coaster ride where you just need to look around watching things unfold.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →70/100 Nice music and concept, mystic and otherworldy, and I'm not a fan of low-poly. Honestly, the pastel colors and oversaturated color sections are ugly and headching. Ground is hard to distinguish, especially when pastel and dark colors paint the landscape. Would replay it later for the moments when colors are not friking pastel, like the swamp that's black, white and golden. Give it a try if you want a walking simulator without puzzles.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
Posts are quoted from public profiles with links to the original. Want yours removed? Contact us.
You Might Also Like
similar titlesWhat Remains of Edith Finch
What Remains of Edith Finch
Game
I Was a Teenage Exocolonist
I Was a Teenage Exocolonist
Game
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate
Game
Euro Truck Simulator 2
Euro Truck Simulator 2
Game
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Game