It’s rare to find video games that instill a sense of hope and purpose without the need for killing. The most popular games in the industry (Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty, Halo, etc.) are centered around killing. Even Mario with all his vibrant colors has blood on his hands (RIP Goombas). Every game has you fighting for life, but few actually make the idea of life meaningful. Perhaps this, and some solid gameplay, is what makes Shiny so interesting.

Shiny takes place on the planet Aurora. He and a host of other robots have been abandoned by their human creators to await destruction. You play as Kramer 227, the last functioning robot left on Aurora who is determined to save himself and as many of his robot friends as possible. Thus begins his quest to save his friends, and build a rocket ship to escape impending doom.

Shiny is about saving lives. There are no guns and no enemies to kill. There is no bloodshed. This is a game about making sacrifices to save not only yourself, but your friends as well. It’s a theme we so rarely get across the different entertainment mediums. It’s a beautiful game to look at though those who aren’t in love with industrial architecture may not find it that appealing to look at. Kramer and friends speak in beeps and boops (i.e. R2-D2), and beautiful music plays in the background. Ryan Ike, the composer behind Gunpoint, approached the team about composing the music for Shiny, something that developer Garage227 gladly agreed to.

This is a 2D platforming game. Players will guide Kramer along a 2D plane, completing different platforming challenges. Along the way, players will acquire equipment, allowing them to access areas they may not have been able to before. Shiny does present players with a unique challenge; energy management.

Kramer only has so much energy and every move he makes deplete his batteries. Only generators can replenish energy, and each generator has a finite amount of charges. Complicating this is the fact that Kramer will need to sacrifice his energy to resurrect other robots. Do you save yourself and continue forward, or do you make the ultimate sacrifice to save a friend? It’s a fantastic moral choice that has real implications in-game. Failure to save other robots means you can’t finish your ship and escape.

I was able to play two levels recently. The first level was basic, forcing me to travel from Point A to Point B. There was a diverging path, but not many obstacles. It basically served to introduce me to the idea of energy management. A dead robot was placed in the middle of the map, and I had to leave him behind because I was almost did. Thankfully, I found a generator to replenish my energy and was able to go back and save the robot.

The second was far more intense as I had to outrun an explosion. Not only did I have to jump on all different platforms, I also had to juggle the different equipment. A special suit allowed me to walk through fire, and a shield protected me from falling rubble. This level did highlight an issue I found with Shiny, the jumping is a little floaty. A few deaths felt undeserved as I had somehow overjumped an object when. Speaking with a member of the dev team, they did confirm that they are still finalizing the placement of platforms and robots. This shouldn’t be an issue when the game launches.

Shiny is a special game. It’s offering up an experience you don’t really see in many games nowadays. There’s still some tweaking to be done, but overall the platforming is fun and challenging. The addition of energy management adds an extra layer of strategy and challenge, making players think before they act. This will be an emotional game that gamers should keep a lookout for. Shiny is set for release sometime in 2016 on Xbox One and PC.