Sharf is a short and simple casual title. The store page proclaims that it's a "psychological visual story, which everyone will understand differently", however this is not the case seeing as the game explains the events that inspired its creation at the very end. Yes, I understand that the story does hold significance to the developer, but this title is one of the most lackluster experiences on Steam. I'm expecting the hate and downvotes for this review, but I'm not going to cater to a dedication; I've played far more interesting games dedicated to victims of violence.
The length of the game lasts a mere eight minutes, which is noted on the store page, and within that time you will hold down the right arrow button to progress the story. That is, until you come to a red scarf and then you will hold down the left arrow to go back from the direction you came from to finish the story. The four minute travel back to the start of the game doesn't even feature any different landscapes or visuals from the initial venture across the screen.
The plain, morose, silhouette pixel artwork and dreary, atmospheric backtrack to Sharf scream Limbo and, to a lesser degree, Nihilumbra ripoff. You will be greeted with animations that loop every 2-3 seconds and have a maximum of 5 frames; such as trees shedding leaves, crows disappearing and nooses swinging in the wind. You will get a few dialogue snippets from signs that you pass by as you travel both to the left and right of the screen. Once you arrive back at the beginning, the event and purpose of the game will be revealed to you.
Unfortunately, the touching tribute does not make up for the fact that Sharf is a terrible "game"; if you can really call it that. Rather, it's a button holding simulator with "stylish" and repetitive silhouette artwork that can, and will most likely, be deemed as lazy. This is another piece of homework that someone decided to sell for $1.09 CAD, like so many recent titles that are marketed at this value. To be fair, for that price you usually can't expect much; but you should be able to expect more than holding down a button just to see repeating 3-5 frame looped animations. If you're really itching to spend a dollar, go buy Blood and Bacon instead.
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