SHI•RO

On a black background, the shimmering outlines of a smartphone can be made out. On the screen, an island appears that has three distinct areas: mountains in the top with a triangle symbol below, a foresty area with shrines that surrounds a rectangle, and a rocky coastline with a golden circel in its midst.

A lacquer box full of stories for iOS, with Jasper Meiners, 2016-18

SHI•RO is a game for iPhone and iPad that uses gyroscope technology to bring art to life in a player’s hand. Gold and silver on coated darkness shimmer in the hands of players while they move their iPad or iPhone. Based on a real ancient story, the game tells the tale of a curious empress, a lost love and a blossoming friendship.

In over 60 handmade puzzles, players connect golden moons to separate the sea from the sky. Each level transforms their device into a beautiful Japanese lacquer box, which players need to think outside of! To engage with SHI•RO’s story, players have to find the golden elements in the game’s handdrawn illustrations. Taiko drums lead their way from one star constellation to the next, puzzle by puzzle, word by word, further in time.

SHI•RO is available on the Apple App Store and on Google Play. It came out on the 9th of September and has been featured by Apple. SHI•RO was developed by studio Topicbird and published by the brothers grimm.

Trailer

Selected media responses

“SHIRO’s puzzles are beautiful enough to display in an art gallery.” – Apple US

“It’s as though the levels were designed to be spent time with, admired as though each was hanging on its own in a museum.” – TouchArcade

“There are over 60 handmade challenges which feature a stunning, minimal design.” – PocketGamer

A screenshot of the first puzzle in the game SHI•RO shows a golden moon above a golden rock that emerges out of an illustrated ocean. The text above gives a brief explanation on how to use the game: 'Touch the golden moon and drag its tail to the golden rock.'

A more advanced puzzle of SHI•RO shows six moons of different sizes that are surrounded by one to four colorful droplets each. Below, the top of a golden rock shimmern through the surface of the waves of an illustrated ocean.

This screenshot from the game SHI•RO shows an illustration of reeds, water and the moon on a dark background. Below the illustration, silvery text reads: 'I see so much emptiness, whispered the empress'.

The camera's lense is focused on a golden sparkeling circle that is surrounded by silvery mountains – a scene from the mobile game SHI•RO. In the background, other silvery elements are blurred.