It’s unsurprising to learn that if you put eight creative people to work in an old Montreal gramophone factory, their resulting videogame will indeed be a heady concoction of spectacular, shadowy burlesque beauty, sultry jazzy soundtracks, film-noir inspired locations and some truly innovative game play.

Through the light-bulb lit cobbled streets that have the same smoky romantic atmosphere as seen in Lyon, France during the 1940s, Contrast is a story told through light and dark. A film-noir puzzle platformer in three acts, players step into the high-heeled boots of Dawn, an imaginary acrobatic companion to a little girl called Didi. Emotionally voiced by a 9 year old actress, Didi makes for both an earnest, excitable character, though is simultaneously tinged with pity as is clearly affected by her parent’s broken, tempestuous relationship which is revealed in dramatic memories. She is often alone in a complicated adult world, but it’s a world that also holds magic and surprise, thanks to Dawn’s special ability.

More than a trick of the light, Dawn has the power to become her shadow at will. When we caught up with developers Compulsion Games this summer, we watched wide eyed as Dawn seamlessly blended in and out of the shadows, flipping between a 3D and 2D world. In the strong beam of a streetlight, the giant shadow of a bicycle wheel curved up against a high, impenetrable brick wall. Dawn approached the wall and was then able to merge into the shadows, using the wheel’s outline to walk up the wall to an open window under the rooftop.

Inside a red velvet cabaret club, Didi helped guide Dawn along with suggestions of where to go but left the puzzle solving to the player, who had to cast spotlights on the stage, revealing a trio of shadowy musicians. Passing by the drummer and the curvaceous lead singer, Dawn used the rhythmical swinging of the saxophone player to ride his body up to a new area. The musical numbers throughout Contrast are performed by L.A. jazz singer Laura Ellis and were written especially for the game. It’s a great way of controlling the pace as each original piece is full length and captivating.

Back in the street, a carousel was merrily spinning but the way ahead was unclear. As well as suggesting where to go, Didi could also help create or manipulate shadows by using lights and props. After finding a way to cast mechanical horse shadows, Dawn was free to run; timing her jumps and making dimensional transitions look easy.

Chatting to Sam Abbott from Compulsion Games, we learnt that they strive for a balance between concept and narrative. “We know we can’t currently compete on team size or quantity of content, but we believe in the creation of meaner, leaner and better game experiences for today’s demanding audiences. We’ve taken strong inspirations from movies and games which exercise restraint in creative and narrative contexts to achieve a high quality bar without the need for huge teams and budgets.” The language they use on their website (which is unique and fun to explore in itself) talks philosophically about gameplay frameworks and ambition which was abundantly clear in what we saw of the game.

The mechanics of Contrast were clever, slick and fun, and were set against some beautiful, theatrical locations, whilst the narrative also casted long shadows through the levels – literally! A shadow scene between Didi’s lounge singer mother and alcoholic father played out a hundred meters high against a billboard as Dawn jumped across the forearms and hats of the troubled pair.

There are many influences woven into this game. Didi is quite similar to Pan’s Labyrinth’s Ofelia in her look and magical curiosity whilst there is a simple yet deep satisfaction in the Portal themed parts of the game. “Like J.J. Abrahms, we’re big on the power of mystery. That said, we’re also intrigued by the notion of dreams, thoughts and virtual data. Somewhere within the blending of those concepts lies our universe.”

Due for release on X360, PS3, PS4 and Steam towards the end of the year, Contrast is a universe that any jazzy film or game lover should definitely dip into.