Light Fall review: Only a glimmer of genius

The land of Numbra is blanketed by nightfall, which threatens to turn into total darkness as shadow hovers over the Kamloops tribe. Only an unnamed shadow can save the tribe and prevent the end of their world.
That's the idea behind Light Fall, a new 2-D platformer that puts players into a seemingly vast world of challenging jumps and obstacles.
While the shadow can wall jump and leap across great distances, the game's core mechanic allows players to go even farther. The Shadow Core is a box that players can create with the jump button, creating up to four blocks before hitting the ground. This opens the door to some wild speedrunning or for some more methodical navigation around obstacles. Using the Shadow Core is one of the more enjoyable aspects of the game because it presents the challenge of completing certain sequences as quickly as possible.
Other buttons offer up different functions, like taking control of mechanical switches or holding a block in front of you like a shield. The Shadow Core's multiple applications would seem to lend itself to versatility, but the downside is that those multiple uses can't be wielded simultaneously. For example, you can't jump on a Shadow Core platform and use the Core Punch function to flip a switch without dissolving the first platform.
Light Fall shows potential with its central premise and its core mechanic, but short levels, a run-of-the-mill story, and an all-too-brief campaign make it feel like there's some unrealized potential here. It's a decent adventure to experience once, but its brightness burns out awfully fast.