Stunningly beautiful Contre Jour comes to Xbox on Windows Phone this week [Updated]

Update: Game is now available. See link below.

If you’re like me, you’re still plugging away on last week’s Xbox Windows Phone release, the awesome Crimson Dragon Side Story. But shooters aren’t for everybody, and some people might crave a more casual or thoughtful experience. This week’s release should catch their attention then: Contre Jour from Chillingo.

While tipster and leading Achievement earner Zebrasqual would already know what the words 'Contre Jour' mean (being French), I’ll translate for the rest of our readers. The title means ‘against light,’ referring to the game’s stark and Limbo-esque art style. It makes strong use of contrasting colors, a stylistic element we don’t see much on Windows Phone. On top of that, a haunting soundtrack from David Ari Leon makes the game even more beautiful.

The object of the game is to direct the Tentacles-looking protagonist Petit to the safety of each level’s exit. The catch is players don’t control the creature directly. To help the little guy avoid la petit morte, you’ll tap to drag and reshape the landscape, rolling him around. Use pulleys and other environmental gadgets (slingshots, tentacles, portals, blows, and more) to move Petit past a variety of environmental puzzles.

Being a physics puzzle game of sorts, beating the levels isn’t the only goal. Nope, each stage also has three lights for Petit to collect. Whether or not you want to grab them all for the Achievements, you’ll still need to acquire certain numbers in order to unlock more levels. It’s pretty much the same as Spider Jack in that regard.

In addition to the 100 levels available on other platforms, the Windows Phone version of Contre Jour features an all set of levels: the Mango World (pictured at top). Hey, everyone knows that Windows Phone users just love mangos... Especially Mango smoothies, in my case.

Contre Jour debuts Wednesday, September 19 (if not later tonight) and will cost $2.99.

Update: The game is now available here on the Windows Phone Store. Thanks to Mansum at We Love Windows Phone.HK for the tip!

Paul Acevedo

Paul Acevedo is the Games Editor at Windows Central. A lifelong gamer, he has written about videogames for over 15 years and reviewed over 350 games for our site. Follow him on Twitter @PaulRAcevedo. Don’t hate. Appreciate!