I found Shade frustrating because of how little there is to do. Some of my commands were not understood, but after some trial and error, I was finally able to explore the room a little. I found that taking what the game gives you helped you progress a little. For example, once you get up from the futon, you are able to turn on the stereo and listen to music. However, there was one aspect of the game that was particularly frustrating. The story kept telling me that I was thirsty and when I typed in the command to drink water, it wanted me to be more specific. I attempted to go to the kitchen, but the computer did not seem to understand that command. After examining the travel book, I found that the character is about to leave fora festival in Death Valley in a few hours. I was curious to know more but was unable to figure out anything else. The contrast between darkness and light also seemed to be an important aspect of Shade. The description of the apartment mentions the darkness trying to creep inside. After attempting to open the shade and turn off the lamp, you get messages saying “you have no desire to look night in the face” and “you do not want the dark.”
Instead of drawing you in with the storyline, Shade engages you by carefully describing the setting and being specific about how the character is feeling. As a result, you must use what the game gives you and use that in order to move forward.