John Cal McCormick's Reviews
Shadwen is a stealth-action game in which there's no action and the stealth is completely undermined by counter-productive design choices that defy logic or reason. The whole package suffers from a distinct lack of polish and is chock full of half-baked ideas and badly implemented mechanics. It's a Frankenstein's monster of a game stitched together from the dead bits of other, better games, but ultimately it possesses the heart and soul of none of them. There's no reason to recommend Shadwen to anybody other than prospective game developers looking for a lesson in what not to do.
Shadow Complex Remastered is, in many ways, a perfect gateway drug for the Metroidvania genre. It's accessible and straightforward, and the story features just the right mix of swashbuckling heroics and moustache twirling pantomime villainy. It's perhaps too easy for seasoned veterans of the genre, and some aiming issues and questionably designed boss encounters sour the package a little, but if you've got a few hours to kill and you're waiting for another proper Metroid game, then you could do a lot worse than Shadow Complex.
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse has many of the trappings of a fantastic Metroidvania game, but has a few notable flaws holding it back from greatness. For people who can't get enough of the genre, the game will likely serve as an enjoyable and light-hearted diversion, but for gamers looking for a Metroid substitute on the PS4, there are better options like Axiom Verge or Guacamelee! already available on the system.
In the end, Unepic would probably be a better adventure game. This twenty hour or so unabashedly old school RPG is frequently broken up by conversations between characters and these interactions are amusing enough to make the often finicky platforming and combat sections worth persevering with. As a whole, the game has enough charm to recommend to fans of the genre, and those that stick around will likely be impressed by the surprisingly deep RPG mechanics and the Metroidvania approach to level design. However, it's hard not to wonder if the quality of the writing on display here would be better served in a game with a stronger focus on storytelling.