Shadow of the Beast Reviews
With many nods to the original games and a compendium of retro unlockables, this re-imagining of Shadow of the Beast is a game not just concerned with moving forward, but with looking back in detail at its forebears. Stilted platforming and a short story don't prevent the deep, satisfying combat and multifaceted levels from being worth experiencing more than once. And when you're done, the very first game awaits in all its glory for you to discover – maybe for the first time.
I'm probably being more harsh on this game than it deserves, but for the price point there is an enjoyable title here. You just need to give it time to grow on you. Hopefully gamers out there can look past the flaws that I seem to be hooked on.
Shadow of the Beast is an average arcade brawler that offers a smooth combat system that has a surprising amount of depth to it. With a playtime of around 4hrs to complete, the game relies heavily on whether or not the player wants to trek through the dull levels for a second or third time to discover all the game has to offer. Fans of the original game and those who enjoy old-school arcade brawlers will enjoy their time with Shadow of the Beast.
Shadow of the Beast is a tribute and a modernization of the namesake action game that Psygnosis developed in 1989 on Amiga Computer. It shows some impressive art works, a captivating style, and create an original setting, but the story mode is impressively short and the gameplay is far from being well designed and responsive.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Shadow of the Beast is an action title whose combat simply isn't particularly enjoyable. Throw in some off-putting map design, and you have a game that's a shadow of what it could have been.
It articulates a horrific but heroic myth underneath the clothes of a traditional platformer and beat-'em-up.
In trying to re-invent a classic that was never really any good to begin with, Shadow of the Beast becomes a cautionary tale about how nostalgia is sometimes better left in the past.
Shadow of the Beast is a solid revival of an underappreciated part of gaming history. It's great to see it exposed to a new audience over 20 years later as it provides a brief, yet exciting journey.
Shadow of the Beast does quite a few things right and I can appreciate its different battle system and lovely world. Its also still annoyingly frustrating sometimes and currently overpriced.
Shadow of the Beast is a good looking game, but ultimately the game comes off as a failed tribute to the original that puts all its money on the wrong horse. Heavy Spectrum’s work on the designs and narrative is admirable, but ultimately Shadow of the Beast is merely a shadow of the original.
Overall Shadow of the Beast a pretty good platformer with nothing much to hate about it. It's a good time killer.
Shadow of the Beast is a passion project that works and runs really well. It still manages to somehow hold that classic platformer feel and style.
Shadow of the Beast has impressive production values and combat mechanics that improve over the original, but weak platforming and poor design decisions greatly hamper the experience.
The Shadow Of The Beast remake is too attached to an overrated original
Sony is quickly making the PS4 the de facto place for mid-tier gems with the likes of Alienation, Firewatch, Helldivers, and Transistor available on the PlayStation Store. Shadow of the Beast simply doesn't pass muster. A little more time spent tweaking its controls and technical issues may have resulted in a better game but as it stands, it's one you can safely avoid.
As a missed opportunity, Shadow of the Beast is a sublime one. The powerful juxtaposition between the Beast, his enemies, and the natural world, is a worthy theme to explore, and the bloodletting that the Beast gets up to is both visceral and entirely appropriate to that theme. That the developers really struggled to explore the concept in any meaningful depth is disappointing, but nonetheless, Shadow of the Beast is ultimately worthwhile.
Shadow of the Beast is pretty to look at, but poor level design and lack of reward leaves the player frustrated and disappointed. It's evidently bursting to share nostalgia with the world, but that fondness ultimately thwarts the game's potential as a current-gen brawler.
Shadow of the Beast may be presented as an indie video game, but has the production value of a triple-A title thanks to Sony being behind the project. Outstanding graphics, a well-crafted story, and great gameplay provide the full package. Though it may be short, there are plenty of reasons to replay your favorite levels again.
The new Shadow of the Beast is good, but not as good as the fans would like. It's still quite fun, but the story mode is pitfully short, which is the biggest problem. However, if you decide to discover everything it offers, you'll certainly spend a few entertaining hours here.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
A game that had the potential to not only evoke memories of a classic franchise, but also stand alone on its own two feet, Shadow of the Beast stumbles and doesn't quite live up to the potential it clearly has. There are some lovely looking areas and when the combat sticks, it's enjoyable. The problem is that there are more moments of pure frustration than delight, including control issues and that unfathomable decision to force you to unlock native language subtitles. If you're after a blast of nostalgia and nothing else, however, the original 1989 title is included in the game as an unlockable, but this remake doesn't really add much to the legacy of the franchise.