Shadow of the Beast Reviews
Heavy Spectrum's affectionate, idiosyncratic reboot summons the spirit of the original Shadow of the Beast, as well as some of its faults.
A reimagining of a cult classic is beset by uninspired level designs and unrefined combat.
Shadow of the Beast's recreation leaves no room for modern ideas
The visuals are the standout feature, but the overall package is well done and enjoyable.
A surprisingly fun platformer that'll keep you hooked with its fluid combat and varied boss fights.
Shadow of the Beast is enjoyable, its combat smooth and rewarding, but high-score chasing isn't going to keep many players around for long once the credits roll.
Shadow of the Beast is as dull as it is brown, which is to say extremely. The platforming is clunky, the AI is bad, the story requires multiple playthroughs, the game defies its own logic, and it reeks of other laughably awful design decisions. Don't bother with this beast.
A stunning work of imagination that turns the shallow spectacle of the original into a gorgeous-looking action game with real depth and replayability.
I've never been very good at games that have you mastering combos and chasing high scores, so I'm quite surprised just how much I enjoyed chaining together attacks in Shadow of the Beast. The game, whilst quite short, just begs to be played over and over as you chase scores and unlock secrets, and the inclusion of live feeds which pop up and tell you when one of your friends has beaten your score is a clever way to keep you playing. Storytelling annoyances aside, it's a solid and polished game with just the right amount of nostalgia for us oldies.
Shadow of the Beast is a small and passionate videogame, perfect for nostalgic players, but that doesn't stand out for any particular feature. An enjoyable entertainment, while it lasts.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Shadow of the Beast somehow takes fast and brutal action and makes it feel slow and clunky. The game isn't terrible by any means, and even has some very enjoyable visuals, but there's just too many frustrations to make it feel like a fun, cohesive experience.
Shadow of the Beast hits many right notes for that old-school difficult feeling, even with infinite lives. It's been made more accessible for all walks of players, but that doesn't mean all players are rewarded equally, pushing for practice and building those skills all while giving extra pats to those who tame the beast. It's a rather brilliant method for bringing an old-school difficult game in front of more people.
Enemies and levels are varied, and each location feels truly unique…
Shadow of the Beast was a huge surprise for me. I wasn't sure how they'd bring the franchise back and talk on the game went very quiet before it was suddenly released. It's a game filled with some insanely cool creatures, worlds, and enemy designs, along with a soundtrack that absolutely matches that, and some really fun moments. I still don't understand the online element of gift giving or quick time event fighting, so there is that, but that's an extra element anyways.
An oddly eclectic yet ultimately satisfying side-scrolling action adventure, Shadow of the Beast remains a solid and enjoyable gory brawler though it demands tolerance of its myriad of idiosyncrasies, some of which are far more forgivable than others.
With its excellent side-scrolling platforming based experience, smooth battle system, intriguing narrative style, excellent graphics and high replay value, Shadow of the Beast is definitely a quality product. The lack of originality and somewhat unresponsive controls will be issues for some, but the well designed experience makes it easy to get past them.
We just wonder whether it'll appeal to new fans at all when there are better brawlers out there already.
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.
There's a cool little game somewhere in here, but I couldn't get past my frustration to find it.
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.