Shadow of the Beast Reviews

Shadow of the Beast is ranked in the 28th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
8.3 / 10.0
Jul 14, 2017

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.

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6.5 / 10.0
May 26, 2016

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.

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Alan Bell
Top Critic
5 / 10.0
May 25, 2016

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.

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5 / 10
May 23, 2016

A reimagining of a cult classic is beset by uninspired level designs and unrefined combat.

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80 / 100
May 23, 2016

Enemies and levels are varied, and each location feels truly unique…

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NZGamer
Top Critic
7.5 / 10.0
May 23, 2016

Overall Shadow of the Beast a pretty good platformer with nothing much to hate about it. It's a good time killer.

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54 / 100
May 21, 2016

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.

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3.5 / 5.0
May 20, 2016

The visuals are the standout feature, but the overall package is well done and enjoyable.

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Unscored
May 19, 2016

The Shadow Of The Beast remake is too attached to an overrated original

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May 18, 2016

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.

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Justin Celani
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
May 18, 2016

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.

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7 / 10.0
May 18, 2016

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.

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May 18, 2016

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.

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May 18, 2016

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.

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Don't Buy
May 17, 2016

There's a cool little game somewhere in here, but I couldn't get past my frustration to find it.

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May 17, 2016

It articulates a horrific but heroic myth underneath the clothes of a traditional platformer and beat-'em-up.

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May 17, 2016

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.

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70%
May 17, 2016

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

7 / 10.0
May 16, 2016

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.

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6.3 / 10.0
May 16, 2016

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