Shadowgate
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Critic Reviews for Shadowgate
Shadowgate isn't just retro, it's retrograde, and the visual update really isn't as impressive as it first appears.
Shadowgate hates you and wants you dead, but fans wouldn't have it any other way.
It doesn't move the genre forward in any way, but Shadowgate is a wonderful return to the early days of adventuring.
Shadowgate on Nintendo Switch is very much the same reboot we saw on PC back in 2014, taking the same mix of puzzles, difficulty and exploration the original was famed for and mixing it up with some enhanced conundrums and much more appealing presentation. Even with the updated visuals, Shadowgate still has a clunky UI, however, the button mapping on Switch does help negate this issue a little. Problems aside, this is a faithful remake that retro fans will lap up, although newer players might find this elder gaming statesman has teeth that bite a little too hard.
Shadowgate is loved or hated without half measures, but it does not leave indifferent and for those looking for the adventurous thrills of the past, this remake of the Roelofs-Marsh couple has very little to envy to the classic of the late 80s.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Shadowgate is a loving recreation of a seminal point-and-click adventure, with a few modern touches tacked onto a thoroughly 1987 chassis.
In all, Shadowgate is a formidable if sometimes frustrating return to classic adventure gameplay. If you're a fan of the original or undaunted by Shadowgate's unforgiving depths, it's worth grabbing a torch and venturing inside.
Shadowgate is very easy to recommend to fans of the original game or of the early days of point-and-click in general. For modern genre enthusiasts, it may be a tougher sell thanks to basic presentation and lots of opportunities to get a game over. Regardless, this is the best updated version of a thirty year old game that one could hope for, and it should leave nostalgic adventure gamers hopeful for more classic revivals in the same vein.
