Shadowgate Reviews
With a shift from stationary puzzling to action-oriented (but still with puzzles!) Shadowgate VR is an important step for the franchise. It preserves the soul of the original, but modernizes it for a whole new audience. This first chapter is a taste of things to come, and I'm excited for it. Now I've just gotta get over those Buick-sized spiders...
Overall, the first chapter comes together as a wonderfully fun and exciting dungeon crawler. Shadowgate is a superior first VR effort from the Zojoi team. They have struck an engaging balance between the roots of the game, the tropes of the fantasy genre, and the spatial and immersion possibilities that VR offers for gaming. Hopefully, there will be more VR chapters of the Shadowgate saga to enjoy in the future.
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 for the Nintendo Switch is a wonderful rendition of the 8-bit NES version that is near and dear to many of our hearts. This rendition isn't merely a direct port but a re-imagining that still holds true to the classic Shadowgate formula. While the user interface is a bit cumbersome at first, patience and a little time spent in the game will make that an afterthought. For the modest price of $19.99, you can take this classic adventure game on the road. Shadowgate is perhaps one of the earliest point-and-click adventure games conceived and with this modernized version it gets to renew its crown!
If you don't like point-and-click adventure games, they game may not be for you. If you are a fan of the genre, looking for something difficult to tackle, or wondering why you haven't played Shadowgate in 30 years, absolutely pick this up. I swear, the music will bring you back.
If you can learn the system down to your bones, then this will be a fulfilling adventure.
Ultimately, this remake does a great job respecting the original game, but bringing the visuals and interface to a modern age.
Shadowgate is, well, Shadowgate. If you know what that means, you're probably keen on playing it. It's not exactly a taxing title as far as computer specs run, so there's really no issue for those who traditionally stick to consoles. But if if the name means nothing to you, either you're about to be made a believer in the joys of brain-breaking puzzles or sent screaming out of the castle and back to the loving arms of Call of Duty.
We're in love with Shadowgate and its complexity, but that has to do with nostalgia, so, without a doubt, veterans of the franchise will love this new installment. As for the new players outside the point and click, they may consider the experience inaccessible and even unattractive, because the title is true to its roots, but it stays in the past by not providing novelties that keep it relevant in the present.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
In Shadowgate we go back to the living castle and we do it in the best possible way, a quite worked remake with new puzzles, a very well drawn artistic section, and an orchestrated soundtrack. As a good classic, it retains a fairly high difficulty, although attempts have been made to smooth out the new generations with more difficulty modes and modernized mechanics. Despite everything, the type of game, its puzzles, its trial and error mechanics, and its difficulty, may make the game not suitable for all audiences, although fans of the classic will be satisfied.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
It doesn't move the genre forward in any way, but Shadowgate is a wonderful return to the early days of adventuring.
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.
Some players will appreciate the fact that this game is remorseless a lot of the time. Meanwhile others — even fans of this sort of punishing experience — may feel that the game is a bit too daunting at times.
Overall I enjoyed my time with Shadowgate. I found myself frustrated from time to time but still really immersed in the game. As admitted above I am not always the fondest of this genre however fans of the adventure point-and-click games may find more enjoyment. If you are a fan of the genre or just want to give the style a try Shadowagate certainly is a good starting point. The story is compelling and the music and graphics are great.
Zojoi have attempted to resurrect a classic here, but time has undoubtedly taken its toll. What's here is enjoyable enough for hardened adventure game fans, but gamers honed on a diet of The Walking Dead may be turned off by its complexity and strict adherence to difficulty. If you've got the patience then Shadowgate could be the game for you - it's often amusing, always head-scratching, but most importantly it's a taste of gaming past that many may miss.
In addition to torches, you'll collect a vast assortment of items, from weapons and armor to seemingly useless trinkets, bones, and even magic spells, that you can then use on the few hotspots in each room trying to get further into the game.
If you are a fan of the series or the enre you will find this title to be instantly intuitive to you and you will likely slip back into the old mind set. If you are new to the genre and are interested I would suggest you give it a go. If you are not interested in adventuring point and clicks This game has no real departure from the original formula so I do not think there will be anything to convert you.
Shadowgate wants to remind players of what games were like twenty years ago, albeit with a fresh visual covering. The improved presentation is a welcome addition, but the unevolved gameplay and story will tend to feel outdated. In the end, it feels overpriced for a single jolt of nostalgia.
Shadowgate hates you and wants you dead, but fans wouldn't have it any other way.
Shadowgate isn't just retro, it's retrograde, and the visual update really isn't as impressive as it first appears.