Shadowgate Reviews
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.
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.
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.
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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.
Ultimately, this remake does a great job respecting the original game, but bringing the visuals and interface to a modern age.
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.
Shadowgate really suits the on the go feel of the Nintendo Switch. Staying true to the 2014 version will please fans and with the art style, this point-and-click game was a pleasure to play even if it's incredibly hard at times. The controls are adapted well but do take some time to really grasp as there are a lot of options and customisation available, making it clunky at first. Fans of the original game will love the updated graphics and extended puzzles, but newer players might find it hard to get stuck into.
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.
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.
Shadowgate is a loving recreation of a seminal point-and-click adventure, with a few modern touches tacked onto a thoroughly 1987 chassis.
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.
If you can learn the system down to your bones, then this will be a fulfilling adventure.
Several antiquated mechanics like the limited supply of torches and the unhelpful hint system also serve to make exploring Shadowgate Castle more frustrating than it should be, and that's even before we debate whether baffling cryptic trial-and-error puzzles are a good thing or not. Shadowgate is a faithful update then, but Zojoi have squandered the opportunity to actually update the gameplay too.
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.
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.
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!
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.