Shadows: Awakening Reviews
Shadows: Awakening provides an excellent starting point for players new to the Heretic Kingdoms saga.
A great game for western role-playing fans. Fun, with an interesting plot and full of details. Lots of hours of gameplay and a lovely Diablo style.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Shadows: Awakening ultimately fails to be the action RPG that fans of the genre need. It has some interesting ideas and decent writing, but the story shifts to the backburner after a while and the side missions and combat aren't enough to maintain interest through the grind it turns into. It's not bad, it's just not particularly inspiring either. If you need a new diablo-like and a lack of polish or a glut of grind doesn't bother you, there are definitely worse options out there.
It might lack the decision making aspect of the RPG genre but, beyond that, Shadows: Awakening is an amazing game. The great mechanic of having multiple protagonists in one avatar makes every combat tactical in a distinguishbly way, which is tied to an adictive playable structure , an interesting history and a dense amount of content to create a epic adventure
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Technical issues aside, I greatly enjoyed my time in the Heretic Kingdoms. The hack-n-slash combat with puppeteering strategies always felt fresh, the enemies always presented a challenge on the Normal difficulty, and I never got tired of the vast exploration and puzzle solving. Playing again is inevitable for me, as I'm really curious how much choices affect the puppets and the world around me. I played the goody-two-shoes route this time, by not making pacts with other demons and offering to help everyone under the sun. But I can't help but wonder how differently the game would go if I played as Vlad the Heartless. How would that help me unlock puppets I missed this time? How would it change the already chaotic world? Does it have as many ending varieties as Dungeon Siege III? I also can't help but wonder about the backstories for the other soul puppets I didn't choose. With all of that replayability bubbling under the surface, it's nigh impossible to not recommend Shadows: Awakening to all hack-n-slash RPG fans, especially those who never tire of the tried and true Diablo III formula.
Shadows: Awakening freshens up the action RPG formula with a neat character switching mechanic, albeit one that doesn't cover up all the flaws.
Shadows: Awakening is a nice game with an interesting puzzles, plot elements and the mechanics of moving between dimensions. This is not Diablo or Divinity, but fans of the genre, most likely, would be satisfied.
Review in Russian | Read full review
That doesn't take away from the fact that I enjoyed nearly my entire time with it. Those that pick it up will likely not be disappointed; it is just getting someone to take the plunge that could cause problems. This is the kind of game that would have benefitted from being just a bit cheaper at the outset.e
Shadows: Awakening presents a few interesting ideas and a surprisingly large, diverse world. Unfortunately, the game's ambitious vision is undermined by a host of basic storytelling, combat, and technical issues. Those desperate for some fresh hack ‘n' slash fun will find things to like about Shadows: Awakening, but the game is easily eclipsed by Diablo and any number of other, better, action-RPGs.
One of the better dungeon crawlers out there right now, Shadows: Awakening's dimension hopping gameplay help separate it from other efforts in the genre.
Shadows: Awakening is a deep action RPG which brings a literal new dimension to the tried and tested Diablo format. It's a great choice for those looking for a meaty fantasy time-sink, and while it does stumble occasionally, it delivers many hours of engaging hack-'n'-slash gaming.
If you like puzzles, exploring the maps will be the most entertaining and will make us be attentive to our environment.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
A clever gameplay system with puppets and worlds changes provides momentum in the action role-playing game, which keeps a long-term motivation.
Review in German | Read full review
Shadows: Awakening doesn't do much that is new or interesting, but it does achieve a mostly enjoyable ARPG experience that will appeal to diehard fans of the genre.
Shadows: Awakening is a damn good action-RPG. The combat is quick and varied while the characters are interesting. While the story lacks originality, it is still well written and allows the different characters to shine. There are a lot of different elements at play, and they all work together to create a fantastic experience.
Shadows: Awakening proves that loot-focused action-RPGs can feature a deep narrative with meaningful side quests. The unique party system works in unison with the combat mechanics, allowing you to put together a devastating combination of attacks. Featuring a lengthy narrative, and reason to play through multiple times, this unassuming title may be the sleeper hit you have been looking for.
I have been, and continue to enjoy S:A enough that it's hard to find much fault with it. That said, for some genre veterans looking for a stout challenge, the default difficult setting is likely much too easy. Additionally, some quest and puzzle design could be considered a bit repetetive, but for me, these concerns were greatly overshadowed by the positives of the experience.
Shadows: Awakening is sure to offer ARPG fans something meaty to chew on between Diablo III seasons and Path of Exile leagues.
But even so the by-product of this is more micro-management and loot scrubbing duties placed on the player, that isn't helped by an overall pace that feels too slow.