The major flaw of Shadow of the Beast is that instead of providing more gameplay, the developers merely blocked access to various aspects, forcing players to replay the same stages. However, after the final, I no longer want to play the game.
The plot of the 1989 hit has been updated for a new audience. Aarbron is a young guy who was kidnapped and converted by an evil lord into a Beast filled with the souls of the damned. In the name of vengeance and reversing the curse, the homicidal servant breaks free from his leash and sets off in quest of the wicked Maletoth. As with two-dimensional platformers, we travel the world in Shadow of the Beast by moving left or right. We travel through colorful, surreal realms, halting at every turn to ward off attacks by hostile hosts that strike from both sides at the same time. Platforming components were reduced to a minimum, with the emphasis being on brutal fights. Because Aarbron is a killing machine, seeing him at work is sheer delight. Animations of transitions between assaults and pouring pools of blood are a spectacle that swiftly turns the trip into a gore carnival.
Combat is at the heart of the game, or more accurately, the rhythmic pressing of the attack, block, and parry buttons in order to knock down opponents with a single hit. The description makes it appear simple, but the first bouts following the prologue are difficult. Jumping between foes, rolling, and stunning without taking damage is rewarded. Each battle is commemorated with suitable medals. After finishing the level, the total number of prizes becomes cash, which we may use to unlock additional abilities or enhance, for example the number of health points. The medal system is the essence of Shadow of the Beast, as well as the most powerful motivator to develop your abilities. All you have to do is take a few hits and your score will plummet, earning you only a bronze medal. We also get the original music, dozens of concept images, and even the original from 1989 on the Amiga in emulated form for the points we gather. The authors recognize that the original game was exceedingly challenging and have added an endless number of lives for extra points.
The first spark of doubt is ignited by browsing the prizes on offer. Learning foreign languages that we hear in cutscenes is one of the unlocked possibilities. The Beast can not recognize other characters by default, and we see weird symbols instead of inscriptions. The developers recommend you to replay the game in order to grasp the gist of the narrative. The same is true for discovered things that reveal tale cards describing the happenings on the screen. The entire plot is purposefully disjointed in order to promote recurrence of the experience. This would not be a terrible thing if the enjoyment didn’t finish after three hours and the finale was disappointing. After only a few stages, the vibrant style is replaced by a less varied, dismal landscape that is only varied by boss fights. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough of them. A few stages concentrate on platforming features, which aren’t the finest. As a result of the difficulty in feeling the hero’s motions, jumping over cliffs and running on platforms against the time are the least fun parts of the game.
The concluding moments do not entice you to replay it, and unlocking the languages and attempting to learn the other side of the narrative ends in disappointment. There isn’t much concealed in the encrypted dialogues, and we feel deceived because we’re dealing with an attempt to lengthen the game artificially. Because the original Shadow of the Beast had a sequel, the remake might have been a collection of three parts, which would have been a gratifying and long adventure, rather than a three-hour warm-up stretched by chopping up a weak storyline.
Fans of breaking records and enhancing the outcomes of rhythmic combat will have a good time with Shadow of the Beast. People wanting to learn the history of the amazing planet and the mysteries of the hero will be disappointed. There’s nothing spectacular beneath the pool of blood.