In Shadowgate, players take control of a young adventurer named Jair. The man enters the dangerous castle Shadowgate in search of a mystical item said to be the only item capable of defeating the evil and powerful warlock that has taken up refuge within the castle walls. Players will find the new release has a much better storyline than the original release, and there are some interesting interactions between both protagonist and non-playable characters as well as some fun throwbacks to the original game. Fans of the series won't be disappointed with the new narrative for the Shadowgate remake.
Gameplay in the Shadowgate remake hasn't changed all that much since the days of the NES. Players will move from room to room while avoiding deathtraps and searching for hidden and valuable items needed to progress through the game. There are tons of enemies lurking the halls and rooms of castle Shadowgate, and players will often need to think fast on their feet to prevent a death. The action plays out in a turned based system that does give players opportunity to react to enemies, but one wrong choice will typically mean death for the player. The game can be compared to a virtual choose your own adventure book where there are many different ways for a single encounter to unfold.
The classic gameplay is both good and bad for gamers. On the one hand, most gamers have moved on from the genre and would likely not be too excited while playing the game in today's industry, while on the other hand, there aren't many games like Shadowgate on the market. Shadowgate can be a breath of fresh air for gamers that still have an affinity towards the point-and-click genre, and longtime fans of the series will find cool features that includes the entire, original Shadowgate soundtrack from the NES available to listen to while playing through the new game.
The Shadowgate remake isn't without other problems though. The constant amount of deaths the game forces on players through sheer trial and error encounters can be terribly frustrating. Gamers who enjoyed the original will at least have the satisfaction of solving puzzles on their own to progress through the game, while others will simply be glad online guides and video walkthroughs are more readily available for games nowadays to help make progression through the game a lot easier.
One neat feature for Shadowgate is the inclusion of multiple difficulty settings. This allows gamers to play the game at their own puzzle solving skill level, but it also changes the way the game is played and how players will progress through the game. Certain areas will be different or items hidden in other locations on more difficult settings, and the different modes will actually make players want to try the different difficulties to play through the game multiple times before moving on to a new game. This gives Shadowgate more replay value than the original while simultaneously giving gamers more hours for their money.
The new graphics for Shadowgate have undoubtedly improved since the classic release, but the visuals aren't very impressive in the current generation of games. The environments include some decent looking 2D drawings, but the game's animations are nearly as smooth. Given the technological advances for the industry, fans would have expected a new Shadowgate to look far more impressive than what is actually delivered from the new title. The game doesn't look terrible, but there isn't any moments during the game or from cutscenes that will wow any gamer.
Other new features for Shadowgate include a brand new soundtrack from composer Rich Douglas and in-game Achievements that urge players to complete the game in as few turns as possible among other objectives. The new soundtrack is really atmospheric and fits the remake nicely, but we couldn't help switching the music back to the 8-bit soundtrack the game first featured back in the 80s.
Shadowgate is a fun experience for longtime fans of the series and fans of the point-and-click adventure genre. The game is littered with deathtraps that will confound and frustrate gamers, but completing puzzles with no assistance definitely leaves gamers with a rewarding feeling. Multiple difficulty settings help alleviate some problems stemming from the game's toughness and also encourages multiple playthroughs for fans of the game. Look for Shadowgate on Steam today!
Shadowgate will be available on August 21st exclusively for Steam. For more information on the game, check out the official Shadowgate website.
Game Features:
- Single Player
- Remake of Classic Game
- Get Free NES Ringtones
- Multiple Difficulty Settings
- Achievement Support
Game Information:
Developer: Zojoi
Publisher: Reverb TripleXP
Platforms: PC (previewed) & Mac
Release Date: August 21, 2014