Micro-Review: Shadow Complex (X360, XBLA)

Xavier Woodshed — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:16:32 +0000

This summer, just like past years, was rather weak in terms of really solid video game releases. It seems that the industry likes to wait until we’re near saving up for the upcoming holiday season before releasing any of the big sellers. Though physical releases we’re few and far between we got some really great digital releases this summer. It started off with ‘Battlefield 1943‘ and ended with ‘Zombie Apocalypse‘ and a few titles in between. The most notable digital release this summer, and perhaps my favourite, was Chair Entertainment‘s ‘Shadow Complex’.

Shadow Complex is a 2.5D action-adventure side-scroller developed by Chair Entertainment and published by Epic Games on the XBox Live Arcade. The game is said to be heavily influenced by ‘Super Metroid’ and ‘Castlevania’ and is based off of Orson Scott Card’s novel Empire.

Sceptical at first to drop $15 on this title I soon found out what all the hype was about.

From the beginning the it is clear to see where the game’s influences lie. It feels like Castlevania, Metroid, and Metal Gear all got together and had a baby.

At first it seems to play out like any other side-scroller however being imersed in a fully 3d environment and only being able to move in 2D adds a whole new level of depth to the game. Gameplay is fairly straight forward; controllers are simple and you are given a clear start and finish point for each task at hand. That being said there’s alot of secrets to be unearth in the game. Most abilities and upgrades aren’t handed to you, rather they must be uncovered. I’ve found myself on numerous occasions straying away from the main storyline in search of hidden items. While it is easy enough to get back on track I would have seen a slightly different (not necessarily easier) system in place.

Though I’m only about 60% or so through the game I’ve found a great level of variety in gameplay and have not found myself confused as to what to do. Boss fights are straight forward, the puzzle aspect is somewhat challenging at times, and colour-coding with the help of your flashlight lets you know where all the nooks and crannies are.

Overall I’ve found my experience thus far to be incredibly enjoyable despite a few small issues. The storyline is incredibly dry and questionable at times and the aiming can be somewhat annoying. Also the dialogue and voice acting is relatively cheesy. I would still recommend picking up this title, especially at the $15 price tag. It’s like nothing I’ve played before.

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Micro-Review: Shadow Complex (X360, XBLA)