Shadow Complex Review

Written by DarkArmada Monday, 24 August 2009 11:43

3D 2-Dimensional Puzzle Role-Playing Action Adventure Shooter Side-Scrolling Sandbox Platformer. I'm coining the term now before anyone else does. There really isn't any other way to describe Chair Entertainment's dive into the XboxLIVE Arcade with their latest release Shadow Complex. Each sub-genre is blended into the next and just when you thought this genre mashup is nailed, another dimension is pulled out of the hat.

In case you haven't read anything about this game I'll get you up to speed. You're a guy, you've had training in military combat and you're in the middle of the forest. Upon exploring a dark cave you discover an entrance to a secret underground complex home to an underground organization on the path to world domination. Shooting, girl saving and hilarity ensues.

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I'll be honest with you up front, I haven't been very fond of Epic Games of late. As Chair Entertainment is owned by Epic, I went into this review with extrememly low hopes for what could have been a total let down of a game. I've since flushed whatever was left of my pride down the toilet and have embraced this game with a dirty passion that only shows itself on the rare occasion of total quality.

Shadow Complex is, at it's core, a platformer. You move only in 2-Dimensions (left right up down) but you can interact within the world in 3-Dimensions. I can't think of another game where this innovation has been so amazingly executed. The result is the ability to move within 2 planes and with your enemies allowed to move in 3, you're able to fire at them wherever they are using a well implemented auto-aim system. Movement is kept fluid and responsive while combat can be extremely varied and challenging.

As you can see in my decription above I've also mentioned RPG and Sandbox elements. Throughout the game you accrue experience for your actions that is automatically invested in skills like stamina or accuracy, as well as new weapons and additions to your armor that keeps the player evolving. In turn, these additions allow you to access new areas within the map that you can continue to explore and revisit at any point in the game, keeping gameplay as non-linear as possible.

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Enter the story. So cliche yet EPIC has managed to convince me. I can't even put my finger on why that is. Maybe it's the tiny snips of overheard conversations from members within the society or how the cynical Jason Fleming (the lead character) is thrown haphazardly into the plot and rises up to do what needs to be done, both of which are benefited by excellent voice acting.

For an Arcade game the voice acting really is excellent. It's not overdone, it's kept as genuine as possible yet is lined with sarcasm, reflecting the tone of the game. Just when you thought that mammoth of an enemy was the biggest you'd see, the next scene has you taking a deep breath and getting your rifle ready. Sound effects are all punchy and in no time you'll find yourself mimicking the sound of knuckle to cheek.

And the looks, just wow. The Unreal Engine has spewed forth some fairly cookie cutter titles, Shadow Complex isn't one of them. I've grown up with some of the best side-scrolling platformers gaming has to offer - Flashback, Another World, the Oddworld series heck even any of the Super Mario Bros. games. Shadow Complex is the next evolutionary step of the generic platformer we all know and love. HD graphics, fully rendered characters and a 3-Dimensional world are all done beautifully.

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Not only do you have a range of difficulties for the main story, you also have different challenges you have to complete and a fair spread of achievements. The game also keeps track of your stats in real time in relation to your friends for things like head shots or melee kills, something we don't see enough of in games today. These are also linked to the achievements progress, ala Gears of War 2.

So there. You can all get the I told you so's out of your system. It seems that I can enjoy an EPIC game. But it's no surprise to me considering the depth of this awesome title, of which I'd have to say is one of the best games on XboxLIVE Arcade this year, or even to date. XboxLIVE Arcade games are going up in price, but if we continue to see this level of quality hitting out consoles, I don't think we're going to have anything to complain about.