Applejack
08-20-2009, 01:37 PM
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Shadow Complex, the newest game from Chair Studios, creators of Undertow, is a sci-fi action platformer game set in the universe of Orson Scott Card's 'Empire' series, a book that would be a lot better if it wasn't obviously pushing a certain type of agenda. But you'd never know this just by playing the game. It's the latest, and final (?) entry into XBLA's 2009 summer of fun, which so far has brought us titles like Marvel vs Capcom 2, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled, and Splosion Man. Have they saved the best for last?
Jason Fleming and his girlfriend, Claire, are off hiking one day and decide to go spelunking. Except the gave they decide to explore turn out to be this huge underground facility belonging to a shady group that wants to spark another civil war. Claire finds herself kidnapped and drugged, so it's up to Jason to find Claire and to find a way to escape. But of course, it's never that simple.
Shadow Complex presents itself as a 2D side scrolling platformer in the vein of such games like Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, but what sets it apart from those titles is its take on perspective. Though you move in a 2-D plane, the game exists in 3-D and enemies can, and will, attack you from both the foreground and the background. This is where the radial aiming comes into play. Using the right stick, Jason can aim at enemies in the background. Simply turning the stick toward an enemy will automatically lock-on to them and you can fire away until they are dead. Or, if you're feeling more like Sam Fisher than John Rambo, you can utilize stealth to silently punch out enemies in the foreground and quickly hightail it to the next room before background enemies spot you and open fire. You can get through the game either way, and it adds versatility to what could've been just another bland 2-D sidescroller.
Like the Metroid games, Jason finds upgrades to equipment scattered around the base. Though he's limited to one main weapon at a time, which is automatically upgraded as the game goes on, he finds a variety of sub-weapons which each help him explore more areas of the base. Though with the way this is handled moments of sequence breaking may seem nonexistent, there are, however, opportunities to do so, especially later in the game when the base really opens up. There's plenty of replay value to be had simply to go for a sped run or a 100% completion run or even, and the game rewards you for this, a 13% minimum completion run.
Despite all the good things about Shadow Complex, there are some things to complain about. The controls take some time getting used to, especially with the radial aiming which may not always seem like it's working due to the whole perspective thing. Some rooms seem like they have no exit until you literally fall through a small hole against a wall that is barely visible due to perspective issues. And the game, despite being a 2-D platformer, really tends to hold your hand through the whole thing. The game always tells you where to go and how to get there and your very first item, a flashlight, points out hidden areas AND what weapon/upgrade you need to access them. Though you could opt to never use the flashlight, you'd still have no idea what items you would need in some cases. Why, for example, could your gun shoot off a metal ventilation grate but you need grenades to open the same type of grate in the ground?
Shadow Complex also has no focus on story, despite having several moments of 'Soldiers standing around talking'. At the very start, during the 'abili-tease' segment of the game, there is the typical 'shadowy voice, conspiracy, pawns, etc' so custom in these types of stories, but other than introducing Jason and a very, very brief look into his past, there's really no story until the very end of the game, and even that hardly qualifies. Though you do get snippets here and there from the aforementioned soldiers talking, it's rather easy to just miss all that completely, depending on how you play the game. Since first and foremost this is an action oriented game, the lack of story can be excused; but the way they chose to handle what story they DID have was poor.
Shadow Complex will appeal to people who love games like Super Metroid or Castlevania. It's very much a Metroidvania game. What makes it stand out is its take on perspective in those types of games. It's polished, it's fun, it's fast paced. A normal playthrough will last about 5 hours, I finished around 4 and a half, but the replay value is certainly there. For $15 (1200 Microsoft points), you are certainly getting enough bang for your buck.
SHADOW COMPLEX: 4/5
Shadow Complex, the newest game from Chair Studios, creators of Undertow, is a sci-fi action platformer game set in the universe of Orson Scott Card's 'Empire' series, a book that would be a lot better if it wasn't obviously pushing a certain type of agenda. But you'd never know this just by playing the game. It's the latest, and final (?) entry into XBLA's 2009 summer of fun, which so far has brought us titles like Marvel vs Capcom 2, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled, and Splosion Man. Have they saved the best for last?
Jason Fleming and his girlfriend, Claire, are off hiking one day and decide to go spelunking. Except the gave they decide to explore turn out to be this huge underground facility belonging to a shady group that wants to spark another civil war. Claire finds herself kidnapped and drugged, so it's up to Jason to find Claire and to find a way to escape. But of course, it's never that simple.
Shadow Complex presents itself as a 2D side scrolling platformer in the vein of such games like Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, but what sets it apart from those titles is its take on perspective. Though you move in a 2-D plane, the game exists in 3-D and enemies can, and will, attack you from both the foreground and the background. This is where the radial aiming comes into play. Using the right stick, Jason can aim at enemies in the background. Simply turning the stick toward an enemy will automatically lock-on to them and you can fire away until they are dead. Or, if you're feeling more like Sam Fisher than John Rambo, you can utilize stealth to silently punch out enemies in the foreground and quickly hightail it to the next room before background enemies spot you and open fire. You can get through the game either way, and it adds versatility to what could've been just another bland 2-D sidescroller.
Like the Metroid games, Jason finds upgrades to equipment scattered around the base. Though he's limited to one main weapon at a time, which is automatically upgraded as the game goes on, he finds a variety of sub-weapons which each help him explore more areas of the base. Though with the way this is handled moments of sequence breaking may seem nonexistent, there are, however, opportunities to do so, especially later in the game when the base really opens up. There's plenty of replay value to be had simply to go for a sped run or a 100% completion run or even, and the game rewards you for this, a 13% minimum completion run.
Despite all the good things about Shadow Complex, there are some things to complain about. The controls take some time getting used to, especially with the radial aiming which may not always seem like it's working due to the whole perspective thing. Some rooms seem like they have no exit until you literally fall through a small hole against a wall that is barely visible due to perspective issues. And the game, despite being a 2-D platformer, really tends to hold your hand through the whole thing. The game always tells you where to go and how to get there and your very first item, a flashlight, points out hidden areas AND what weapon/upgrade you need to access them. Though you could opt to never use the flashlight, you'd still have no idea what items you would need in some cases. Why, for example, could your gun shoot off a metal ventilation grate but you need grenades to open the same type of grate in the ground?
Shadow Complex also has no focus on story, despite having several moments of 'Soldiers standing around talking'. At the very start, during the 'abili-tease' segment of the game, there is the typical 'shadowy voice, conspiracy, pawns, etc' so custom in these types of stories, but other than introducing Jason and a very, very brief look into his past, there's really no story until the very end of the game, and even that hardly qualifies. Though you do get snippets here and there from the aforementioned soldiers talking, it's rather easy to just miss all that completely, depending on how you play the game. Since first and foremost this is an action oriented game, the lack of story can be excused; but the way they chose to handle what story they DID have was poor.
Shadow Complex will appeal to people who love games like Super Metroid or Castlevania. It's very much a Metroidvania game. What makes it stand out is its take on perspective in those types of games. It's polished, it's fun, it's fast paced. A normal playthrough will last about 5 hours, I finished around 4 and a half, but the replay value is certainly there. For $15 (1200 Microsoft points), you are certainly getting enough bang for your buck.
SHADOW COMPLEX: 4/5