Shadow Complex
Game » consists of 5 releases. Released Aug 19, 2009
Reluctant hero Jason Fleming investigates a hidden underground complex to rescue his girlfriend Claire in this Metroid-style action-adventure game.
Short summary describing this game.
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5 (31) 4 (9) 3 (3) 2 (0) 1 (0) 4.7 starsAverage score of 43 user reviews
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Shadow Complex is one of the best XBLA games to come out yet 4
Shadow Complex is awesome. If you've ever played a Metroid game, you should know what playing Chair Entertainment's creation is like. The gameplay focuses on exploring a huge complex and upgrading your character to unlock new areas. The constant sense and desire of progression, along with a pretty solid shooting engine make this game pretty addictive. Jason comes across the complex by accident. Thankfully, he's been trained by his father to be a supersoldier! Shadow Complex has you t...
9 out of 9 found this review helpful. -
Updating a classic formula 0
Super Metroid still stands as one of my favorite games ever made, and the 2D exploration style gameplay that is so well associated with this classic has always been one of my favorite sub-genres. Needless to say, when Chair and Epic Games started tossing around words like "Metroidvania" with respect to Shadow Complex I was immediately interested, if not a bit wary of a cheap knock-off. Fortunately, while Shadow Complex has a lot in common with the games that inspired it, the end result is a qual...
5 out of 5 found this review helpful. -
A fresh take on an old genre. 2
Introduction:Shadow Complex is a side-scrolling action-adventure in the vein of the Metroid and Castlevania games, and was developed by Chair Entertainment . The game was released on Xbox Live Arcade for 1200 Microsoft Points($15). Players take on the role of Jason Flemming, who stumbles upon a secret underground base -- a Shadow Complex, if you will -- while hiking with his girlfriend. The girl is taken captive, and it's up to Jason to infiltrate the base and save her. Good Stuff Gotta...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
A beautiful homage to a genre that's been forgotton for too long 1
A long while ago, in a time of inferior technology and rustic gameplay elements, the side-scroller reigned supreme. The genre has spawned some of the greatest games of all-time, but like all good things, it went away for a while. Being unable to cope with its absence, Chair crafted Shadow Complex - a quirky, futuristic, side-scrolling shooter. To put it quite simply, it has resurrected the genre in the best way possible. This right here, essential. The long-running Castlevan...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
Shadow Complex Review 0
Jason Flemming: he is no one, and he his everyone. He is also your main character in Shadow Complex, the last title in the Summer of Arcade line of games for 2009. Created by Chair Entertainment (part of Epic Games and of Undertow fame), Shadow Complex actually takes place within the Empire universe made famous by Orson Scott Card... although there's little here that makes that apparent. After a brief "Look at all the stuff you'll be able to do later!" segment, the real game kicks off while yo...
5 out of 6 found this review helpful. -
Addictive, simply awesome, but it looks a little bland. 0
Since originally hearing about shadow complex my interest was piqued, this was through hearing the game to be reminiscent of classic platforming displayed by the earlier metroid games, this is represented in Shadow Complex’s progressive upgrade system and the similar 2D sidescrolling action, however Shadow complex takes this 2D sidescolling and adds in several 3D elements, all of this creating a very pleasant, if a little rough, gameplay experience. Shadow Complex, is partly developed...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Inferiority Complex 0
Previously in my Super Metroid review, I had made numerous petty swipes at the critically acclaimed Shadow Complex for imitating the master but missing the point. When I wrote that petty cheapshot disguised as a review for an all-time classic, I was but two-thirds of the way finished playing Chair’s downloadable Xbox Live Arcade release. And now that I’ve finished the game, I’m proud to report that I was wrong. Shadow Complex isn’t a cheap Metroid clone. Shadow Complex is a big-budget but mis...
6 out of 10 found this review helpful. -
Metroid Reborn. 0
When Shadow Complex was announced a couple months ago, I was somewhat torn by it. It was described as a metroidvania style game, which I like. It's developed by Chair, who made Undertow, which sucked. But the lead designer at Chair also made Advent Rising, which I liked! But Advent Rising and Shadow Complex are based on properties Orson Scott Card is involved in, whom I do not like. The hype coming out of E3 was strong though, and then they released the trailer and I was sold. When was the last...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Not perfect, but more than worth the 1200 points. 0
I'll say it from the outset. Shadow Complex is the best and most value for money game on the Xbox Live Marketplace. This is not to say that it is the perfect game, it is certainly flawed, but you'll get as much fun, time and replay value out of it as you would any decent full priced disc game. You play the role of Jason, an ordinary man out on a date with his newly met girlfriend Claire. Your fun filled cave exploration date soon goes awry however, leaving you to deal with hordes of henchmen, c...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
A perfect Action platformer, utter brillance. 0
Shadow complex is a brilliantly designed action platformer, capturing the essence of Metroidvaniabetter than any title in years. It is addicting and utterly engrossing from start to finish, with great 3D visuals and impressive fast action. The game doesn’t waste time getting to the action, the narrative is largely in the background, but it is an interesting story of a secret army attempting to start a civic war in America and create an empire out of the ashes. I would have liked to have seen it ...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
This game isn't standing in anyones shadow 0
Each generation of consoles have brought forward some form of innovation. The consistent improvements are always graphics and capacity, but during the PS1 era we started to see CD players and eventually DVD players manage to find New tech suit, great for when you just don't want to get wet their way on our systems. The current generation find their innovation not from hardware but software. Sure the PS3 has a blu-ray player and for some that is enough, but the area that is making the large...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
In a word: Addicting 0
Shadow Complex is a title found on XBox Live Arcade, that, realistically, carries more content and polish than many full retail games. This modern day "Metroidvania" style shooter has all the aspects of any good side scrolling action adventure, and brings a new level of production quality to low priced games. As you'd expect, this is a game about exploration and upgrades. Those 2 concepts can really sum up the whole driving force behind Shadow Complex, but what is most important is that every...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Shadow Complex: A Review 0
Having grown up a PC gamer, that meant that I never really got to play the best of the old-style platformers, Metroid being one of them. Sure, I played a few times but never made it far into the game. So when I saw Shadow Complex, I was a little doubtful. Being a fan of Orson Scott Card, the novelist on whose book this game is based, I took the plunge. I'm very happy I did. The game manages to pull together the most addicting elements of modern gaming: free roaming (for the most part), item col...
1 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Video Review: Metroidvania at it's best might not be the best 0
Link, embedding not working.Meet my video review for Shadow Complex. Uploaded near it's release, I have to say in retrospect despite Shadow Complex being a totally competent game, I didn't find myself wanting to find every treasure and explore every nook and cranny (how many times have I said "and" already? This is why I don't do written reviews -_-). So I enjoyed the package while it lasted and it's worth the asking price but in my experience, I just got bored once it was over....
1 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Technically astute; artistically unoriginal. 1
Boy meets girl. Girl meets boy. Boy and girl go spelunking together. Girl gets kidnapped by an evil terrorist organisation planning to take over the world. Boy just happens to have secret service training because his father is a spy. Boy is forced to go after girl and stop said evil terrorist organisation. Personally, I think it could be this year’s Titanic. Shadow Complex is a 2.5D action/platformer game in the vein of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Super Metroid. The gameplay consist...
1 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
A modern take on a classic genre 0
Shadow Complex is an Xbox Live Arcade Game following in the style of classic 2D side-scrolling games such as Metroid, Castlevania, and Super Mario. You play as Jason Flemming, a typical everyman who goes on a hiking trip with a girl named Claire. As you stumble after her (a basic introduction to the game's platforming), you see her captured by white-clad guards and dragged into a hidden fortress in the depths of the cave. It's up to you to explore hidden base of "the Restoration" to free Claire...
1 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Madness? THIS. IS. SHADOW. COMPLEX!!!! 0
Last year in the Summer of Arcade we got some absolutely brilliant games. Bionic Commando Rearmed, Braid and bringing up the rear, the phenomenal Castle Crashers, my all time favourite XBLA game. This year’s summer of arcade was less good. True we had ‘Splosion men at the start, but the other games were less exciting. I hate Marvel vs. Capcom, Turtles in Time doesn’t interest me and I have already played Trials on PC. So I had little hope resting on Shadow Complex. The E3 footage was a bit meh...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
john mcclane, meet jason fleming 0
so, metroidvanias are a genre that's held a special place in my heart. it's not because i'm a fan of castlevainia or metroid (although i am of the latter; not as much of the former) but it's because the structure the genre has put in place has sunk its teeth into me pretty bad. it's basic knowledge that in games of this genre, you begin incredibly dis-empowered and in a large open world and over the course of the game's runtime, you become armed to the teeth and are able to access every single i...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Shadow Complex Review 2
When it comes to side-scrolling games, I don't really know anything, as the closest I've ever come to one is Metroid Prime. But I still enjoyed Shadow Complex immensely due to the exploration, experience system, and leaderboards. You start the game off with a total bad*ss, who has practically every upgrade and weapon. After you complete an objective, the story is revealed to you. Sort of. You then cut to Jason, a guy going cave exploring with his girlfriend Claire who he met at the bar last n...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
An oddly enticing game with great payoff. 0
I had heard a lot about Shadow Complex by the time I had bought my second Xbox 360. I had not really played many downloadable titles, but I knew I had a "thing" for side scrolling action platformers, and knew that it would be a worthy purchase alongside Super Meat Boy. I didn't have great hopes for it, although in hindsight I'm not sure why, it really embodied a lot of things I enjoy about the infamous "Metroidvania" phenomenon. I was pleasantly surprised by a great game with a solid story and b...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
What do you get when you combine Metal Gear Solid and Bionic Comm 0
Shadow Complex is a modern take on traditional 2D platform game. Released in 2009 for XBLA. The game is considered to be one the better games of XBLA. Also ideal for a quick afternoon playthrough. Orson Scott Card, the author of one the greatest sci-fi literature is in charge of the story in Shadow Complex. Jason and Claire are a couple who have gone trekking. Claire gets kidnapped and is taken in to shadowy looking complex. Jason who also happens to have military training goes after Claire ...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
The Hits and Misses: Shadow Complex 0
The HITS:Metroidvania 2.0. It is hard to fault a game that emulates two of action adventure's classic titles, most notably Super Metroid and Castlevania Symphony of the Night. Harder still when a game iterates and improves tenfold on this simple exploration concept. The map is more detailed and easier to follow, retreading old grounds is made less monotonous thanks to new shortcuts and power ups.Right stick to aim, Right Trigger to shoot. Similarly, evolving on the near hack and slash nature of ...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Simply amazing 0
This game was one I knew was going to be great as soon as I saw the first 10 minutes and after that I found myself so lost in exploration that I had spent hours just going back to collect everything and the boss fights were amazing to find the weaknesses and utilize them to beat the bosses as quick as possible. There were also times when I found myself just experimenting with the different weapons and equipment to see if I could kill all the enemies in the area silently. Other than that I found ...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Shadow Complex 0
Shadow Complex Well i have played through the game a couple of times now and i am still hook on it. I have been playing games for a long time now I am in my sixties now and i have been playing side scrolling game since the old Atari days. I even have had a pong game. Well all i can Well i have played through the game a couple of times now and i am still hook on it. I have been playing games for a long time now I am in my sixties ay is this is a game that no who likes game should pass up....
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Pushing a old genre foward 0
Shadow Complex is a 2d exploration action adventure developed by Chair Entertainment with the Unreal 3 engine. Its a homage to the Metroid and castlevania series but it keeps the genre fresh and alive for people who have not played this type of games (like me). Shadow Complex follows Jason Flemming who met a girl at a bar and go out hiking. When they are playing hide and seek they reach a underground complex run by "terrorist" who have caught the girl you met. Its up to you to save her and ...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Why can't there be more XBLA titles like this? 0
To call Shadow Complex just another stake in the “Metroidvania” style would be selling it short. Indeed, you traverse across a 2D plane and scrounge through corridors for items of marginal importance, but pinpointing the game’s parallels to Super Metroid and Castlevania cannot do it justice. Rather, Shadow Complex is a game that may very well serve as a benchmark for future Xbox Live Arcade titles. Developer Chair manages to make that traversal across a 2D plane more satisfying with the addit...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
down the hole and back again 0
When I downloaded Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade demo of Shadow Complex I didn’t expect to fall in love. Shadow Complex is set in the world of Empire, a novel by Orson Scott Card. This game invokes so much nostalgia, since the game play is base on Super Metroid for the Super Nintendo. This is developer Chair’s second game that was published. They used the Unreal Engine to provide luscious graphics, depth and perspective. Yet it works so well in this amazing game. I...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Shinging a light on Shadow Complex 0
I followed the development of this Shadow Complex with huge anticipation. as someone whos first console was the Dreamcast, i never got the chance to experience the much adored Metroid series. That might be the reason why i found Shadow Complex fresh and exciting, at least at first. Shadow complex starts strong, the prologue throws you right into the action as you find yourself up against shooting soldiers and an angry helicopter out for your blood, setting the tone early for what will be an a...
0 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
Shadow complex is metroidvania for a new generation. 0
I absolutly love this game, it's fun and addictive and even after I finished the game I still feel like playing through it a second time. The best thing about the game is how it brings a dieing breed back to life. It gives you plenty of reason to play through again and again, On top of that, the game plays and looks great with only slight problems in both. I only have a few issues with Shadow complex,one is the cliched story, if the gameplay wasn't as addictive as it is the game just wouldn't be...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Slightly lacking in jetpacks. Shad 0
Shadow complex is a game that very little bad things can be said about, but like Sony's pricing logic, it isn't without it's faults. You play as Jason, an everyman who just wants some fun in a cave with a girl he only just met. Whilst there though, they happen to stumble upon a secret lair. Clair gets kidnapped, and Jason, with his chances of sex fully ruined, blindly stumbles in to save her and her boobs. As you make your way around the titular "Shadow Complex" you will be greeted by a bunch ...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
An excellently made platformer 0
The side scroller isn’t dead – not by a long shot. Shadow Complex brings something fresh and interesting to a favourite old genre. It feels a little strange that the game should be side on whilst being a 3D game, but what might seem like a limitation ends up feeling more like a concentration of effort towards a very polished end product. The sort of game you can pick up and play for a few minutes or a few hours. ...
0 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
good but definitely far from great 1
Everyone knows what's great about this game so let's cut to what sucks about it: 1. Boss bottles - even on insane they are utterly boring and unimaginative. Regular guys on insane were more challenging than any boss fight. I mean come on that stupid boss that rolls along the ceiling? lazy 2. Several "glitches" or flaws- if you don't follow the blue line you won't be able to progress. For instance, the room where you get the best weapon in the game. If you fly up there will be a guy in a ...
0 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
Super Metroid all over again 0
A long waited addition to the Xbox Live Marketplace is here, Shadow Complex an amzing plot and story, from the creators of Gears of War, is it the dynamic smash hit we thought it would be or should we buy it once the price lowers. Positive: Great Story and PlotFantastic Voice Acting Instant 2D ClassicGreat GameplayPerfect ControlsWonderful CameraMassive open WorldExploringEnormous amount of upgrades and itemsStunning visualsPitch perfect music Negative: Lack of twi...
0 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Lots of Addictive game play, with loads of Replayability 0
While downloadable games are usually the ‘bite size’ type, this one is as long as any retail game, longer if you decide to dig deeper. I’m talkin Shadow Complex, another title off the Xbox Live Arcade, it’s goes for 1200 points AKA 15 dollers….and I’m just gonna put it on front street here, this game sucked up most of my weekend, so a 9.5/10 for me as I had an incredible time with it. The Good – More old sschool channeling happening, in the spirit of a Metroid/Castlevania. It’s a side scrolling ...
0 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Shadow Complex is as fun as it is engaging. 0
The final Summer of Arcade title is Shadow Complex from Chair Entertainment and Epic Games. Only announced a few months ago, little about the game was known before release. I was initially skeptical about Shadow Complex due to my feelings about Chair’s first game, Undertow. Thankfully, my worries were for nothing because Shadow Complex is easily one of the best games I’ve played all year and is a perfect swan song for the Summer of Arcade. The game begins with a bang, as an unknown agent is ...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Video Review: Shadow Complex 0
Chair Entertainment have not only made a great re-birth to the 2D/3D side scrolling adventure series but they have added so much content that after your first play through you will be diving back into it to collect all the secrets that are hidden in the world of Shadow Complex. I'm too cool The story of Shadow Complex is not its greatest strength. You are an ave rage man that one day meets a girl and decide to go spelunking together. But then your companion goes missing and fro...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
An excellent combination of the old and new schools 0
Nolan North seems particularly fond of portraying the traditional, wise-cracking “everyman” as far as video games are concerned. In Uncharted: Drakes Fortune, he displayed his half-tucked prowess as Nathan Drake. In last year’s Prince of Persia reboot, his very un-prince like character turned out to be a run-of-the-mill thief stumbling into the lair of a dark god. This time around, North portrays Jason Fleming, your every day spy-trained salary man who just happens to stumble into a vast unde...
0 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
An Attempt at a Modern 'Metroidvania' 0
The Xbox Live Arcade is renowned for having cheap, short indie games that are produced and played by people to tide them over until the next major gaming release. It is also known for containing innovative and creative concepts. When something like Shadow Complex comes around, boasting that it's taken the ' metroidvania' style of gameplay and reworked it to suit today's gaming industry, it might raise a few eyebrows. This isn't the most original game on the Xbox Live Arcade but it certainly...
0 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Oh Shadow Complex, how can you be this good? 0
Ok. So I got a little too exited about Shadow Complex. I also initially thought it was going to be bunk. Lets face it Gears 2 didn’t have the same spark as gears 1 and undertow wasn’t one of the most popular games on XBLA until it was given away for free after xbox live didn’t work over an entire christmas period. Thanks for that Microsoft, seriously. Christmas (but I digress). I was skeptical during E3, I was skeptical when news came out about it, I was pretty much skeptical until about a week...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Complex is Simply Great 0
Much like side-scrolling games such as Super Metroid, Contra and other games I loved as a kid, Shadow Complex starts as a small, fun little game and unfolds into a massive experience. The game has all the ingredients to be a winner: addicting level design, unique gadgets and weapons, fun bosses and a good storyline. Overall, the game is one of the best on XBLA right now. The gameplay in Shadow Complex is fantastic. The player doesn't start out as a super-spy or anything out of this world. He's a...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
First game I bought for 360: I made a wise choice 0
Shadow Complex is 2.5D sidescrolling shooter released on XBLA a while ago. The game is a tie-in to Orson Scott Card's 2006 novel Empire, which takes place in the not-so-distance future after America has fallen into civil after the assassination of the President and Vice-President. The game starts out with you taking control of Dallas, an abilit-ease character from some yet to be named government outfit who is there to show you what you can expect in terms of later equipment, blow up a chopper, s...
0 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Shadow Complex Review 0
Shadow Complex is an XBOX Live Arcade game from the creative mind of Orson Scott Card. You'll be playing the part of a reluctant hero who was out on a hiking adventure with his lady friend when all of a sudden she gets kidnapped. You then are forced through an underground complex in which you will have to use guns, grenades, rockets, and body armor to not only rescue the girl but find out exactly what is going on.Graphically this game looks beyond polished. There is a true depth of feel througho...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Jason Flemming vs. The Restoration. Winner Gets Claire 0
Jason Flemming is about to embark on the craziest date ever. Shadow Complex Mixes classic Gameplay with Next Gen Production Values that turns into roughly 800 Megabytes of pure fun. The game pays homage in a big way to the Metroid and Castlevania Series while trying a few new things. In my opinion it was the best offering from the 2009 Summer of Arcade line up, as well as being one of the best Live Arcade games since well, ever. -Story- This is probably the weakest element of the game. B...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful.
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