Shadows if the Damned is the brainchild of Suda 51, Shinji Mikami and Akira Yamaoka, and it shows. Its a 3rd person shooter, but it oozes Japanese creativity and whacky design. Unfortunately, a lot of this creativity goes into artistic design and concepts rather then level design or game play elements. Shadows of the Damned is not as unique as you would imagine a game from these minds would be. What it is is a solid 3rd person shooter with funny script and a blast of a campaign to experience.
The story of Shadows of the Damned is s simplistic one, yet in manages to resonate and drive the game forward. The opening of the game is particularly strong, introducing Garcia "fucking" Hotspur in a great way. Unfortunately for Garcia, the lord of demons, a perverse creature named Fleming, takes his blonde bombshell girlfriend Paula to the underworld in revenge for all the killing of demons that Hotspur has done. Garcia follows Fleming into the underworld and the rest of the game is spent as Garcia and his loyal companion Johnson make their way through hell to try and save Paula. Its a ridiculous over the top tale, but it strangely works. Garcia becomes a likeable character, and Johnson steals the show with his witty banter and useful nature. Johnson is a flaming skull that can transform himself into weapons or even a motorcycle for Garcia, and he is also the players guide to the demon world with his explanations of what we are seeing. Its a buddy comedy for a lot of the game, and this predominantly dark humour story is nicely contrasted with the regular and visible tortures that Paula is suffering at the hands of Fleming, who's debauchery is quickly established to far outweigh even Duke Nukem!
The visuals in Shadows of the Damned are generally good. The game has a great style to its visuals, with some interesting looking enemies. The environments are surprisingly varied for a game set in a hell like place. You will go from dark villages and streets to well lit catacombs and a forest which hilariously directly references Evil Dead 2. The locales are great, though the game uses the unreal engine so there is pop in and some odd texture moments, but on the whole it looks good. The weapons have distinct colour codes to them, and the lighting is decent, though not spectacular.
The sound track in Shadows of the Damned is amazing. Akira Yamaoka of Silent Hill fame has worked a master class in game music here. Some of the tracks are ethereal, while others are just crazy and capture the portrayal of Garcia Hotspur that the game is going for. There is grinding and screeching, chase music, atmospheric pieces and even Spanish guitar solos. Its a bizarre yet great mix that makes for a really memorable sound track. The voice acting is also very good, with the interactions between Garcia and Johnson dominating the show. There is a demonic salesman named Christopher who basically serves the role of the sales guy from Resident Evil 4, and he is also a shining example of good voicing.
The game play of Shadows of the Damned is typical over the shoulder 3rd person shooting, but it is perfectly serviceable. It is not cover based, and you have 3 weapons, but these each receive upgraded and improved versions of themselves through the campaign. You collect currency from fallen enemies that you can spend to improve your weapons in different ways, or spend on health or bullets. The enemy selection is decent, and they get considerably tougher towards the end of the game. The weapons do lovely ripping and tearing to the models of the enemies, and the combat is nice and satisfying, though more precise aiming would be nice.
The game is really well paced, and though it is linear it is a well focused narrative that brings you on a good fun journey. There are some simple puzzles that help break up the constant fighting, and the game has a dark light mechanic that is slightly similar to the same concept in Alan Wake, though implemented very differently. Goat Heads on the walls will be a source of light for you to use [ yes you got that right], and you will need them to stave off the waves of darkness that drain your health bar and make enemies invincible. Its an interesting addition to the game and makes the combat a bit more strategic than it would have been otherwise. One place where the game does slip up however is the addition of 3 sections of 2D shooting which control really slowly and sluggishly and last a bit too long.
There are numerous boss fights in the game, and they are almost all very impressive and fun. They resemble Zelda boss fights, in that the bosses tend to be imposing and intimidating enemies with a pattern of attack that you need to exploit to win. One boss shouts "Fuuuuuuuuck Youuuuuuuu" repeatedly as you fight, and this is just an example of the character that these fights have and how it weaves into the spirit of the game. Some of these fights are intense affairs and what I expected to be a weakness in the game actually turned out really well.
Shadows of the Damned has very few technical issues, and the pacing is excellent. The game also has story books in it that tell the background of some of the bosses you face. These are optional but are well worth looking at as they are so well written and narrated by either Johnson or Garcia that they really add to the game, and remind me of the little stories you could find in Lost Odyssey. They are nearly all tragic, and can be darkly funny at times. Its a smart little addition that really enhances the game in my opinion. The wider environments of the game are surprisingly varied, but more colour would have been ice. Hell is depicted as a community of demons who are bored and happy to brutalise each other, and its a funny depiction, but the presentation of the game could have been done up a bit more.
Shadows of the Damned is a surprisingly by the book third person shooter with very good dialogue and a surprisingly strong narrative direction. The pacing is excellent and the boss fights fun. The game is never really too hard, but does provide a challenge. Its about 8 hours long, but the lack of a new game plus mode is a huge missed opportunity. With this absent, all there is to do with this game is play the main story, making it a tough recommendation for a full price purchase. Despite really enjoying playing the game and finding it a solid experience, it is lacking on the content front. Its humour is also hit and miss, as it tries a bit too hard to be funny at times and its humour is filled with awareness of how ridiculous the game knows it is. If you are adverse to dick jokes then this game may not be for you. Shadows of the Damned is a good game with some niggling issues and a lack of content for the long term. The game also does not stack difficulty achievements, which is a poor design choice in 2011. Definitely worth a rental, or a purchase when it is reduced in price.
Pros:
- Really strong opening
- Good dialogue
- Self aware sense of humour is surprisingly charming at times
- Good pacing
- Simple controls that work rather well
- Some variety in locations
- Boss fights are really impressive
- Johnson steals the show, and Christopher is not far behind
- Sound track is brilliant
- The story books you can find are great additions to the game
- Light-dark mechanics add a level of tactics to the combat
Cons:
- Some texture pop-in and screen tearing
- Side scrolling parts are annoying
- No new game plus is a huge mistake
- Difficulty achievements/trophies do not stack
- Tries a bit too hard to be funny at times
- Aim should be more precise
Wtf:
- Evil Dead house
Score:
- 7/10