Note: this is me re-edit, I didn't want to write a second review. This was played on the 360. Minor spoilers.
I will break it apart as such- a short sentence review, then a much more detailed write-up, though probably shorter than other individuals as it is my first.
In short, a fun an interesting title, but certainly very odd and abstract. Also, it contains phallic jokes up the....stairs. I'm really trying to avoid puns.
We begin with an opening sequence that introduces us to our main character, Garcia F(lipping) Hotspur. He has just defeated a Minotaur creature that spews ominous words with its final breath. Our hero runs off, and the gameplay then begins, introducing several other characters, allowing the player some time to familiarize themselves with the controls, and then bringing the player to the real beginning where they embark upon their quest into the underworld. Personally, this was actually a clever opening, creating an even difficulty at the start, then offering the player a difficult choice as well a second chance to adjust the controls. Good effort so far, but the opening is still just a small portion of the full experience.
A brief story recap: The leader of the underworld, Flemming, has reared his ugly, six eyed head to kidnap your girlfriend Paula. He wishes to have her as both a mistress and a toy for his twisted desires, such as repeatedly forcing her through morbid death. He also does so as punishment towards Garcia for slaughtering the demon hoard. Garcia, being the hero and an angry drunk Mexican, vows revenge and to get Paula back from Flemming’s clutches. He isn't entirely alone, however, as he travels and is aided by his friendly British talking skull, aptly named Johnson. By this point, no less than seven euphemisms have been made, so don't think it ends there. Anyway, at this point you can see that the story plays out as the classic Damsel in Distress routine, albeit much more gruesome. However, it does its job at stringing everything together, and sort of keeps in context, so there are no real complaints here. Moving on.
The gameplay mechanics are somewhere between Resident Evil 4 and the very recent Dead Space series in terms of feel, with a dash of Gears of War. Though it adds and removes enough of features to make it its own style. Shooting is handled through aiming with the left-trigger, while melee is handled by pressing the B-button, though holding it charges for a much more powerful and effective attack. Gun types are can be switched by means of the D-pad, starting off with a pistol and shotgun, adding an assault-rifle and upgrading said weapons as the game progresses through red-crystals and special awarded blue-crystals. When not aiming, the player is given greater fluidity of movement such as sprinting and roll-dodge, allowing quick escape and fast travel across each level. There is no cover system, but a wall-hop is implemented in some locations, including the first boss-battle. Again, most of these concepts are nothing new, but their combination and application could be described as somewhat unique, such as the healing system that mainly involves drinking some form of alcohol.
Of course, what are mechanics with nothing to run? Something akin to the novelty office desk ball pendulum thing. So of course, this game needs to provide levels and objectives. Much of the time, it’s point-A to point-B- though make a stop at point-C if it’s there is one and you wish to- on very linear paths. While this seems straightforward, the game mixes it up with puzzles and challenges along the way. The most common involves penetrating and surviving exposure to darkness, the demon equivalent of sunlight. The player only has few seconds to spare while engulfed, and then their health is quickly sapped away. Leaving an affected area or walking next to conveniently located human hearts resets the exposure meter. Often, darkness must be dispersed by a rather unusual manner. The player must locate and target a goat head, then while aiming they must press RB to fire the games light-shot. The light-shot is one of the game’s more exotic items, allowing players to stun enemies in place while they either take advantage of the stalled target, or simply run away. In some cases, it’s required to expose enemies who are themselves encased in a darkness shell, creating even more tension. Other puzzle elements include baby demon doors that require specific keys to open (the keys in question are an odd mix of brains, lungs, and strawberries- yes, strawberries.), while other involve breaking locks that may require the player to be exposed to darkness in order to actually damage the locks. Others still require the use of an explosive power-up the player receives later in the game, which also grants the player access to secret locations. The game also throws in several unique puzzles that shows at very least a dedication to pacing. The levels themselves maintain an interesting and relatively good feel, creating an atmosphere that isn’t really haunting but certainly weighty and stylish. A throwback to old-school 2D shooters is thrown in the mix, and provides a welcome change of pace, while a turret section- in a slightly odd manner- is also thrown in to keep things interesting.
As far as enemies go, the bulk is comprised of standard demons with varying degrees of strength and equipment, while a heavy is thrown in the mix on occasion. Bosses vary from harmonica playing zombies, to several variants of the Grim Reaper, each requiring different strategies and techniques to subdue. While the enemies are certainly appropriate and quite interesting, there could have been a few more variants and specialty creatures thrown in to the mix, bosses certainly in need of at least two or three more.
To close out, the game is flawed, but it provides a certain level of entertainment that warrants at least playthrough. Visuals aren’t sharp, yet still very stylish. The music deserves special praise, unsurprising seeing as it is Akira Yamaoka of Silent Hill fame, but it does keep the mood very well. Control fidelity could have used some smoothing out, but it works for better or worse. Acting is a bit weir and the writing is very cheesy, yet it still it manages to be just ever so slightly humorous. Replayability is a little low, certainly not helped by a lack of a new game+, forcing the player to start from scratch with each new file. Difficulty is relatively even with a progressive curve, throwing a few spikes here and there.
Overall, Shadow of the Damned is a good game. Not great, but good. It has its weirdness and will deter most people from giving it a chance, but for some it just works. Would be nice to have a chapter select, though.
One more thing, this is also my first opportunity to Suda51 title, as I've been aching to play one of creations for ages.