Shadowgrounds is a science
fiction action/adventure game from independent developer Frozenbyte.
The title was first released in Europe November 2005, and later
released in North America April 2006 by publisher Meridian4.
The
protagonist is disgruntled mechanic Wesley Tyler, who lives on the
desolate moon of Ganymede in orbit around Jupiter. Wesley used to
work the security detail on the newly established colony until he
asked too many questions about a series of mysterious accidents. Soon
after he quickly found himself repairing computer stations on
colony's outskirts. On the night the game begins, Wesley is sent in
to investigate a large power outage. In addition to finding a broken
power station, Wesley also stumbles across the beginning of a large
scale attack by hordes of marauding aliens. It is up to him to help
save the remaining survivors of the colony, and fend off the the new
subterranean foe.
The game follows a linear storyline
that is delivered through a combination of logbook entries and
in-engine cut scenes. The story itself isn't overly compelling, but
serves to move the action along from one location to another. Like
other ambitious budget titles (e.g. Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project,
or Nosferatu: Wrath of Malachi), Shadowgrounds embraces
its concept and instead aims to really deliver on the premise of
action and aliens. Little details such as poor voice acting, or
strange plot devices like log entries written by colonists who
apparently had time to type their screams while being eaten is
somewhat comical (as seen in films like Monty Python and the Holy
Grail). In fairness, the game does not appear as if the story was
intended to be a large focus, and as such serves adequately as a
backdrop of the action based gameplay.
Shadowgrounds is
really about firing a lot of bullets at aliens. The developers aren't
setting out to re-invent the wheel with this design, and while many
of the gameplay concepts are somewhat derivative of other games,
there is enough of a twist here to make the formula fun.
Shadowgrounds uses an isometric
perspective to showcase the action, and is best controlled with a
keyboard and mouse. The player controls the aiming cursor with the
mouse and the main character is always facing the direction of the
reticle. Apart from running through dark corridors and firing various
weapons, Wesley doesn’t have many other moves aside from a side
roll to dodge charging aliens, and a flashlight that can be turned on
to brighten up the many dark shadows on each level.
Shadowgrounds
features nine different weapons to serve your thirst for alien
destruction. The weapons range from standard pistols and machine
guns, to flame throwers and exotic electricity weapons. Each gun in
the game also comes with three upgrade slots that can be unlocked
throughout the game. As the player unleashes waves of alien carnage,
the enemies will occasionally drop upgrade parts. An upgrade will
require a specific number of these parts to unlock, with the more
useful upgrades being the most expensive. Many of the upgrades are
standard increases in clip size, damage, and firing rate; though,
there are some very useful secondary functions available as
upgrades.
Shadowgrounds is a very dark game. Many areas
are completely unlit, which is where the flashlight becomes
essential. The lighting effects in this game, while not as
sophisticated as games like Quake 4 are still effective as a
gameplay mechanic and generating atmosphere. The flashlight
illuminates just enough of the direction it is pointed to the player
on their toes while running through pitch black offices and mess
halls with hordes of enemies moving in the darkness. There are some
really great moments that happen while running backwards through dark
corridors firing at aliens, only to spin around into another large
group of enemies hidden in the darkness.
The aliens of
Shadowgrounds, while effective enough in this scenario to be
decent enemies, are also somewhat derivative of the genre. It would
have been nice to see some more variety in enemy types, as some
enemies vary by little more than a slight palette change. The AI
isn't terribly sophisticated as most enemies utilize a simple
charging approach when it comes to attacking. The game really strives
more to attempt to overwhelm the player with numbers instead of wits,
and the enemies do work well in that regard. Despite lacking
sophisticated group tactics, the AI does react in interesting ways to
the player's light source. Some enemies scatter and run away from the
flashlight, though others will be attracted to it. Another enemy type
can only be seen in brief glimpses while focused inside the narrow
beam of the flashlight. In the later stages when the player is
flooded with a varied set of enemies using your flashlight as a means
of helping shape the action and control the AI becomes aa lot of
enemies are thrown at you at one time you have to be able to quickly
adapt to the different tactics used by the aliens to survive.
The
game eschews a save game system in lieu of a more arcade like
approach to the game. The player is given four respawns each time a
level is loaded. Should the player be defeated at any time in the
game, Wesley drops to the ground unconscious and will wake up in a
safe area not far from where he fell. The player maintains the
current load out of weapons and ammo and is given a full life bar
once again. Should the number of respawns be depleted before
completing the level, the player will be required to start over again
from the beginning. The missions can be fairly long in length if time
is taken to fully them and find all of their secrets. It is
unfortunate to not have a save game feature, especially with the
length of time it takes to complete some of the missions. This system
requires the player to set aside enough time to play entirely through
a mission at each sitting, and has the potential to punish those with
less skill by playing through them multiple times. Generally
speaking, however, the game is rarely too difficult with the
exception of some of the boss encounters.
The game is an average length, and
should take most players around 7-10 hours to play through the dozen
missions included in the singleplayer game. The developers have also
included a co-op mode that will allow you to play through the entire
game with a friend. The trouble with this mode is that it requires
players to be sitting at the same machine in order to use it. Even
worse is that the second player must use a gamepad set-up in order to
play along, and configuring one for use with Shadowgrounds
is not user friendly. The classic set-up for a home PC is also
commonly not designed for group play like most consoles, but the game
is still fun to play with another person.
For a game from a
small developer, and at a budget price there is a lot to like in
Shadowgrounds. There are various cosmetic issues that players
will likely notice that could have been implemented better, and a
proper save system would have been preferred; though, the pacing is
quick and always keeps the action coming. Players interested in an
older style of action with a slightly newer coat of paint will find
an enjoyable experience in Shadowgrounds
at a reasonable price.