Shadow of the Beast Reviews
Check out Shadow of the Beast Review Scores from trusted Critics below. With 13 reviews on CriticDB, Shadow of the Beast has a score of:
Shadow of the Beast Review (PSLS): Shadow of the Beast was originally an Amiga game from 1989, but it's been re-imagined and remastered to be more accessible and yet so difficult. Here's why.
Shadow of the Beast had its start as an old Amiga title way back in the day, and admittedly, it’s a game that has not aged well and is also a bit polarizing. Some hold the old title incredibly close to their childhood, while others may be more critical. That also has rung true for the reboot, where I’ve seen impressions from others range from incredibly positive to incredibly negative. Fortunately, I fall under the former, and feel that this is one hell of a reboot. A high level of polish, excellent soundtrack, and simple yet visceral gameplay all blend together into a package you should consider checking out.
From the way it relies on setting and music to tell the bulk of its story, to its use of simple mechanics on the way to score-based mastery, Shadow of the Beast takes old things and makes them feel decidedly less old. Walking to the right and killing everything that gets in your way may sound dull and straightforward, but here it’s elevated through thoughtful presentation, and combat that has more depth to it than initially meets the eye. Long after its many blood-soaked dismemberments fade from my memory, I’ll remember just how alien and otherworldly it felt between the fits of violence.
All in all we have been well entertained in the company of Shadow of the Beast. It's an interesting combination of old and new (or newish) game design. From a technical standpoint it's a bit of a feat and the quality of production is disproportionate to the size of the development team. Regrettably long loading times and a limited number of levels stand as the two real weaknesses of this game. The PlayStation 4 is not exactly starving for attention in these times, but if you're on a budget or looking for a good mix of old school and current-gen, then Shadow of the Beast is worth consideration…
While the savage combat in Shadow of the Beast shines, the lackluster platforming tarnishes what could have been something special.
I'm probably being more harsh on this game than it deserves, but for the price point there is an enjoyable title here. You just need to give it time to grow on you. Hopefully gamers out there can look past the flaws that I seem to be hooked on.
Shadow of the Beast does quite a few things right and I can appreciate its different battle system and lovely world. Its also still annoyingly frustrating sometimes and currently overpriced.
Of the numerous reboots, remakes, and remasters this generation has brought us, this one may just be the most drastic. Originally released in 1989 on the Commodore Amiga, Shadow of the Beast was well received and lauded for its mind-blowing visual fidelity. Heavy Spectrum's modern take on the hard-as-nails classic has been a long time coming. However, we've finally got our claws on it, and it's intriguing to see not only the differences between the old and the new, but also the similarities.
Shadow of the Beast is enjoyable, its combat smooth and rewarding, but high-score chasing isn't going to keep many players around for long once the credits roll.
As a missed opportunity, Shadow of the Beast is a sublime one. The powerful juxtaposition between the Beast, his enemies, and the natural world, is a worthy theme to explore, and the bloodletting that the Beast gets up to is both visceral and entirely appropriate to that theme. That the developers really struggled to explore the concept in any meaningful depth is disappointing, but nonetheless, Shadow of the Beast is ultimately worthwhile.
Shadow of the Beast somehow takes fast and brutal action and makes it feel slow and clunky. The game isn't terrible by any means, and even has some very enjoyable visuals, but there's just too many frustrations to make it feel like a fun, cohesive experience.
