Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered

Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered is a proper comeback of a niche classic that maintains the essence of the original while modernizing it enough for newer audiences. Despite its minor technical flaws, it is a top-notch action-adventure escapade.

With its foul language and crude sense of humour, Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered certainly isn't for everyone. Those who do get on with it, however, are likely to have an absolute blast for the most part, thanks to its thrilling combat and engaging scenarios. Ultimately, there's nothing else quite it.

While some of the writing hasn't aged the best, everything else about Shadows of the Damned still feels great. It's a game from a different time, and one that won't be for everybody, but it's a gem that I can only hope will be rediscovered by the right crowd.

Not much of the original game changed in the Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered. Instead, this re-release opted to sharpen existing graphics, add motion controller support to aiming, and include a New Game+. Either way, Shadows of the Damned has aged surprisingly well, all things considered. This makes for a great deal at $25, no matter how you slice it.

The story of Shadows of the Damned's development is an interesting one. The second-ever collaboration between Goichi "Suda51" Suda, creator of the No More Heroes series, and Shinji Mikami, the man behind Resident Evil, Dino Crisis, and many other successful CAPCOM games, the game was originally conceptualized to be a survival horror game called Kurayami very different from the wacky, edgy, over-the-top third-person shooter that eventually released in 2013. Despite Suda51 not being too pleased by the many changes made to his original concept, Shadows of the Damned turned out to be an extremely ...

A 360 throwback that revels in its immaturity and ends up just as fun as it is profane.

Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it offers a new glimpse at a fascinating relic of the seventh console generation.

Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered is not for everyone. While its over-the-shoulder action and moody vibes previously established the original as a cult classic, its overly edgy style, poor optimization, and derivative gameplay make this version feel more like a dark shadow compared to the industry greats.

Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered is a great excuse to experience the simple, crude, and bombastic joys of a proper cult classic, even if its writing and humour feel thoroughly out of place in today's day and age.

Shadows of the Damned was originally released in 2011. It was generally well received critically, but didn't quite make a big enough impact to become much more than a cult classic, which isn't an uncommon fate for media with Shadows of the Damned's tone and subject matter. Nevertheless, it's still a fun game for those who are into this sort of thing. It hasn't been incredibly accessible on modern platforms, but that changes with Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered, a remastered version with improvements and additional features to make Garcia Hotspur's descent into the demon-infested underw...

Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered lacks the impact of Suda51 and Mikami’s Killer7, the mechanical depth of Mikami's RE4 and Vanquish, and the uncompromised vision of Kurayami Dance. However, getting lost in what SotD isn't also means losing sight of what it is. Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered is a delightful B-movie romp that can be knocked off in a weekend, and there's still value in that. Diving into hordes of enemies with Garcia's upgraded abilities and assorted takedowns can be very fun, even if extra details like headshots feel like they could be tightened up. If it sparks s...

A funny, goofy shooter that ultimately feels just as much of a missed opportunity as it did in 2010. Visual inconsistencies and frustrating mechanics aside, Shadows Of The Damned can still offer a good time for those looking for one, but it’s a shame that this remaster doesn't do enough to polish Grasshopper’s cult gem and make it palatable to modern audiences.