When Shadow Complex launched on Xbox Live Arcade in 2009, most gamers assumed it would be a hot franchise with multiple sequels, but that
didn’t happen. Instead Epic and
developer ChAIR just sort of sat on it for the last 7 years despite constant
fan demand for a sequel. We still don’t
have a sequel, but we do have an HD remaster of the original, which is almost
as good, right? Yeah. We suppose.
The game is still pretty good, after all. See our full review of Shadow Complex Remastered here.
Game Details
- Publisher: Epic Games
- Developer: ChAIR Entertainment, Hardsuit Labs
- ESRB Rating: “T” for Teen
- Genre: 2D Action / Platformer
- Pros: Great “Metroidvania” gameplay; tons of upgrades; very satisfying
- Cons: Visuals aren’t great on XONE; nonsensical story
- MSRP: $15
Shadow Complex Remastered is an HD remaster of Shadow
Complex. The base game hasn’t been
changed at all, everything is still exactly where you remember it, but it does
have slightly different achievements (for a full 1000GS this time) and some
challenges have been added. Despite
technically being an “HD Remaster” Shadow Complex Remastered doesn’t really
look that great. Character models look
awful and the facility you explore is pretty bland and sterile. It is definitely better looking than the
original release, but not really up to the standards we expect on Xbox
One.
But that isn’t really why you’re interested in Shadow
Complex Remastered, is it? You’re
interested because you remember, or heard good things about, the awesome
gameplay. Thankfully, the gameplay in
Shadow Complex is still intact and every bit as good as it was the first time
around.
Shadow Complex is a Metroidvania-style 2D action /
platforming game set in a large open world where you have to collect new items
and power ups and abilities to access new areas of the map. You’ll find armor that lets you breathe
underwater, double and triple jump, run and super speed, and more. Weapons include pistols, machine guns,
rockets, grenades, and even a gun that shoots foam you can use to clog up
machinery or even build your own bridges.
You can also use a powerful one hit kill melee attack at will, which is
actually what you’ll probably end up using more often than anything. The game world is littered with hidden
upgrades and secrets as well. Just like
any good Metroidvania, you can sequence break Shadow Complex in numerous ways
by getting items early, so you don’t have to always play by the set path the
game wants you to.
The gameplay feels pretty much like a Metroid game, to not
put too fine of a point on it. You move
around in 2D, do some simple platforming, and shoot enemies all around
you. Shadow Complex does do some
interesting things with having enemies in the foreground or background, but
other than that it is a standard Metroidvania as far as the gameplay goes. And it is awesome. It has to be noted it is a fair bit easier than most similar
games, but you find new upgrades and abilities at such a brisk pace that you
always have something new to play with, which keeps you moving forward and
invested rather than feeling bored.
The only thing we would consider to have aged poorly in
Shadow Complex is the story, and it was pretty poor even back in 2009. The tale of a bumbling everyman stumbling
into a shadowy military complex is clichéd, but serviceable. The real problem comes from the evil PMC (or
whatever it’s supposed to be) that wants to take over the U.S.A. because of
reasons is just cartoonish and silly and doesn’t make any sense. The story is easy enough to ignore,
thankfully, as you’re too busy fighting spider tanks and launching missiles at
zeppelins to care about why you’re doing it.
All in all, Shadow Complex Remastered is a fantastic
gameplay experience whether you’re already familiar with it or are playing it
for the first time. I loved it back in
2009 and it is just as much fun in 2016 as it was back then. It is a very replayable game, as most Metroidvanias
are, so for just $15 you’re getting a ton of gameplay hours here. I think it is also important to show support
Shadow Complex Remastered because, hopefully, it will motivate ChAIR and Epic
to finally make a sequel. Buy it.
Disclosure: A review code was provided by the publisher.
