Damned from the start
From one of the creators behind some of Japan's biggest games, Shadows of the Damned sees Shinji Yakami struggle to make a game as innovative as many other contributions to the market he has made. It looks like a case of trying to stick to what may have worked in the past, another walking shooter. I say walking shooter because when you need to take aim there is always the slight delay and pause that is typical of the Resident Evil franchise, the staggered stops and starts between aiming and shooting coupled with the lack of maneuverability the style entails leads to many frustrating situations and a lack of a fluid combat system.
If you haven't guessed by now, the game is another run of the mill shooter with very little variation that helps it stand out in the crowd. The few mechanics that are interesting in the game, or at least those that could of been expanded on severely are the weapons (of which there are only 4 evolving types) and a very weak upgrade system that can feel very tacked on at some points. To avoid any more innovations from the Resident Evil series there is even a shop keep reminiscent of the one in RE4. At some points I'm sure they even use direct quotes.
As for the story, it can be very dull and boring at points with very little differences from your generic lost love story and the trials and tribulations that our hero goes through to save his beloved. In short the story starts off with the romantically entangled, barely Mexican demon hunter and his partner settling down for dinner. Both of them are terribly in love (what’s a compelling horror redemption story without love?) and are declaring their undying passion until naturally and almost predictably the girls get snatched by the hunters nemesis (feel free to stop reading if the plot starts to feel stale and far too familiar). In his moment of peril our hero upon none other than his trusty sidekick, Boner a horrifically English six shooter/demon incarnation that has a penchant for innuendo and crude imagery. From this point on, if you have not guessed already, I had tired of the plot and it’s vast amounts of over the top innuendo, so basically the creepy, horny Mexican chases his scantily clad and large breasted love through the depths of hell.
As previously stated the game can feel a lot like a clone of resident evil 4. At some points it reminded me of the days where you would have a Sega or NES game that was virtually the same game but with an overlay to fit the whatever they decided to put on the box and market it as.The same can be said for the characters, you have your shopkeeper and the brave warrior type along the way but nothing stands out character wise or even from the story. What’s more interesting the iconic scenes from some classic horror movies that make an appearance. There’s even a part where you practically re-enact evil dead, which to be frank was my favourite part of the game.
As you dredge on through the levels the games just generally grinds on you and the innuendo wears almost as thin as the plot. I just couldn’t stand any more boner jokes after the first 1,000. But wait they liven it up…by renaming him the BIG BONER later in the game, that’s got to be worth something right ? Wrong. The game has some promise with slight glimpses of the tongue in cheek comedy we frequently see in B-movie horrors but just not enough to keep me entertained.
As you continue to progress it seems as though the developers knew you were tiring of the rather repetitive gameplay and add in some kind of new side scrolling level that operates similar to a cross between the under water Mario levels and Contra. As interesting as this may seem upon reading try not to get your hopes up, to allow it to fit in with the rest of the game you feel robbed of any substantially cool weapons and they are far too concentrated to appreciate in the change of gameplay.It's definitely not my favourite game of the year or one that I would recommend to anyone.
