john mcclane, meet jason fleming
so, metroidvanias are a genre that's held a special place in my heart. it's not because i'm a fan of castlevainia or metroid (although i am of the latter; not as much of the former) but it's because the structure the genre has put in place has sunk its teeth into me pretty bad. it's basic knowledge that in games of this genre, you begin incredibly dis-empowered and in a large open world and over the course of the game's runtime, you become armed to the teeth and are able to access every single inch of space you saw since the beginning of the game. shadow complex does nothing new in this regard, but what it does so damn well is streamlining the process for those who never played a title in the genre before that I would argue that it is hands down the best jumping on point for those who are curious.
being honest here, shadow complex does not try to be anything it isn't. it doesn't have an overtly metaphorical message it's pushing across, but it's just smart enough to poke fun at itself in the right places and it uses its narrative to enhance that self-awareness. if the title of this review didn't hint to this, shadow complex is the closest the video game medium has reached to re-creating the same feeling of die hard, and this is accomplished through the same beats of metal gear solid. man gets significant other kidnapped by evil pseudo cyberpunk terrorist group. man, being former secret agent drop out, rescues girlfriend, destroying evil terrorists in the process. nothing more nothing less, but it pays homage even in the final boss battle by keeping health and ammunition cache's at the top of a mysteriously tall tower perched atop an airship.
a note on the combat and gameplay itself; like stated above, it does a great job at guiding new players through the hallmarks of what makes the genre but it should be highlighted; what makes the games combat special to me is its heavy emphasis on the physicality of fighting. Sure, you can use your gun and shoot enemies but melee kills are instant and have their own custom animations in additions to supplying a score multiplier. chain a few together and interactions feel like you're watching a nicely choreographed movie, in addition to the cinematic camera angles.
overall, i see why people look back on this game with such fondness. if you have any curiosity regarding medroidvanias and what make them special but find both metroid and castlevainia a bit too obtuse, i highly reccomend shadow complex as it may be one of the most important entries made in this style to date.