Shadow Complex Review

The developers of Advent Rising have released, Shadow Complex, a two point five dimensional side scrolling shooter that tributes its Metroidvania predecessors. Many will remark that this is the modern evolution of its genre. What happens when Chair Entertainment releases a stunning quality game on the Xbox Live Arcade?

Shadow Complex
Developer: Chair Entertainment
Platform: Xbox 360 (reviewed)

Players will note that its story isn’t necessary the game’s strongest suit, leaving one’s attention to focus on the action instead. You play as Jason Flemming, the main protagonist, who sets out on a backpacking excursion with your girlfriend Claire in the mountains. However, as expected, things go horribly awry when she is kidnapped by a secret underground terrorist cell known as The Restoration. Two primary goals emerge out of this unsurprising incident, rescue her and stop the organization from fulfilling their plans. The whole premise borders on the clichéd ‘save the damsel in distress whilst fighting an evil organization’ storyline. I will note that science fiction author Orson Scott Card had an advisory role in crafting the Shadow Complex universe. However, none of the narrative is compelling enough to remark upon further.

Shadow Complex builds its foundation upon the side scrolling games that preceded it. Players will control Jason on a mostly two dimensional plane with pseudo third person sequences dispersed throughout the game. The design of the levels demonstrate different mentalities on how to play. You will never be lost given that you are easily able to pull up a map and follow the linear blue line that tells you where to go. However, I wasn’t satisfied with this approach and was inversely tempted to pursue exploring the hidden paths.

While exploration is strictly a personal preference, it doesn’t hurt that there are rewards, such as ammunition upgrades and key placards, in every nook and cranny of an area – denoted by “?” blips on the map. As you progress, new sections in previously explored places will open up. The end result leaves me to remark that backtracking never feels completely tedious. Since you won’t be able to obtain everything on the initial run-through of Shadow Complex, you’ve essentially fall into the developer’s trap, being forced into multiple playthroughs in order to fully collect and unlock everything.

Aiming is defined by the right analog stick and comes with a learning curve. It is awkward how sensitive the aiming feels but after a while I was able to adjust to the controls. Gunplay is encouraged to defeat opposing foes but one can opt for a stealth approach in clearing out rooms. I wished for more emphasis on stealth as opposed to action given the amusing antics of the unsuspecting guards. Most variants of enemies can be dispatched quite easily. I felt that the game started descending in difficulty as I acquired upgradable armor and weapons. Towards the end of the game, becoming almost superhuman provided the capability for almost endless destruction to the “victims” that stood in my path.

Avid players will notice that Shadow Complex is catering to them in a most delicious manner. Harder difficulty settings are found to have better rewards and it is absolutely essential to be well equipped and armored before proceeding. The in-game experience and level up system clocks out at 50 but not one person will be able to accomplish this feat on the first play through. In addition, the game internally tracks your actions and will accumulate certain recurring ones – engaging in melee sequences, kicking a spider bot – as the basis for certain achievements. For a single player title, it also takes into account the social impact of Xbox Live through respective leaderboards and stat tracking. The time trial challenge rooms called Proving Grounds are a definite example of demonstrating who among your friends has the competitive mentality.

There are minor gripes that I had towards the usage of the Unreal Engine 3 in Shadow Complex and must be explicitly expressed in my hatred for certain sections in the game, most notably the turret sequences. It does not feel intuitive changing from a primarily two dimensional plane into a third person action perspective. I must also give my recognition to the enemies dumb enough to stay in one place and become the fodder for my continuous stream of ammunition. Also, graphical bugs not exclusive to the crippled ragdoll syndrome or plastic facial animations are worthy of notice. Aside from those listed, the Unreal Engine 3 was the better choice in the long run given that the physics and explosions are of superb quality.

The Final Word
In the end, Shadow Complex must definitely be remarked upon for its low entry point as it is classified as an Xbox Live Arcade title. Even considering the increasing quality of the XBLA library, Shadow Complex in its inherent presentation and solid gameplay will be looked upon as the benchmark for future titles.

– MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good