Shadow Complex is a game you’ll play and instantly be hooked on. Welcome to the new standard for XBLA games…
Jason Fleming is the man. He’s out with his girlfriend in the mountains and suddenly finds himself in the knowledge of a gigantic terrorist stronghold plotting attacks on San Francisco after his lady friend is taken hostage. Being Jason Fleming, he proceeds into the base and, after time, grows and develops into the very being this entire top-secret underground project is based around, learning and acquiring all different kinds of technology.
WHAT YOU’LL LIKE:
Brilliant presentation
Brought to the user in a 2.5D format, meaning a complete 3D design wrapped around a two dimensional movement system, the exploration is much more than that of other side-scrolling games. The Z axis incorporated when looking for items or shooting enemies is fantastic, even in large scale brawls, and delves players into depths other 2D shooters just don’t do.
2.5D doesn't stop fire!!!!1
Each section of the map is different, and while the same ventilation chutes are in most locations, utilizing the varied cover and barricades to tackle the different types of enemies never gets old.
Huge map with tons of stuff
The map in Shadow Complex is enormous. Although it directly tells you how to get to your checkpoint via a blue line, veering away to explore a room in the opposite direction happens way too much. Each upgrade, of which there are just over 100, spread from health upgrades to golden bars with weapon upgrades and more. They are all extremely well placed and require a clever approach, even with the map telling you where the items are.
The aid of the ‘go here’ from the map is a vital tool in progression through Shadow Complex, the sheer scale can make it tough to track where you are and where you’ve been, but the clearly marked out save points and missed items keep everything in check. Each section of the underground base is color coded too, so if you need to head back to a section to collect a hidden stash of ammo, it can be dealt with efficiently.
This is literally 1/256th of the map
Another way Shadow Complex eases you in to its gigantic map is via colored doors and sections of the environment. Utilizing the flashlight to an amazing effect, pointing it towards a sealed-off door will inform you what is needed to bypass it. The first you’ll come across are orange vents and doors, which require a gun shot. Green doors require a grenade blast, purple doors explode upon a foam shot and finally, red doors can be pierced by missiles. Obviously you aren’t slammed with red doors straight away as they provide the best goodies and shortcuts, so you need to be clever when faced with an impassable object and backtrack when you have the correct weaponry.
Upgrades
Kills give you XP. Multiple kills give you more XP. Finding secret areas give you even more XP. All of this XP adds up and awards health and armor upgrades and more ammo space making each battle easier. XP also goes to accuracy and stamina, which don’t really make much of a difference later in the game.
This is the mask. It helps you do something
The amount of upgrades are insane, and on my first run through, I hit around 50-60% with 5 hours of game time. Health can reach a number of 900+, I was on 400 throughout most of the game, so exploring has its rewards.
WHAT YOU WON’T LIKE:
Tiny niggles
The Z axis, in a room with multiple enemies, can be slightly frustrating. Especially when there’s one foe way more powerful than another and he cannot be directly targeted due to the other five enemies being an apparent higher priority.
Shadow Complex also gets surprisingly easy towards the closing stages, as when upgraded (even partially), Jason becomes a total terminator. The story could be passed as boring too, but heats up near the end.
RECOMMENDATION:
Together the pair of Chair Entertainment and Epic Games have forged one of the best XBLA games to date, combining simple gameplay elements with enormous levels of exploration and replayability. Shadow Complex could have easily been sold at retail value with no questions asked, with six hours plus of initial gameplay and a separate proving grounds mode to go with the multiple difficulties and leaderboards, but is available for 1200 Microsoft Points ($15). If you’re a fan of retro 2D side-scrolling games then Shadow Complex is a must buy, and if you have a Gold Xbox Live account, it is also a must buy.
September 30th, 2009 at 11:47 pm
Someday….a co-op Metroidvania title. Until then, this will have to do.