Review: Shadow Complex
I had played a demo for this game some time ago, and enjoyed the short-lived glimpse into the world of Shadow Complex well enough, that I was quite pleased to discover it as XBLA’s Deal of the Week.
Even though I finished the main campaign at a bit over 8 hours - and that is getting 100% item collection and map completion - which I would call short, I have to commend the game on a lot of things. In no particular order:
Intense platforming action. Sprinting, wall-jumping, shooting, hanging from grappling hooks, shooting while wall-jumping, only to hang from a wall via a hook and then shoot some more? Yeah, this game has a lot of that. The comparison Super Metroid I could make is not too far-fetched, considering they even threw in a somewhat obvious homage to the game, the Speed Dash. Nothing against Samus, though, but they had to one-up that classic maneuver.
The game is pretty. It reminds me a little of an old 2D platforming game called Hunter Hunted, which looked better at the time it was released (1996). Shadow Complex is unlike other games, which may use a lot of 2D backgrounds with 3D models popping out, in that everything is in 3D. I would almost say that the game could be played in more free-roaming style, rather than be a side-scrolling platformer, but that would likely cause more headaches than it would be worth, not to mention the cost. This is an XBLA game, after all.
As usual, here are the flaws, but none are really game-breaking.
- Minor Flaw: Premise is shaky. The main character, Jason, is out camping with a girl he met at a bar recently, and when she gets kidnapped, he easily and quickly throws himself at an underground private military organization who wants to “liberate” the US through means I’m sure are more properly explained in the Orson Scott Card books the game mentions. I couldn’t really care less about their motivations, I guess, but he just met the woman in a bar. Next thing you know, he’s off stealing top-secret experimental armored suits and shooting giant walking mechs.
- Addendum: Yes, I am aware I can leave Claire to her fate, but you know what? I’m not a douchebag.
- Minor Flaw: lots of little glitches. Being squished through the walls of an elevator, instead of into ductwork or through a door. Some texture glitches (one hilarious example being shading the Jason’s hair in the final cutscene to match that of the helmet he was wearing up until that point). Grappling Hook does not like to attach to certain surfaces, but isn’t consistent; one flag pole works, but another on the opposite side of the same set of towers does not.
- Minor Flaw: Aiming in 2.5D can be an exercise in frustration. On harder difficulties, when cover is more important, and so is being able to nail enemies while avoiding their fire, sometimes the little laser isn’t enough of a guide to help plant shots, or the aim does not want to center on the object you want to hit. With some practice, I got the feel of the aiming system, though, and when I was clearing the same room for the 5th time, I would have memorized the order of enemies the game wanted me to dispatch regardless of my aim, and went with the flow.
- Minor Flaw: Remember how Metroid games have you running back to old areas just because there was one item there you need, but you didn’t have the means to get it? Such as a piece of armor that let you reach a higher platform, or a weapon needed to open a door? Yeah, this has that. In spades. In total, there are 100 collectibles, from health and armor upgrades, weapon ammunition, and then gold which unlocks a secret room that - surprise! - turns your weapon gold. (Though this is actually not bad, as it also lets you choose your weapon, so a really masochistic player could unlock it and then vow to complete the rest of the game with only the Pistol, or something.)
All-in-all, I am very satisfied with my purchase. If I was a true masochist, there are several achievements I could still get, ranging from getting 100% completion on Insane difficulty in under 3 hours, or completing the game with only the bare minimum of items collected.
There are even many challenge stages, which have you doing all sorts of races against the clock and/or your health in a variety of stages with some or all of the items you can obtain in playthrough. I will probably complete these, if nothing else but to scratch that completionist itch, but I do not think I will play the main campaign over again.
