Customer Reviews

Shadow Complex [Online Game Code]

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Shadow Complex sets a new bar for quality in an XBLA game. It's a side scrolling action game in the style of retro classics like Metroid and Castlevania, where exploration, hidden rooms, and power-ups all play large rolls as you progress through the game. But while the game is presented in 2 dimensions, the visuals are all beautifully rendered in 3D using the same Unreal engine seen in games like Mass Effect and Gears of War. The end result is a near perfect blend of both the old and new, and a game that feels both familiar and fresh at the same time.

Shadow Complex takes about 5-10 hours to complete, depending on how thorough you're going to be exploring the game and searching for power-ups, and is purely a single player experience. While I might usually find that a bit on the short side for a retail game, for a $15 arcade game it's just about right. Shadow Complex is easily one of my top 5 games on XBLA. I would recommend this game to just about anyone.

Update: After spending a bit more time in this game, I thought I'd expand a bit on my initial review. A lot of people have called this a "Metroid-vania" game, but really it's just Metroid. The game borrows heavily from Super Metroid, and there are more than a few weapons and power-ups that have direct analogs in the SNES classic. I don't really consider that a bad thing though. As the saying goes, if you're going to steal, steal from the best. And while Shadow Complex may not really expand on the formula laid out in Super Metroid, it refines it and polishes it to near perfection. Simply put, if you liked Super Metroid, you'll love Shadow Complex.

Length:: 4:43 Mins

A long while ago, in a time of inferior technology and rustic gameplay elements, the side-scroller reigned supreme. The genre has spawned some of the greatest games of all-time, but like all good things, it went away for a while. Being unable to cope with its absence, Chair crafted Shadow Complex - a quirky, futuristic, side-scrolling shooter. To put it quite simply, it has resurrected the genre in the best way possible.

The long-running Castlevania series and the earlier Metroid titles are usually credited with being the best examples of side-scrolling ingenuity and Shadow Complex pays homage to these games in almost every way. The graph-paper maps, exorbitant amounts of upgrades, ridiculous varieties of platforming puzzles and weapons, it's all here. Orson Scott Card's "Empire" was also the basis for the story, giving it instantly more appeal. Speaking about story, the protagonist's name is Jason Bailey, a normal dude who's out frolicking with his latest pickup at the bar. Quickly, a seemingly harmless day of cave diving turns into a search and rescue operation from the clutches of a super-terrorist organization called the Restoration.

Okay, so the story isn't exactly the most detailed narrative on the planet, but this is an arcade game and that's one of the biggest shockers. The amount of shear depth is startling and the visuals Shadow Complex doles out are seriously better than some big-budget, full-priced games out there. It's Unreal Engine 3 at its finest. But the gameplay is really what makes the game shine. It's standard side-scrolling fair with a twist that can only be described as 2.5D. That means enemies can be patrolling in the backgrounds and crates could be just off to the side of where you are walking. You'd think it would make shooting a little tricky but since the game's aiming works a lot like the shooting in Geometry Wars, you don't have much of a problem hitting where you want.

My favorite aspect of the classic side-scrolling formula is being rewarded for exploration. Hell, exploring is practically synonymous with the genre. Not only will you inevitably run into some beefy items and exciting upgrades while you light up all those squares on your map, you'll also receive more experience which is a reward in itself. As you level up you'll gain additional passive statistics which don't seem like they do much, but every tenth level you'll be thrown something immensely satisfying. For instance, if you reach the 20th level the game reveals the entire map for you. It may not help those who are only interested in clearing the game, but it's a godsend for the completionist out there. And who in their right mind would stop playing the game when you're that close to getting the shield-dispensing helmet that deflects all manner of projectiles? That's what I thought.

If you've ever played some of the classic side-scrollers, you'd know that towards the end of the show it can become quite a hassle to find certain things. Maybe there's a secret wall you have to hit to find an item, but it's uncharted on your map and there's no clues to its location. Chair has paid attention to old problems like this and labeled absolutely everything. Rooms with items are marked with a "?" and become a simple dot once you've taken it. Different floor sections are color-coded and there's even a blue line (which you can disable) that shows you where you need to go next. The only issue that's apparent is that sometimes there are multiple items in a single/save room and you won't be able to see them on the map. It'll definitely make completionists frown since it's pretty tough to remember those spots.

Shadow Complex isn't a long trip (my first clear took around five hours) but it's such a memorable and fun experience that you'll definitely go through it multiple times. If you choose to do so you'll also retain your level and certain goodies you may have found if you took the time to get everything. There's also a time-trial mode called the Proving Grounds. It's nothing spectacular but the puzzles are a nice, fun distraction and the awesome leaderboard integration makes it fun to compete with friends.

With Shadow Complex, Chair has given the jump-start the side-scroller genre needs to get back on track. It's deep, intuitive, and it makes certain full-priced games look like pure garbage. Even if you're not a classic side-scrolling junkie, there's something about pushing yourself to explore the depths of the underground facility, something about finding one more upgrade for your suit, getting one more headshot for the leaderboard count. And that's when you realize it's fun at its purest level.

If you grew up with Contra, then moved onto Super Metroid ..and then finally PS1 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night ...you will flat out love this game.

It takes the 2d platformer and revamps it to 2.5d, while maintaing all the game mechanics we loved about these games ...heavy map exploration, weapon upgrades, a leveling systems, puzzles, and on top of it all it looks gorgeous for a $15 game.

I dont review anything at all, but this game is so awesome i must.

I knew nothing about Shadow Complex leading up to the game's release, but after hearing a few friends hype it up and watching a few videos I purchased it right after it's release. While the game is a bit short (if you really push it you can beat it in 2 hours or so) it is still a ton of fun, worth a purchase.

Tracing it's roots back to Metrodvania, Shadow Complex is a 2.5D side scrolling platformer/adventure game. Controls are a bit odd as one stick moves your character and the other aims your gun, but after playing for a little while it becomes second nature. You start off as a mere mortal and throughout the game acquire power-ups that turn you into an unstopable behemoth (to the point where at the end of the game if you've picked up all the items you are neigh invincible). You've got a few guns to acquire, different launchers (rockets, grenade, riot foam which is fantastically fun), health/armor upgrades and suit upgrades. Suit upgrades give you new skills and let you access new areas.

You will be hard pressed to find a negative review of the game from any of the major gaming publications/sites because, quite simply, there are very few areas to fault the game on. The story is decent, the gameplay is a ton of fun, the graphics and sound are excellent, and it has a very clearly defined gameplay style that it stays within and plays well in.

If you're a fan of the old 2D Metroid games or Castlevania: Symphony of the Night you are going to absolutely love this game from start to finish, through your multiple playthroughs. If you just like well made fun to play games you'll enjoy the game equally. Give Shadow Complex a whirl.

It really is a code! You can use it, too! I guess it's pretty good as far as codes go.

this is a great game a nice twist on the classic side scroller and looks amazing. the ending wasn't as good as i hoped sorry had to say it... really wanted a nice classic boss battle or something epic... but you won't be dissapointed with the game when you play and play it again. Please make a part two to this game. the download option is great, i wish you had a option on your website to pay to get a physical copy. don't mind the download option but my nephew has to be in my room to play on my xbox and it would be nice if he could play alnight on his floor in his room... lol

Just buy it! It is the best XBLA game ever. I have owned it for almost a year now and I keep going back and playing it.

This game is very well made. I'm a very casual gamer but this game hooked me for the few weeks it took me to play through it. In my opinion, this is one of the best games the XBOX 360 has to offer.

Shadow Complex is of such high quality it's hard to believe that it's a downloadable arcade title.

Anyone who's played any of the side-scroller classics, like the oft-mentioned Super Metroid, will feel instantly at home here. Though featuring beautiful 3D graphics thanks to its Unreal engine (the same graphics engine that Gears of War, also produced by Epic Games, uses), with rare exception the game plays as a side-scroller run-and-gun platformer.

Exploration plays a central role in the game, and in fact gets you experience. Finding items and killing enemies also net you XP. There are plenty of powerups to find, also worth XP, and every 10 levels get you a nice treat that carries over into every game you play from that point forward (for example, the first reward, at level 10, gives you a permanent increase of 100 to you max HP). The powerups are usually for the weapon you carry - either an upgrade to the weapon itself or its carrying capacity for special munitions - but there are also armor and ability upgrades (such as a grappling hook).

The game features four difficulty levels, and the standard 200G of achievements for an XBLA game. The game is solely single player, and to max out the achievements requires at least two playthroughs (the "Completionist" achievement requires you to finish the game with 100% of the items, while "Minimalist" requires you to finish with 13% or less). The achievements that require a sum total also feature a ticker, like we saw in Gears of War 2 and The Orange Box, which helps you keep track of how far along you are.

Expect the game to last between 5-10 hours on each playthrough. For the price, this is one of the best games out there.

The game is great and a lot of fun. The other reviews have already gone into great detail about how it pays homage to Metroid and Castlevania so I won't bother. I'll just say the game is fun and entertaining and isn't that what you are looking for in a game?