Shadowgate Classic

by Nintendo

Product Features

• must stop an evil sorcerer
• fight a variety of enemies
• first-person perspective
• save the land
• menu based action

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00002ST5D
• Item Weight: 8 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: January 1, 1999
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,667 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

GameSpot Review

Shadowgate first hit the good old Nintendo Entertainment System back in the mid-'80s, a time when RPGs were a curious rarity on the console scene. It's interesting to note that in a time when the genre has finally achieved mainstream status, this game has been rereleased with no changes. Many will say that you can't improve on a classic. Lots of other people will be wondering why they spend half their time navigating menus. I'm going to admit to something here. For the first two hours of playing this game I couldn't get past the room you start exploring the dungeon in. Embarrassing? Sure, but it's more annoying than anything else. This is two hours spent looking blankly at two screens, reading the same text over and over, and trying to figure out what the heck you're supposed to be doing. Eventually the solution - opening the skull on the front door and taking the key that lies inside - became apparent, but it served as an ominous warning. The puzzles in Shadowgate Classic aren't obvious and are difficult to solve, and they don't get any easier as the hours go on. In fact you could swear that the game runs on its own unique logic system, one that bears no relation to the world you and I live in. The number of buttons on the system and the screen's limited resolution don't lend themselves too easily to the RPG genre, but the developers have done a good job of fitting it all in. A screen full of menu options is always available and lets you do things like take, look, open, and use objects and peruse your inventory. Picking up a sword on the floor, for example, requires a few clicks of the A button and a few seconds spent moving the cursor around the screen. It's not the best interface in the world - in fact, it's downright ugly at times - but it does work. Eventually. Graphically this is a decent game, with good backgrounds and fairly good use of color throughout. NES- devotees will see that everything looks exactly as it did then, which is apparently a good thing. It would have been nice to see some of the machine's extra memory put to good use - ever hear of animation that uses more than two frames, Tecmo? Or screens with more than eight distinct colors? Apparently not. At least this ensures that the game plays just as well on a monochrome Game Boy as it does on a Color one. One thing Shadowgate does have going for it in the presentation department is the music. It's moody, atmospheric, and somehow manages to sound decent when pumped through the machine's tinny speakers. Progress through Shadowgate is slow. We're talking watching-grass-grow slow, here. A typical session can last a few hours, thanks to the sloth-like control system and the amount of time it takes to get from one room to another. While this is fine for RPG fans who want longevity, it's still a strain on the eyes. The biggest problem Shadowgate Classic has is that it has not improved with age, and newcomers will fail to see the original charm hidden under the unintuitive gameplay. Those who are old enough to have played the game in its original incarnation will quickly find that this is a game that really only needs to be played once.--Cameron Davis--Copyright © 1998 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited.

Product Description

A council of 12 sorcerers ensured peace in Kal Torin. One member of the council began to practice the black arts and spread destruction throughout the land; he became know as the Warlock Lord. Fortunately, the others were able to defeat the Warlock Lord and imprison him beneath Shadowgate Castle. Now, he has escaped from his prison and rules Shadowgate Castle. Furthermore, he is threatening to summon the Behemoth, a creature so powerful it could destroy the world. As the last member of the forgotten royal family, you are the only one who can stop the Warlock Lord and save Kal Torin. The trek through Shadowgate castle will not be easy, and will require strength of mind and body. Will you be able to stop the Warlock Lord in SHADOWGATE CLASSIC?

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Creepy, fun and deadly!, August 10, 2000

By 

CMC "Diamondfist" (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Shadowgate Classic (Video Game)

Shadowgate Classic for Gameboy is great. The graphics are wonderful and the music is pretty good. The game is much easier than the PC version; Torches burn longer to compensate for maneuvering the cursor and interface. Certain spells can be recast and you can carry a lot more than you could in the PC version. The game is very deadly; trying to kill you almost from the start and has an interesting, creepy feel to it when you play. The interface and programming is a little similar to Deja Vu 1 and 2, and like that game, it has a great website. Great replay value too!

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great puzzle/RPG game., December 15, 1999

By A Customer

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Shadowgate Classic (Video Game)

I loved this game because first off, it had some great puzzles in it. Some took me hours to figure out, but it was worth it to see the plot revealed. The characters were great, and so was the ending. This is a good game to get if you liked puzzle games like Myst, and/or RPG games.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Adventure Gaming at it's Best!, February 2, 2005

By 

Jay (Utah, USA) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Shadowgate Classic (Video Game)

Back in the day when this game came out for the Nintendo adventure games were still huge and popular. I remember seeing this game in the store and saved every penny I earned so that I could buy it. After purchasing it and tearing into the box like a madman I sat down to play one of the most enjoyable adventure games ever. The setting was very cool and creepy. I think that my favorite part of the game was the music. The music made you feel right at home in the creepy castle. Shadowgate had to be one of the toughest games out there. Back then internet was unheard of in homes and the only place to get a hint was by calling 1-900 numbers which my parents never let me do. So I got stuck in the game and never finished until years later when I could find hints on the internet. To finally complete the game was very fulfilling. I played through it many times after that and each time was just as good as the first. Now I don't know if it was a good idea for Nintendo to re-release it in the current age of gaming. Adventure gaming now is almost dead and all the kiddies now like action, action and more action. So while this may be a slow game and not filled with action every second, if you take time to appreciate it for what it does then you will have a rich and rewarding experience.