Master of puppets.
It is hard to stand out in the world of action RPGs. There is an unquestionable king in the genre, so it is obvious that every game will be compared to it. Shadows: Awakening attempts to set itself apart immediately by changing the way players think about classes. The game has one default character and can have any class as what they call a puppet. It is an interesting concept that allows for plenty of ways to tackle several given situations.
Shadows: Awakening is part of the Heretic Kingdoms series, and the first of the series to grace consoles. The series has a deep lore involving religion and supernatural themes. I did not know much about it going in. The story in Shadows: Awakening is definitely interesting. Taking on the role of the Devourer players will collect puppets throughout the game. Each one is defined a class and can be switched to on-the-fly. This allows for a plethora of class types all in one go. It is a neat feature and kept me from having to dedicate to just one style.
MSRP: $49.99
Platforms: XB1 (reviewed), PS4, PC
Price I’d Pay: $29.99
Throughout the game I picked up several various versions of each class. There is a finite amount to find, so finding them all in one play through is not possible. It is a neat system, sort of a demonic Pokemon if you will. In addition to class combat Shadows: Awakening also uses this mechanic for environmental puzzles. Stages are designed in a way that certain areas can only be accessed by certain characters. The Devourer for example goes into another realm where there are different paths, and unique enemies. It is a clever dynamic that sets this game apart from other action RPG titles.
Combat follows the formula established by the king of the genre. There are a series of attacks all mapped to the face and trigger buttons. They all work on cool downs. New skills are unlocked as I leveled up, and of course there is plenty of loot to be had. Side quests are aplenty as I interacted with NPCs across the game. The structure feels familiar to other games in the genre and it never strays too far from what works.
My biggest gripe with the game was its pacing. This is a hefty adventure and things feel like they are moving through molasses. The character walk speed felt slow. One of the things that made Diablo so easy to digest was how quickly things progressed. Every facet of Shadows: Awakening feels deliberate and slow-paced. There is also the issue of repetition. The game tosses a lot of same-y quests at the player. The environmental puzzles are the highlight, but even they can’t save the slog of some of the later dungeons.
Visually, the game looks good. There is a nice variety in enemy design and the levels range from dank dungeons to flourishing towns. The loading times are brutal though. Jumping between areas would literally bring the game to a crawl for me. There is also a weird soft filter over everything. It just isn’t as sharp as other isometric games on the platform. It gives it a cheap feel at times.
Shadows: Awakening is a solid game in a genre that is easy to get lost in. The issue is that its high price point and drawbacks make it hard to recommend above something else. It just doesn’t stand enough on its own two legs to be remarkable. That doesn’t take away from the fact that I enjoyed nearly my entire time with it. Those that pick it up will likely not be disappointed; it is just getting someone to take the plunge that could cause problems. This is the kind of game that would have benefitted from being just a bit cheaper at the outset.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
