Sometimes, developers can recover from a big bump in the road. Whether it be troubled development/ development hell of a game, a string of bad releases, or mass layoffs/ departures, it’s always great to see companies pull it together after being in such dire circumstances. That’s what I assumed would happen with Frozenbyte after the disastrous Trine 3. Months later, the companies admitted to their flaws and mistakes, I thought. Little did I know unfortunate trends like these would reoccur, yet in a different light.
Gameplay:
Gameplay wise, Shadwen is a mix of tiny aspects of the best stealth games over the years, with some inspiration from Dishonored, and even some non stealth games like SUPERHOT being taken. It’s truly impressive in scope too, but Shadwen resigns itself to obscurity in the stealth genre by faulting it’s most important facets. Take the grappling hook for example. It’s become a common yet welcome staple in games, yet in Shadwen, it feels nearly as unresponsive and clunky as something that was experimented with in the Playstation 2 generation. The overall rewind mechanic isn’t as nefarious to the player, but doesn’t do the mechanical wonders the game needed.
Story & Design:
Shadwen would have been an acceptable yet flawed game if it had kept the previously mentioned traits, yet any signs of it’s magic start to fade away once the repetition and lack of enemy variety is sealed. The game also isn’t very descriptive in helping your journey in the more dangerous and challenging stages, leaving a feeling of unevenness. And while the story’s premise may be strong (a build up to a high target assassination attempt in all honesty) it feels as if it’s buildup was never replenished after it heads toward the nonexistent climax. With Shadwen, there’s more than loose strings.
Presentation/ Visuals & Audio:
Shadwen’s highest mark is sadly existent in the presentation, audio, and visuals. The voice acting is strong and fits both characters as expected, and the presentation fits the game’s slightly medieval-like setting. Lastly, the game is very pretty, eschewing the assumptions which would be expected from an indie game, or even some AA’s.
Conclusion:
For some hardcore stealth fans, Shadwen’s gameplay might be the kick they need to enjoy the genre’s true constraints once again. But to anyone else, it’s losses weigh more than the high points. There’s substance, but no flavor, scope, but no size. To everyone else, the game will likely feel like a case of lost ambition.
Shadwen gets a 4/10 (Bad)
We’d like to thank Frozenbyte for giving us a code!
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