Shadow Complex Review

Ever since Shadow Complex was announced at E3 this year, I have cautiously looked forward to it. As the release got closer and I learned more I became more excited, until the release date when I bought it right away. Now that I have had enough time to thoroughly explore the game world and collect 100% of items, I can say that this game was worth every penny.

The story in Shadow Complex is simple, and the weakest part of the game. You play as Jason Fleming, the son of a special forces soldier, who has been trained since his childhood to follow his father's footsteps. Jason decides not to join the Army though, and his dad remarks "Someday you'll find something worth fighting for." His dad's words come true when Jason and his new girlfriend are hiking and she is kidnapped by terrorists. As Jason fights through hordes of soldiers he uses the terrorist's technology against them to save his girlfriend and eventually foils the terrorist's plot. While the story isn't great, it does serve its purpose, providing a reason to decimate some terrorists and find some cool gadgets.

The gameplay is engaging and will keep you coming back for more. Shadow Complex has been described as 2.5D game; meaning that you only move on a 2D plane but environments and enemies can come from all directions. This can cause some minor aiming problems but these are only a minor blemish of a great game. Basically gameplay consists of exploring the complex, killing any enemies that get in your way, and trying to find items that help you to get into previously inaccessible rooms in order to find items. Although this may sound boring, the variety of different items you discover, the fun factor of the combat, and the addictiveness of leveling up all combine to create an experience unrivaled by any modern 2D games. You start the game with a flashlight, and finish it able to survive nearly anything without a scratch.

The graphics of Shadow Complex are very good even for a retail title, but for an arcade game they are only rivaled by the 3D graphics of Battlefield 1943 and the art of Braid. One problem that does plague this game is bland environments and enemies. Although everything looks great, it is still bland. Another small complaint is the sound; although there isn't anything wrong with it, it is merely average and doesn't stand out.

Shadow Complex is a great game well worth the $15 asking price. Buy this no questions asked and you will thank me.