Summer is winding finally down. With fall quickly approaching and two things are certain to happen: kids are getting ready to go back to school, and XBLA releases their big game of the summer. This summer’s marque release is Shadow Complex, a game developed by Chair Interactive and produced by Epic Games. Many comparisons have been drawn between this game and Super Metroid, but can it live up to the hype? In a word… kinda.
For the sake of this review, and since I have played much MUCH more of Super Metroid, I will make my comparisons to that game more often, seeing as how it is subject matter I know more about. Shadow Complex definitely pulls a LOT of influence from Super Metroid, as any fan of the game will no doubt see. There are several moments when I could vividly see the exact scene they were trying to portray from that game, however, Shadow Complex is a game that would still be enjoyable for anyone that was unfamiliar to the Metroid brand. Also, Shadow Complex does a few things that sets it apart, distinguish itself as a game that is worthy of high praise.
Come get some!
First and foremost, Shadow Complex does have some issues, so I will start with the bad and work towards the good. Firstly, the story. Shadow Complex is based on the works of Orson Scott Card. The game takes place between his book Empire and the next book in the series, Hidden Empire. I have not read his books so I am unable to make comparisons there, however, the story in the game really isn’t Oscar worthy, in all honesty.
You play as Jason Flemming and you are on a “date” with a girl named Claire, to go exploring in the hills of the Pacific Northwest. Shortly after getting the trip going, Claire is kidnapped by the group “Progressive Restoration” and taken deep into there underground base or… Shadow Complex. From then on, Jason is all about two things, getting himself and Claire out, and stopping the plans of the nefarious Lucious, leader of the Restoration. The story is played out over the course of the game and honestly I didn’t really get into it. It just didn’t grab me at all. By the end I didn’t care if he or Claire got out, I just wanted to shoot the big guns and test out my fancy armor. Which leads me to my next point.
The gadgets in Shadow Complex are almost identical to those found in Super Metroid, with a few omissions for obvious reasons. Missiles? Check. High Boots/Jet Pack? Check. Dash/Friction Damping suit? Check. Grapple hook/beam? Yup, that’s there too. It would be really hard for the creators of this game to not say that they were deliberately biting off the style of Metroid here. Each different weapons be that guns, grenades, or missiles all open different doors. All of these doors are illuminated by a flash light (much like the Xray Scope from Metroid) that makes them appear in different colors, depending on what weapon or item is needed to open them.
In terms of the weaponry, Shadow Complex does have the “Foam Gun” that allows you to clog up moving parts of machines, as well as “blind” certain doors to allow access. This is one of the few glimmers of originality. They also wisely decided not to have Jason roll up into a little ball in order to fit through tight spaces. Most, if not all, of your weapons and gadgets are used to get you though different places in the game that were previously inaccessible. This does create a certain amount of backtracking that some people are complaining about. With the map and the ability to show you where you are and where you need to be however, this really shouldn’t be an issue. Most rooms never gave me any trouble the second trip through, and by the end, I was able to navigate my way around based solely on memory alone.
Put down your weapons! You have 6 seconds to Comply!
This game has a few things going for it that Super Metroid can’t touch, really. First of the visuals are great. One can assume that being powered by the “Unreal Engine” doesn’t hurt that much. The rooms that you pass through are all very well detailed and look very alive. On several occasions there was either a very dark hallway or one that was back lit by a single color (red in this case). This particular hallway created a very stylized feeling to the game.
Another neat aspect to the visuals are the “simulated” third dimension. What I mean by that is this: most of the game is played as if it is a flat, albeit very vivid, 2d game. However there ARE enemies in the background as well as items. Using the right analog stick you can train your laser site on the enemies no matter where they are or what dimension they are standing in. Turret guns also create the same effect when you take control of them, giving you the ability to see what Jason sees and aim in a third person over the shoulder vantage point. It doesn’t happen often, but it occurs, it is done smoothly. The are a few small graphical issues here and there. The Unreal Engine has a way of loading images that you have seen in a lot of their games, where the low-rez pops in before its buffed out with the high-rez image. It doesn’t happen a lot and never really detracts from the game, but it does happen none the less.
Walking on water is so lame!
All this might lead you to think that Shadow Complex is a rip off of Super Metroid and not worth your time or space bucks, however, you would probably be wrong. Granted, it is heavily influenced by Metroid, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Super Metroid was a great game, and one that any game since would be proud to be associated with. I found myself smiling while playing this game because it is just a lot of fun to play.
Exploration is key to getting all that you can out of this game. It gives you experience, you find new items and boosts for ones you already have, and it’s just a good looking game to run around in. The game does end with a rather anti-climactic end fight, but I guess they may be setting you up for another installment in the series. I am not one that recommends to ANYONE. However, I will say that you should get the demo (it’s free after all) and play that once or twice. If you like it, I can tell you that the rest of the game is just as fun. If you don’t like it by the end of the demo, then no harm no foul. Now if you will excuse me, I have yet to hit 100% and I got a lot more real estate that needs to be searched.
