Obscured View

I don’t think I’ve ever accidentally won a game before.  This was a first.  I was just running around, and bam — a boss battle that in no way did I think was the end of the game… but lo, when it was said and done: credits.  Uh… OK.  This is either a testament to my prowess as an ub3r gamer, or a sign that the developers at Chair didn’t really communicate the build up to the final battle.  I’m opting for the latter in this case.

Shadow complex is a great update of Super Metroid.  It isn’t a great update of any of the Castlevania games that have come since, including the stellar Symphony of the Night (SoTN) and all the DS versions that have followed.  While SC sticks very close to the original Metroid formula, it doesn’t embrace any of the cool new stuff the CV games brought to the genre.  This is a shame.

The story in SC is completely random.  I understand that it’s part of Orson Scott Card’s new series / universe, but the game doesn’t stand on its own.  You obviously need more back-story to understand how this evil organization built an entire super-fortress in the Washington woods (easily reachable by day hikers), how they got funding for the massive super high-tech stuff they have, what exactly it is they stand for, and why liberating San Francisco (wouldn’t Seattle be much closer?) and killing the vice-president have anything to do with each other.  The connection is never explained.  Considering the entire opening centers on the VP getting axed, you’d think that would… play in… maybe?  No?  Ok, moving on.

Let me throw a positive note in here and say the game looks absolutely stellar and the Unreal engine does a great job of handling a 2D platformer.

OK, back to criticism.

There’s a few things missing from making this game great, namely: enemy variety, weapon selection, themed locations, and compelling boss battles.  Hmm… that’s really not just a few, is it?

There’s 5 or 6 humanoid enemies in the game, 3 robot types, and a few mechs / walkers.  They all shoot bullets or rockets or grenades or foam.  You shoot back bullets and rockets and grenades and foam.  It gets old pretty fast.  The gun upgrades are pleasing, but the combat isn’t that interesting.  There’s not a lot of unique patterns to enemy behavior, which would at least give you something to think about in combat.

You’d think in some massive underground fortress (built for a game) you’d have areas that would be clearly defined, like a reactor area, dormitories, weapons bays, command & control, research labs, etc.  You’d think that navigating each area would take that theme into account, with unique enemies and level layouts to match the themes.  This generally isn’t the case.  Aside from a few connected rooms with one theme, the entire complex is very homogeneous.  Perhaps that’s a good thing from a realistic logistical stand-point.  Decentralized control means that you can’t cripple the base easily if you attacked it.  Unfortunately for the gamer, this just means a complete lack of memorable landmarks in all but a few places (the lake & cottage, the mine claw, mine-cart ride shortcut) means the rest blurs together very quickly, making calling up the map the only way you’ll find your way around the massive base.  It’s a color coded map, but that doesn’t really help much.

If you’ve played any of the MetroidVania type games, the bosses in SC should be complete push-overs.  Most of them die very quickly to just the normal gunfire you can put out at the time, making the challenge of learning a boss’ pattern non-existent.  You just constantly shoot, jump a bit, and they die.  This is a shame, as you’d think that the bosses in this would be high-tech, epic and have some pretty amazing patterns to overcome, but alas.  They’re very rudimentary.  I was hoping for a boss I’d have to use the foam to slow, grapple to get an angle, then rockets to blow off armor, maybe using the grenades to lob into it and finally hit its core.  There’s only one boss that comes close to having any kind of layered strategy like this, and although I’ve played through the game twice now, and even reading exactly what the game tells you you can do to it, for the life of me I can’t defeat it the supposedly “easy” way.

If you like these kinds of games, it’s easily worth the $15.  The first time I completed it was in 6 hours with 99% map and 99% items.  Why only 99%?  Because Chair committed one cardinal sin of exploration games — they lock you out of a part of the game that has a critical item.  If you miss it, you can’t go back if you hit a save room once you’re past it.  Sucks to be you.

Let’s hope that for the next one (or DLC), the crew at Chair sits down and plays Symphony of the Night or most of the CV DS games that followed.  Maybe then we’ll finally see a 2D MetroidVania type game that will de-throne SoTN as the best of all time.

BTW, the 3D aspects in SC are fantastic to look at, but a gimmick in every other way.  All it did was add another complication to the shooting controls, which IMO, it could have done without.  Unless you play with your middle finger on the triggers (who does that?), aiming, moving, and using specials at the same time you’re holding the controller becomes rather… irritating.

OK, one last peeve — the map display in Shadow Complex is deceptive in that a “room” is actually larger than one screen’s worth of vertical and horizontal space, which all other games of this type adhered rigidly to.  This makes it rather challenging to figure out how to get to some of the hidden pickups, especially when you know they’re there.  You’d swear you’ve looked in every connected room for the way in, only to find that there’s an access hidden behind geometry (grenade room, I’m looking at you!) that you can’t possibly see behind or illuminate with your trusty secret-finding flashlight (a nice version of the x-ray visor).  You are still technically in the “same” space in the map when really you should be in another map grid.  My bad for assuming they’d follow that convention, I guess.

…and what’s with the almost complete lack of music?  The music being prominent during the drowned barracks sequence was a nice touch though.

Overall Shadow Complex is a fun ride while it lasts, with a few achievements that merit at least one or two additional replays.  There’s also a few extreme achievements that’ll require some dedicated play (and the use of at least one hidden secret!) to obtain.  I’d certainly recommend it to people who love 2D Metroid / CV type games.

…and if you like these kinds of games, pick up Castlevania: SoTN on LIVE or PSN as well.  An amazing game for only what?  $10?  A steal.  Sure the graphics aren’t nearly as spiffy, but you’ll find a ton to like in that title as well.