Shadow Man Remastered
By David Chapman,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Violent supernatural remake feels awkward and outdated.
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Shadow Man Remastered
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What’s It About?
SHADOW MAN REMASTERED returns gamers to the worlds of Liveside and Deadside, and the man chosen to walk between the two. The game revisits the original 1999 Shadow Man game, updating the experience with new material, 4K support, high-definition textures, enhanced visual effects, and both new and improved audio. Based on the Valiant comic book series of the same name, Shadow Man introduces gamers to Michael LeRoi, the latest in a line of voodoo warriors tasked with protecting Liveside, the land of the living, from threats crossing over from the land of the dead, Deadside. LeRoi's role as protector is put to the test when he's informed of an apocalyptic plan to release the souls of five infamous serial killers, using their power to fuel an infernal engine that will unleash an immortal army against the living. Gifted with the ability to cross between Liveside and Deadside, it falls to LeRoi to use the powers of the Shadow Man to find the five dark souls and shut down the engine before it's too late.
Is It Any Good?
A big trend in gaming is to revisit classic titles, giving them a modern makeover to re-introduce them to a new generation of gamers, but this one just feels like a miss all-around. While many games might be ripe for a remake, Shadow Man Remastered is one that should have been left buried in archive of nostalgia. Although it was quirky and fun for its time, playing this "Remastered" version somehow makes the game feel even more dated and forgettable than replaying the original. After all, there were a lot more limitations to what was possible back then. But when it comes to Shadow Man Remastered, it feels like the enhancements to the game serve only to shine a great big hi-def flashlight on all its flaws.
For starters, while the game makes a lot of use of newly detailed textures, these are slapped on top of models that haven't been updated in more than twenty years. The most jarring example of this is watching characters talk with flat, rectangular faces with weirdly detailed, animated mouths. Speaking of animations, the characters motions are anything but fluid. The models move in a stiff, puppet-like manner that somehow glide over the surface. This is made even worse due to the game's clunky controls, which make navigation more frustrating than any of the undead swarms players fight against. Whether or not it's meant to retain some of the nostalgic feel of the original, Shadow Man Remastered winds up feeling more like an update that was left only half finished before release.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about remasters and remakes. What is the appeal of revisiting franchises from the past? How difficult is it to stay true to the original while still updating content for a new generation?
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Game Details
- Platform: Windows
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Night Dive Studios
- Release date: April 15, 2021
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy , Adventures , Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- ESRB rating: NR for No Descriptions
- Last updated: April 16, 2021
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