Shadow of Destiny
By Christopher Healy,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Intriguing mystery about your death with disturbing twists.
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Shadow of Destiny
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What’s It About?
You play Eike, the seemingly doomed protagonist of SHADOW OF DESTINY, a man who is stabbed to death in the opening scene. After his murder, he is met by a being called Homonculus who offers him a chance to go back in time and prevent the attack that took his life. He takes the leap back and manages to keep the killer at bay -- for a half hour, at which point he is killed again, in a different way. Eike is destined to be murdered over and over unless he can discover the identity of his killer and put a stop to him (or her) once and for all. The time-hopping adventure even takes Eike all the way back to the 1500s, as he uncovers a centuries-old mystery that makes up his killer's motive.
Is It Any Good?
Shadow of Destiny's greatest strength is in its story. It's the kind of slowly-revealed, twisting plot that can really grab you and make you wonder how it will all end (and the game actually has 8 different endings). Playing the game is not as exciting as it seems it should be, though. Part of that is because of the lack of instruction. But a bigger part is the fact that through most of the game, it doesn't feel like there's all that much for you to do. Eike walks around town, looks at things, and talks to people. By doing those things in the correct way, you trigger cut scenes (sometimes very long cut scenes) and the story progresses. In reality there are multiiple ways to meet each objective, but this slow, quiet game often makes you feel like you're just watching a movie, waiting for the occasional chance to give some input.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the concept of fate. Do you think people have the power to make their own destinies? Or is who we are and what we are to do all pre-set from birth?
Time travel is pivotal to the plot of the game. Families can ask each other what they might change if they had a chance to go back in time and repeat some part of their lives.
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