[Review] Shadows of the Damned – PS3 & Xbox 360

Anyone who has ever played a game by Suda 51 will universally know one thing; it’s going to be crazy. With titles like No More Heroes and Killer 7, it’s always expected that any game coming out of the woodwork will be as weird and surreal as the next. Well, the third-person demon-blasting Shadows of the Damned does not hold back any punches in maintaining such a trend. But is it worth the trip to Hell?

Players take on the role of Garcia Hotspur, a leather-clad, tattoo bearing, motorcycle riding, Mexican badass. You think that’s hardcore enough, you should hear what he does for a living… he hunts and slays demons. Following the suicide of his girlfriend, Paula, the Lord of the Underworld, Flemming, appears and offers Hotspur a deal; he must atone for all the demons he has slain over his lengthy career, in return for Paula’s life. Refusal would result in Paula’s soul being tormented for all eternity. After (foolishly) refusing Flemming’s offer; Hotspur enlists the help of Johnson, a shape shifting demon, and follows Flemming into Hell, and forcefully reclaim Paula’s soul back.

Despite its dark, violent and disturbing exterior; Shadows of the Damned is far from a frightening game. Think of it more of a black comedy horror, because although you walk through the City of the Damned, fighting for the soul of your true love; there is a lot of comical value to the game, which consists of amusing conversations between Hotspur and Johnson, obvious references to numerous films from the past, and a worrying amount of penis jokes.

If filmmaker Robert Rodriguez was ever given the chance to make a Video Game; it’s very likely that Shadows of the Damned would be the end result. With the badass Mexican Demon slayer, his mega-hot, but crazy (and dead) girlfriend, hordes of bloodthirsty “Hell Monkeys”, and crude humour, all within a universe that prides itself on 80’s-esque ultra-violence and jet-black comedy; It all formulates a wonderful homage to B-movies and cult classics that many of us have been brought up on.

There is even one chapter completely dedicated to Sam Raimi’s cult classic video nasty, Evil Dead, and even plays homage to its sequel, Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn. You can see that Shadows of the Damned wears all of it’s cinematic inspiration on it’s sleeve, so it can be said that it is an acquired taste to understand the significance of the jokes and references made throughout the game. But for those who will notice the references that Shadows of the Damned makes will admire such moments as the game takes you deeper through such a unique portrayal of the demonic underworld.

Forget your typical fire and Brimstone; Hell, in regards to Shadows of the Damned, is a set number of locations which continue to change as you venture further to the Lord of the Underworlds castle for the finale. Starting off in a Victorian style town, then off to the dark woods, shadowy caves, neon soaked city streets; it all brings diversity to the games level design. However, despite where you are, all you seem to do is the same thing over and over again. You blast through hordes of demons, before looting through areas and solving quick and easy puzzles in order to move on to the next area, where you go on and pretty much do the same.

The majority of the gameplay focuses entirely on third-person gunplay, courtesy of Johnson, a demon that can shape shift into different items of interests, including; a torch to get through the dark, linear levels of the game, weapons, and a motorbike. Unfortunately for us though, the motorbike form of Johnson cannot be used in gameplay. There are three different weapons that Johnson can morph into for Hotspur to use; A Revolver, Machine Gun, and a Shotgun. These may seem like generic weapons of choice, but these particular weapons are supernatural versions of the realistic counterparts, and can be upgradeable with the use of Red Gems, which can be found hidden in the game, or can be purchased from a vicious looking, yet weirdly comical, Redneck sounding Demon, Christopher. Much more powerful versions of your current weapons are earned once you defeat the numerous bosses you encounter in the game. Gunplay can be satisfying, especially when you pop a gouls head like a grape, initiating a slow-motion depiction of brain chunks and eye balls flying in numerous directions. But its once you properly upgrade your arsenal that you feel like a worthy advesary against the demons. For instance, the Skullblaster Shotgun can be upgraded to fire a charged grenade, or the Teether Machine gun can be upgraded to fire projectiles at high speed, which homes in on targeted enemies. All these upgrades can really compliment how you fight larger hordes of Flemming’s demonic legion.

In regards to bosses; they are a sterling example in reflecting Shadows of the Damned’s aged gameplay. Although being an interesting array of demons, the objective always consists of aiming for the weak spot, something that is done way too often in such games. And what’s worse, they can take some hellish damage, with some bosses lasting around 15-20 minutes. When was the last time you enjoyed spending so much time fighting a boss?

Hotspur’s movements as a playable character can be quite clunky, and since a lot of the time your capping-asses in some very agile beasts, the aiming zooms in way too much, making you unaware of other threats around you. However some moves make up for this, including being able to doge enemies attacks fairly easily, and making full 180 degree spins to wipe out anyone who wants to get a cheap back shot.

Even with a game with so much to upgrade and unlockable weapons to make life much easier (as it ever could be, being the most wanted living mortal in Hell); the biggest flaw in Shadow of the Damned is that there is no New Game + mode. Meaning that any unlockable upgrades and weapons you earn cannot be taken over to a brand new game. This makes Shadows of the Damned lack any kind of incentive to replay the main campaign again.

Considering that the same Sound Director of the Silent Hill titles was part of the Shadows of the Damned crew, the sounds in the game are superb. The blasting of your “Boom-stick” (another Evil Dead reference there for you) echoing through the levels, the distant sounds of tortured souls and snarling demons really adds to the atmosphere. And this is even without mentioning the games soundtrack, which is just as good. To say the least, it’s pretty diverse. One minute you might be listening to heavy thrash metal, gothic opera, and the next you’re listening to eerie ambiance that enhances the atmosphere of the dark corners of Shadows of the Damned’s numerous levels. Whatever soundtrack creeps up, it complements the particular moment of the game it’s added to.

Overall:

It’s understandable if you were majorly hyped for a game that was made under collaboration between the guys behind No More Heroes and the Resident Evil franchise. But Shadows of the Damned is not an amazing game, but it is good. It’s very creative in regards to art direction, the chemistry as friends between Johnson and Hotspur is amusing and can deliver some genuine laugh-out-loud moments, combat can be satisfying (despite being uninspiring), and the game is completely self-aware of its parody of generic video game mechanics and 1970’s and 80’s horror films. However, the clunky movement, the occasional glitch in animations and no New Game + mode prevents Shadows of the Damned being a damningly epic game. Hotspur is no Dante, but he’s still worth your attention.