Shadow Complex Remastered

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
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  1. Push Square
    May 8, 2016
    70
    Shadow Complex Remastered is, in many ways, a perfect gateway drug for the Metroidvania genre.
  2. Gaming Age
    May 10, 2016
    67
    Minor Gripes aside, Shadow Complex: Remastered is still a great game. Could it have used a couple gameplay changes and some new playable content? Absolutely, but it doesn’t ruin what was a great experience in 2009 and it is still a really fun game in 2016.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 45 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 45
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 45
  3. Negative: 7 out of 45
  1. ghostgate2001
    Aug 19, 2016
    8
    Despite some reservations about the quality of the PS4 port - which I'll cover - I can't bring myself to give this game anything less than aDespite some reservations about the quality of the PS4 port - which I'll cover - I can't bring myself to give this game anything less than a "green" score, because it's such a darn good game.

    I'm sure you already know what kind of game it is, so let's keep the description brief. It's a 2.5D (i.e. played on a 2D plane but depicted with 3D graphics) non-linear exploration-based platform / shooter game. Adhering to the classic "Metroidvania" template, there's a sprawling map just begging to be explored, and re-visiting earlier areas with new-found abilities means you'll be able to access places you could see but not reach before.

    In my humble opinion, this is about as good as a "Metroidvania" game gets - apart, of course, from an actual "Super Metroid" or "Symphony of the Night" Castlevania game! There are the games which gave the genre its name, and then - right behind those - there's Shadow Complex. It's that good.

    Your mileage may vary, but my playtime was around the 10-hour mark. I'm not sure where other people are getting a "4 hour" figure from. I can only assume they rush through games ignoring everything but their immediate objective! Which is a darn strange way to play a game of this sort, which is about exploring every nook and cranny. Put it this way: completing the game with 100% map discovery in 2 hours is one of the Trophy challenges, and only 0.4% of players have managed that feat. That's a seriously hard "speed-run" challenge for people who know the map inside-out. For any normal player, exploring the game for the first time, 10 hours is a much more likely figure.

    No game is perfect, and Shadow Complex has a few design "quirks" that prevent it from being a perfect 10. For example, there are scenes where the game uses the "2.5D" perspective to have enemies attack from the background, not just to left and right of you. Occasionally in those scenes it can be a bit iffy whether the right-stick aiming chooses to aim upward or into the back of the screen. It’s nothing game-killing, but it does add a little unwelcome aiming-uncertainty to some gunfight situations. The view can also zoom in a bit too close for comfort in certain areas, meaning you can end up in a firefight with off-screen enemies. These are minor complaints, though, when the core game is so good.

    As for the PS4 port ... well, it's not as great as I had hoped. "Serviceable" would be the word for it. The game shows its age with some quite dated-looking and ugly “Unreal Engine 3” character models, particularly in cut-scenes. Despite the alleged "HD remaster" it still looks exactly like what it is: a Xbox 360 digital release from 7 years ago that's being rendered at 1080p instead of 720p, but is otherwise essentially unchanged. Not a problem. It never was the prettiest game out there, but it's a great example of gameplay that's so engaging you won't be worrying that the graphics aren’t “cutting-edge”.

    What's less easy to overlook, though, are the frequent stutters in the PS4 port. Again, it's not bad enough to be game-killing, but it is bad enough to drag the experience down and make things look more shonky than they should. You'd hope that a PS4 could run a 7-year old Xbox 360 game (never a massively demanding title to begin with) with presentation that was more slick and buttery-smooth that the original hardware - but that's not the case here. The PS4 port “works”, and is perfectly playable, but it feels like the game has been shovelled over to the newer console in a perfunctory state that’s merely “functional", and lacks the polish and love that it deserved. One section where you have to time a jump out of a rolling mine-cart is particularly choppy, harming the playability – and that's a shame to see. In the 3+ months since the game's EU release there has been no patch to address those performance hitches. Clearly, Epic Games consider the port to be "good enough." I wish they had loved it a little more, because the game deserves better.

    Overall, though, it's still the great game it was in 2009, and the gameplay is good enough to allow us to (mostly) overlook the port's lack of polish. How many games have you played where right at the beginning of the game-proper, tasked with rescuing your girlfriend, you can actually choose not to bother - get back in the car, drive off, leave her to her fate, and see the credits roll - game over? Now THAT'S what I call "player agency" :)    … Full Review »
  2. stellarnomad
    May 15, 2016
    9
    I usually like to breakdown a game's components for those that like a reasoned, meaty look at a possible purchase, but there's really no needI usually like to breakdown a game's components for those that like a reasoned, meaty look at a possible purchase, but there's really no need here.

    This game sits in a class I like to refer to as "palate cleansers"; that is, games that you play between the big budget titles or as a break from said titles. The story is irrelevant, kicking you into the action almost immediately, and driving you forward on a wave of perfectly tuned levelling and item unlocks. The game looks great, functioning on a 2D plane juxtaposed against 3d backdrops -- enemy placement taking advantage of this throughout.

    For the collectors, there is every reason to return to previous areas to access previously blocked sections once you collect the appropriate device, and achieving 100% almost feels like a requirement rather than a possibility due to its inviting fluidity. It really moves; perfect speed run material, that effortlessly combines platforming and gunplay on the fly without taking a breath. Weapon handling is accurate, even when lining up headshots or popping off grenades. Rounding out the experience are some interesting boss battles that usually rely on specific equipment for you to succeed.

    It's worth mentioning a varied amount of challenges available from the main menu that can be accessed from the beginning, and usually challenge certain skills for better medals. Short and sweet.

    If you missed this first time around and this sits in your wheelhouse, then buy, play and enjoy.    … Full Review »
  3. JTJSGamer
    May 5, 2016
    8
    Pretty good. Its great that I can finally play this game on my PS4. PlayStation's lack platforming games and it is a nice new addition to thePretty good. Its great that I can finally play this game on my PS4. PlayStation's lack platforming games and it is a nice new addition to the genre. It is worth a try.… Full Review »
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