Shadow of the Beast

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 169 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 115 out of 169
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 169
  3. Negative: 32 out of 169

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  1. MightyM
    May 17, 2016
    10
    If you play this game mashing the attack button you've failed! The combat is really intricate once you get used to the fact that it's about considered timing. With the amount of secrets to find and unlock, and all the psygnosis references for old school players, the replay value is high! I've enjoyed going back into the levels and getting better at combat as I discover more. I really don'tIf you play this game mashing the attack button you've failed! The combat is really intricate once you get used to the fact that it's about considered timing. With the amount of secrets to find and unlock, and all the psygnosis references for old school players, the replay value is high! I've enjoyed going back into the levels and getting better at combat as I discover more. I really don't understand what the low score reviews are talking about, I think they just haven't understood that this is a proper game that requires skill to play. I love it and hope they make a sequel!… Expand
  2. EliteGames
    May 17, 2016
    9
    Wow this game is amazing!!! This truly has been the week of remakes/reboots, first Doom and now Shadow of the Beast! The learning curve is high here and you have to be up for the challenge, by no means can you button mash your way through this one. Its absolutely worth it though and man is this game beautiful. I had no intentions of finishing this game yet but upon downloading andWow this game is amazing!!! This truly has been the week of remakes/reboots, first Doom and now Shadow of the Beast! The learning curve is high here and you have to be up for the challenge, by no means can you button mash your way through this one. Its absolutely worth it though and man is this game beautiful. I had no intentions of finishing this game yet but upon downloading and starting it up for a check, I just got sucked in. It is definitely my underground hit of the year so far.… Expand
  3. Dreadsmite
    May 18, 2016
    8
    I'm not quite seeing the reasoning behind reviewers. Most of the negatives this game holds feel snarky and out of line. The game is a spiritual succession to the original Shadow of the Beast series back in 1989, and I feel with the 20$ price tag and the measly six developers working on the game, it's a fantastic continuation of the series. The budget was small, especially for a newI'm not quite seeing the reasoning behind reviewers. Most of the negatives this game holds feel snarky and out of line. The game is a spiritual succession to the original Shadow of the Beast series back in 1989, and I feel with the 20$ price tag and the measly six developers working on the game, it's a fantastic continuation of the series. The budget was small, especially for a new company, and they still managed to get the original sound produced from the classic game to compose music on this new version of the game. It's gameplay tide for platforming seems like Rayman but with a God of War sense of gritty brutality. The executions you perform always feel satisfying, and pressing the Square attack button at the right time always gives the player a rewarding feeling. The different varieties the player has as the Beast to combat the enemies of the games world always makes you perceive that the approach you just took at that specific foe seem like it couldn't have been done better. All of this being said, I have to say that the concept of death feels extremely obnoxious when you have to waste an elixer or a soul if you "die", or you start from the beginning of the level. Most of the times I died, I felt like I was cheated. Especially when important moves like siphoning life from an enemy takes too much time for the attack to charge, leaving yourself open for an enemy to throw a basic swing without any retaliation from the player. That all being said, you will find yourself deterred from the action to get a look at the breath taking atmosphere and environment you tread or see from afar. The developers truly preserved the stellar, out of this world vibe that Roger Dean envisioned for the original Shadow of the Beast.

    All of that being said, I feel that based off of what the resources were for this game, the developers couldn't have done better. It's a great game, and it has the same difficulty vibe that the classic Commodore Amiga Shadow of the Beast game had. Psygnosis would be proud that the developers of this successor took such a great advantage of the resources provided.    … Expand
  4. CraftySprouts
    May 22, 2016
    10
    This game is a love letter to gamers. it doesn't hold your hand, it requires you to get better before it blossoms. a hidden gem, this feels like a game people will appreciate in a few years time kind of like Godhand.

    it's also 2 games for the price of one so it's brilliant value for money! Just a quick note about the controls, aarbron always does what you tell him to. the negative    This game is a love letter to gamers. it doesn't hold your hand, it requires you to get better before it blossoms. a hidden gem, this feels like a game people will appreciate in a few years time kind of like Godhand.

    it's also 2 games for the price of one so it's brilliant value for money!

    Just a quick note about the controls, aarbron always does what you tell him to. the negative reviews seem to have just spammed their way through the game, and it does feel clunky if you do that, but if consider what you're doing, time each move perfectly, watch the enemies closely then this game is astonishing. it truly is a game that rewards skill and investment.

    It won't be for everyone, but this game is sublime.    … Expand
  5. MajidoRc
    May 18, 2016
    10
    best remake for ever , i play Original this game when im have 4 years old :)
    but please update game and put shadow of the beast original II and III .
    thanks you Sony , thank you Heavy Spectrum :)
  6. muffinman1
    May 23, 2016
    9
    Shadow of the beast benefits from capturing the special feeling from when starting up the original and offers alot of fan service. With a deep combat system that is highly enjoyable it is only 4 to 5 hours long and attempts to get you to revisit the levels although, there is saddly nothing to benefit from that. Graphics and fps are great for fast fluid combat as well. good game, and at aShadow of the beast benefits from capturing the special feeling from when starting up the original and offers alot of fan service. With a deep combat system that is highly enjoyable it is only 4 to 5 hours long and attempts to get you to revisit the levels although, there is saddly nothing to benefit from that. Graphics and fps are great for fast fluid combat as well. good game, and at a good price although optimal to purchase at a reduced cost.… Expand
  7. DreamMaker
    May 18, 2016
    10
    Awesome game!!! So much depth, looks great, plays superbly. You've got to take it seriously though, the fighting is technical! Think Virtua Fighter rather than God of War. Combat requires precise timing and using the virtually instant block to keep yourself safe, it's super rewarding when you get into it!!! PLUS you get 2 games for 1, the original Amiga game is there! Ignore the negativeAwesome game!!! So much depth, looks great, plays superbly. You've got to take it seriously though, the fighting is technical! Think Virtua Fighter rather than God of War. Combat requires precise timing and using the virtually instant block to keep yourself safe, it's super rewarding when you get into it!!! PLUS you get 2 games for 1, the original Amiga game is there! Ignore the negative reviews, they clearly didn't get it. If you love TECHNICAL fighting games get it! This is a GEM!… Expand
  8. ENFDO
    May 19, 2016
    8
    The stages, music and character designs are reminiscent of the Amiga´s 1989 version, but obviously none of these aspects becomes so shocking as that versión used to be.
    It is a good arcade , nothing more.
    I would like to know the opinion of the founders of Psygnosis about this version.
  9. TransientGamer
    May 25, 2016
    10
    Really cool game. Super demanding, you have to learn to play well, but this game is something really special! If you like challenging combat and a rich world you're happy to revisit repeatedly (the game isn't too big) you'll love it, so just ignore the negative reviews if that sounds like you.
  10. Patbreda
    Jun 25, 2016
    9
    Hey Partyintheback, sega fan huh. Everybody else talks amiga. Its like an Apple fan, they always try to take down Google Android. Same story here. I think that we should be happy with any reboot or remake. It is a celebration. Yes some are good and some are bad. But if you play it and like it and you are having a blast then just, enjoy! Awesome graphics. Love it.
  11. seriimac
    Nov 3, 2016
    9
    This game is really charming and the hommage is very neat. 9 only for no depth in dialogues (after you have to unlock them) :) Absolutely worthy going for platinum, only this way you will fully enjoy the game.
  12. Rustaman
    Jul 13, 2017
    9
    Entertaining company with a constant alternation of moments, various types of opponents do not allow the battles to run out of steam fast, well-staged boss battles. Liked the game!
  13. JinDuncan
    May 18, 2016
    9
    The game is really awesome. It's little to easy, but still challenging. Limited budget is felt, but I love it anyway. Great graphics, nice music, fun gameplay. Not many players played at the highest level of difficulty (on Beast ranking there are only few scores), so perhaps because that some scores are lower. On Easy and Normal difficulty game is toooooo easy and could be boring.
  14. Peeto
    May 17, 2016
    10
    This game is love letter to all shadow of the beast fan. You start the game, in background you see familiar montains from amiga version, you start to hear familiar tunes close to the original of SOTB1 and you fall in love with this game. For this price point, graphics are beautiful, really very nice. You have the same structured game as original one, so side scrolling platformer withThis game is love letter to all shadow of the beast fan. You start the game, in background you see familiar montains from amiga version, you start to hear familiar tunes close to the original of SOTB1 and you fall in love with this game. For this price point, graphics are beautiful, really very nice. You have the same structured game as original one, so side scrolling platformer with improved combat and exploration. If tou are old fan of SOTB, just start on begginer and do not use innocent soul/this will be automatic set up if you are on beast difficulty later on and you will be much better prepared this way/ if you die, just simply restart as you would on amiga version. This will still give you points you gained till your death so you can start slightly upgrading your character and maybe on 3-4rd attempt finish 1st level on begginer difficulty. This way game will last you longer and gives more satisfactory. It just play very fine, combat is enjoyable with some exploration and story. In unlockables you can unlock a lot from old original amiga version, which is really heaven for old fans. Sure I first unlock original amiga game and enjoying art style, mysic, gameplay once again. You can unlock and switch to original music to current version of game if you like. For that price point and as a fan of old SOTB, this is a huge surprised as it was really created with love for old version. 10/10 highly recommende for any SOTB FAN. I was really not expecting much from this one, but someone here keep the soul of the original game and add new mechanics carefully. Now, time to start to work on SOTB5 and give us SOTB2+3 as unlockables :-)… Expand
  15. CandyVenom
    May 17, 2016
    8
    Shadow of the Beast returns with a good game that has its flaws like the very long loading times and the platforming is a bit weird but you can get used to it quite fast.

    Good things: -Offers a good challenge if you're playing the game on the hardest difficulty -Good amount of hidden secrets and collectibles and various endings to have replay value -The visuals are very pretty and    Shadow of the Beast returns with a good game that has its flaws like the very long loading times and the platforming is a bit weird but you can get used to it quite fast.

    Good things:
    -Offers a good challenge if you're playing the game on the hardest difficulty
    -Good amount of hidden secrets and collectibles and various endings to have replay value
    -The visuals are very pretty and you will be amazed by some backgrounds
    -The music is as good as it was in the past games
    -Good amount of violence without being too gore for people that likes violence

    Bad things:
    -The combat might be too simple, you have one button to attack so you will see yourself constantly pressing Square, you can press the touchpad or R1+L1 to do special attacks but you will see yourself using Square most of the times
    -The platforming doesn't feel right, Aarbron jumps when you press X unlike many people says but when falling it feels very clunky
    -The movement some times also feels kinda clunky, specially when you want to turn or walk just one step you may find Aarbron walking two or three steps instead of one as you intended
    -The game sometimes doesn't explain its mechanics well enough, like the first boss you encounter you will probably face him like the rest of the enemies and you will probably find how to deal with it after you died since the game doesn't give you a hint by any way until you fight it for some time

    Still is a good game and for those who loved the original one it comes inside the game so you're basically buying two games paying only for one, for any who loved the original and its challenge they will love this new entry, i hope Sony doesn't ditch the Shadow of the Beast series and keeps making new entries with bigger budget.    … Expand
  16. tragicr6lover
    May 17, 2016
    9
    So I've just finished my first play-through. Liking it so far, combat takes a while to get into but there's enough depth there to keep most people happy I think. With the combat, it takes some time to get used to. There's a flow to it that you have to learn then it becomes intuitive. Looking at the negative reviews, I think at least from my experience I'd say they haven't given it enoughSo I've just finished my first play-through. Liking it so far, combat takes a while to get into but there's enough depth there to keep most people happy I think. With the combat, it takes some time to get used to. There's a flow to it that you have to learn then it becomes intuitive. Looking at the negative reviews, I think at least from my experience I'd say they haven't given it enough time. They've not learn't the flow of combat. They've not seen the impact special moves and blood rage give you and as a result they've resorted to button bashing. I'm not having a go, but if you're going to review at least try and understand the gameplay.

    Animation is nice, fluid, maybe responsiveness is sacrificed a bit to allow for animations to play out, but certainly not sluggish feeling. Art direction is great, beautiful scenery, evocative moods created with lighting. Additional unlocks are fine, glad they've gone to the effort of making such a comprehensive chunk of additional material, there's a lot there for the taking, especially for a £12 game imo.

    Still plenty to do, I want to platinum it so I'll play through a few more times just for completion-ist sakes. I don't think it deserves the bashing it's been getting on-line though, it's far better than a 3/10.

    I'm going to give it a 9.    … Expand
  17. kraster
    May 17, 2016
    8
    This game is nowhere near as bad as the negative reviews would have you believe. The presentation is top notch with excellent visual design and a great soundtrack. Combat is deeper than would first appear. The whole point of the combat is to rack up high scores so simply mashing the attack button will yield a low score.
    High scores allow you to purchase upgrades and other unlockables and    This game is nowhere near as bad as the negative reviews would have you believe. The presentation is top notch with excellent visual design and a great soundtrack. Combat is deeper than would first appear. The whole point of the combat is to rack up high scores so simply mashing the attack button will yield a low score.
    High scores allow you to purchase upgrades and other unlockables and also give you bragging rights on the leader boards. There are also lots of branching paths, different endings and secrets that add a great deal of replayability to the game. There are a few flaws that have been mentioned. Platforming is quite clunky (but not downright awful). Some of the scenery gets in the way of combat and the actual rhythm of combat takes a little getting used to because it's not adequately explained. Overall though it's a very good game at a very good price.    … Expand
  18. ps4lover
    May 17, 2016
    9
    this game is pretty good. Graphic is great. gameplay/combat is good. i don't understand why Reviews gave alot negative scores on this. Well, i still enjoying this game to pass time for Blood and Wine DLC in The Witcher 3
  19. martxe
    May 17, 2016
    10
    shadow of the beast I like this game I don't know but it looks like god of war their are a lot of blood in this game it looks good and the graphics awesome for andie game the fighting very engoyable I advise you to buy this
  20. newb
    Apr 24, 2022
    8
    Shadow of the beast is fun platformer with a nice story. Even though I never played the original I enjoyed the variety of puzzels, exploring the maps, trying to get too scores on each map, and the general combat. While this isn't a full blown 60$ game I don't think it ever set out to be so if you find this for 15-20$ grab it and enjoy.
  21. aart3k
    Jun 24, 2016
    9
    I liked that you really need to ideally time your button presses to get the best score/results when in combat, just like on the Amiga. This game gives you a choice - play it like in the old days or play it casually. I loved almost every aspect of this game - designs, story. I wish the music had more "amiga" vibe in it.
  22. DD64
    Apr 9, 2019
    9
    Shadow of the Beast 2016 is a reimagining of the 1989 hit Platformer of the same name, made exclusively for the PS4. The game streamlines a lot of features from the original, such as the openly connected gameworld and the combat mechanics. Beast 2016 is what I consider a "Rhythm beat 'em up". I use that term because the combat is extremely basic, but also extremely rewarding with a steepShadow of the Beast 2016 is a reimagining of the 1989 hit Platformer of the same name, made exclusively for the PS4. The game streamlines a lot of features from the original, such as the openly connected gameworld and the combat mechanics. Beast 2016 is what I consider a "Rhythm beat 'em up". I use that term because the combat is extremely basic, but also extremely rewarding with a steep curve.

    You have a standard "heavy" attack, which basically acts as push Square to kill, until you realize that doesn't work on all enemies. You have a dodge roll mechanic that leaves you defenseless if spammed, and then also a stun attack that lets you get some breathing room on one side if you are overrun. There is a skill tree and other abilities, to learn, but that's the core combat mechanics. Like the original, which emphasized timing over spamming an attack button, the meat and potatoes of the combat comes down to how well you can judge an enemies attack and kill them before they attack you. Some enemies have a yellow glow before they attack letting you know the "PERFECT" timing to get down for maximum points. Otherwise, you can just spam square for like the first level and get away with it. After that, blocking and making sure you aren't over run in one corner becomes paramount or you'll quickly die numerous times. Making mistakes constantly and thinking this is just a 1d combat system is a very quick way to meet the death screen over and over, however, patience and virtue is rewarded substantially, allowing you to mow down absolute droves of opponents in one seamless flow of bodies dropping one after the other if you master it. Engaging in an encounter and walking away 15 seconds later after getting all perfects on over 25 enemies non stop is a rush of adrenaline that honestly can't be matched in most other modern games.

    In that regard, this reimagining really tries to keep the idea of timing integral to the experience like the original, a commendable ideology by the developer. Really though, besides that, Shadow of the Beast 2016 is just a gem to play. Right from the start you can feel this is a game made with care and attention, made from fans of the original Amiga title to let modern audiences experience the thrill one more time.

    Atmosphere is absolutely amazing. Every environment is recreated from the Amiga game with the Unreal 4 engine, which just look stellar. Some liberties are taken, as this is not a "remake", and the modernization of the original games story is well deserved and enjoyable at that. Every location is just dripping with ambiance, even though it's only 6 levels long.

    The soundtrack is hit or miss for some people. Personally, I greatly enjoyed the modern soundtrack, as it is dynamic, fitting with whats going on on-screen. Some tracks also incorporate classic Beast tunes into it and it's a delight to hear those parts in some of the tracks.

    As an added bonus, the entire original Shadow of the Beast created for the Amiga500 is unlockable as an extra, complete with retrospective article, along with the original Roger Dean artwork piece, the original games soundtrack (which can also be used in the modern game as a toggle option), as well as an option to just watch a playthrough of the original game. This alone makes this game worth it as Shadow of the Beast has not appeared on any other modern console or os ever. Outside of emulation, there's not much in terms of options to play the original game, and this version allows you play with either NTSC (60) or PAL (50) frame options depending on where you are playing from. These options alone show how passionate for this project the developers were.

    For 19.99 at release, and available for purchase now for 14.99 on the PSN store, Shadow of the Beast is a great modernization of a classic platformer that is notorious for it's difficulty. Modern combat mechanics, the same ethereal atmosphere, and similar soundtrack make this a really great game to just turn on and get lost in. Multiple play-throughs are encouraged for the unlockable content and multiple endings in the game. If you like platformers, or just really love games with unique atmospheres and mechanics, you really won't be disappointed with it.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

99
#99 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2016
83
#83 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
64

Mixed or average reviews - based on 60 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 60
  2. Mixed: 33 out of 60
  3. Negative: 5 out of 60
  1. Games Master UK
    Jul 25, 2016
    55
    Unfortunate proof that the classics of old don't always hold up well when dropped into the modern day. [July 2016, p.78]
  2. Edge Magazine
    Jul 24, 2016
    50
    Despite its numerous missteps, it's clear that this is a labour of love for its creators, whose fondness for the original is well know. [Aug 2016, p.118]
  3. CD-Action
    Jul 21, 2016
    50
    Shadow of the Beast has the atmosphere and raw beauty of an alien, hostile world going for it, but other than that the game is simply boring. [07/2016, p.61]
See all critic reviews »