Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered Image
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  • Summary: Kick some demon tail as Garcia Hotspur on one devil of a ride. The flames of hell will feel frigid compared to the hot-blooded Garcia on his quest to get his girl back from the Lord of the Underworld.

    - A hot-blooded, hellishly twisted, feverishly filthy, love and hate filled road trip
    Kick some demon tail as Garcia Hotspur on one devil of a ride. The flames of hell will feel frigid compared to the hot-blooded Garcia on his quest to get his girl back from the Lord of the Underworld.

    - A hot-blooded, hellishly twisted, feverishly filthy, love and hate filled road trip
    Join the crass Garcia Hotspur and his boney buddy, Johnson, as they traverse the depths of the Underworld to steal back Garcia's kidnapped lover, Paula, from the clutches of Fleming, the Lord of the Underworld. Let the soul of rock 'n' roll run loose in the heart of the twisted hellscape that is the Underworld.

    - Make it through fiendishly funky dungeons with the powers of light and dark
    The powers of light and dark pave your path forward. Like ravers in a nightclub, demons are emboldened by the dark, but grow weak when exposed to the light. Use your buddy Johnson to blast your way through the darkness of the Underworld.

    - A cult classic born from the most creative minds in the industry
    A third-person shooter crafted by industry legends Goichi Suda (No More Heroes, Killer7, etc.) and Shinji Mikami (Resident Evil, God Hand, etc.)
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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 16
  2. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. Oct 30, 2024
    80
    Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered is a great version of the original that offers limited but welcome updates such as resolution increases, faster load times and a much requested New Game+ mode. The unique grindhouse aesthetic and over the top humour remains as distinctive as they always were and it is here that the appeal of Shadows of the Damned lives or dies. If the absurd humour and over the top ideas are your cup of blood then this is an easy recommend even if you don’t have nostalgic memories of the original. Get ready to grab your Johnson and kill some demons.
  2. Oct 28, 2024
    80
    With its foul language and crude sense of humour, Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered certainly isn't for everyone. Those who do get on with it, however, are likely to have an absolute blast for the most part, thanks to its thrilling combat and engaging scenarios. Ultimately, there's nothing else quite it.
  3. Oct 25, 2024
    75
    We are happy that Shadows of the Damned Hella Remastered exists. A video game that is edgy, sharp, with a recognizable soul thanks to the style of its creators and that has aged, yes, but in the right way...most of the time. There are obviously gameplay elements that are less digestible for users accustomed to new degrees of gameplay variety and fluidity of action, lacking in Shadows since 2011. However, the game is absolutely worth the candle even just to live or relive an experience filled with irreverent comedy, gratuitous vulgarity and humor "à la Suda 51". Which for true fans of the Japanese creative is worth at least half a point more on the vote below. For everyone else, one less (sorry maestro!).
  4. Oct 25, 2024
    70
    The game features wild European-influenced locales, mixing cabaret with traces of expressionism in a way that makes the illogic of the world logical. Plus, thanks largely to the rise of 4K TVs — and especially HDR — the game looks better than it ever has. The staccato outbursts of colour when you illuminate the dark or enter select regions help to sell the oppressive nature of the environment. The title was from an era where drab colour schemes and chromatic aberration were the all rage, so there’s not as much use of colour to see with fresh eyes as we would have hoped.
  5. Oct 25, 2024
    70
    Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered is a mixed-bag experience. While I was a fan of the game when it was first released in 2011, you can really feel its age in this remaster.
  6. Nov 12, 2024
    65
    A remaster that only goes a little beyond doing very basic rework, and yet still turns out to be enjoyable, aimed above all at those who appreciated it in 2011 or at those who are particularly curious to discover one of Goichi Suda's old craziness.
  7. Shadows of the Damned was developed under restrictions, and Suda 51’s unique ideas were reused, not allowing them their time to shine. The remaster was the perfect opportunity to add quality-of-life changes, remove repetitive parts, and add in new sections. The difficulty settings also don’t appear to reduce the number of bullets each enemy requires to take out, leading to further repetition in the gameplay. I love Suda 51’s work and really wanted to love this remaster, but it just misses the mark in so many ways.

See all 16 Critic Reviews