Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered

Not much of the original game changed in the Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered. Instead, this re-release opted to sharpen existing graphics, add motion controller support to aiming, and include a New Game+. Either way, Shadows of the Damned has aged surprisingly well, all things considered. This makes for a great deal at $25, no matter how you slice it.

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.

Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered is the great return of one of the most original and beloved PS3 and Xbox 360 games. It's not flawless, but it's pretty fun.

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!).

The “perfect storm” of talent, fun, and a competitive price makes up for the fact that Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered is an imperfect, unpretentious remaster. Despite everything, it offers the ideal opportunity to revisit this gem from two generations ago.

Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered is, broadly speaking, a next-gen port of the version we enjoyed more than a decade ago. Its logical graphical improvement (4K, 60 FPS) offers some contrasts and generally leaves behind the feeling that it could have offered something more; it keeps its sense of humor and roguelike approach intact, but it doesn't offer any great innovations beyond a "Plus" game mode. Although we regret that the original vision of Suda51 was not offered, the truth is that this is the best opportunity to enjoy the peculiar adventure of García Hotspur and Johnson, characterized by its B-series touch and its constant cinematic nods. If you've never tried it, this is your chance. If you did before, it's never a bad time to enjoy this duo again and their journey to the depths of the Underworld.

Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered reintroduces a cult game in pure Suda51 style, with its merits and flaws. The remastering work appears a bit listless, sometimes uncertain but above all lacking in attention that aims to file down the many edges of the original game, which was already a bit rough and has obviously not improved with time.

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.

Shadows Of The Damned: Hella Remastered is a nice throwback to an era that feels more distant every day, and it still holds up as an adventure that you want to go over from beginning to end in a single sitting. Unfortunately, the remaster ends up being undercooked, with some lacking features and issues that prevent it from being a better package.

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.

Nothing was done in this Hella Remastered to help Shadows of the Damned in the aspects in which the game underperformed at launch, thirteen years ago. Hence, the game has today the same qualities and the same problems of yesterday, but the latter weigh down the experience much more than before.

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.

While disappointing and plagued with technical issues, Shadows of the Damned is a great game, but it should have stayed in its time. Hella Remastered brings back Garcia Hotspur's journey with fun shooting, but offers few improvements to justify its return.

The nicest thing I can say about this product is that Shadows of the Damned still kicks ass, and it’s an inherently good thing that people can play it on modern hardware thirteen years after its original release. This is a functional port that is certainly an improvement over the original iteration, but it’s also one of the more bare bones ports in recent memory, and calling it a “remaster” is a significant stretch in logic. Part of me is disappointed that more hasn’t been done to make this title shine, but the other part of me says Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered is still a win merely because it exists.