Shadows: Awakening

 Xbox One
Shadows: Awakening Image
Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
6.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 14 Ratings

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  • Summary: Shadows: Awakening is a unique, isometric single-player RPG with real-time tactical combat. You take control of a demon summoned from the Shadow Realm to consume the souls of long-dead heroes and embark on an epic adventure.
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Shadows: Awakening - Official Release Trailer

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. Generación Xbox
    Sep 28, 2018
    76
    If you like puzzles, exploring the maps will be the most entertaining and will make us be attentive to our environment.
  2. 4P.de
    Sep 14, 2018
    72
    This enhanced and in terms of story completed re-release of the 2014 action RPG Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms still has some interesting ideas, but also still doesn’t manage to give Diablo 3 or Victor Vran a run for their money.
  3. TheXboxHub
    Sep 19, 2018
    70
    Shadow’s Awakening is very solid indeed. Fans of the genre will have a lot of fun here and should well enjoy the depth of gameplay that is on offer. The switching between worlds in a great trick and the developers use it superbly well, whilst the fully voiced cast offer an extra dimension.
  4. ZTGD
    Sep 26, 2018
    70
    Shadows: Awakening is a solid game in a genre that is easy to get lost in. The issue is that its high price point and drawbacks make it hard to recommend above something else. It just doesn’t stand enough on its own two legs to be remarkable. That doesn’t take away from the fact that I enjoyed nearly my entire time with it. Those that pick it up will likely not be disappointed; it is just getting someone to take the plunge that could cause problems. This is the kind of game that would have benefitted from being just a bit cheaper at the outset.
  5. AusGamers
    Sep 23, 2018
    65
    Shadows: Awakening feels different enough, thanks to integrating the idea of character and class swapping into the core design of both the mechanics and story. But even so the by-product of this is more micro-management and loot scrubbing duties placed on the player, that isn’t helped by an overall pace that feels too slow.
  6. GameSpew
    Sep 6, 2018
    60
    Sadly, a tedious story combined with finicky menus and dull characters means that Shadows Awakening doesn’t fully wake up to its potential. It’s a decent RPG with some new ideas, but it’s not going to set your world on fire.

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 2 out of 5
  1. StoffelPresents
    Sep 4, 2018
    9
    Back in the early 2000s, we had what was, in my opinion, one of the golden ages of role-playing games. My favourites of the era were IcewindBack in the early 2000s, we had what was, in my opinion, one of the golden ages of role-playing games. My favourites of the era were Icewind Dale 1 & 2, the Divine Divinity series, Neverwinter Nights and Baldur’s Gate to name a few. These games had an isometric viewpoint with massive worlds to explore and were packed full of content. Many secrets to find and h,ours upon hours of engaging quests to complete with captivating storylines whether they be a main quest or side missions. This role playing games had a certain feel to the gameplay too in the way the characters moved, the way they felt to play. I am struggling to put it into words but hopefully if you have played any of those games before you will know what I mean. Shadows Awakening feels a lot like those older games and is one of the best action RPGs I have played this generation.

    Story
    Shadows Awakening takes place in the Heretic Kingdoms universe created by developers The Game Farm. Players assume the role of The Devourer, a hulking demon-like entity that can consume and control the souls of fallen heroes which the game refers to as “puppets”. These heroes have typical RPG classes such as Evia the mage and Urshak who is a small impish like character who is an archer. Players can switch between characters at any time while playing by tapping the left or right bumper buttons. You can combine their abilities in combat and in puzzle solving in order to progress. The story revolves around a secret council known as the Penta Nera who were assassinated and consumed by other Devourers. The Devourers are now controlling their bodies to gain the power of the council over the people of the Heretic Kingdoms so it is up to you to stop them. You will meet many NPCs on your journey each being fully voiced as well as text dialogue. When you talk to them you will have a number of dialogue options. Each of the heroes and The Devourer are fully voiced as well and will have different lines depending on who you are currently playing as when talking to NPCs. The story is very good and I enjoyed all of the dialogue. There is also collectable lore further fleshing out the back story of the game world.

    Gameplay
    As I have mentioned you play as The Devourer and can control up to 3 heroes as well. You can switch between them whenever you want during gameplay. The Devourer lives in the Shadow Realm and the heroes in the Mortal Realm. So you have to switch between them as often times there may be a wall in the Mortal Realm that doesn’t exist in the Shadow Realm for example so you can pass through it as The Devourer then switch back to one of the mortals. Switching between realms is also used in puzzle solving. For example one area had rotating platforms in the Mortal Realm and by switching to the Shadow Realm I was able to freeze them in place in order to cross them. In combat when switching between the realms you can combine each characters abilities. Like The Devourer’s Frost Chain ability will freeze several enemies in place then you can switch to a hero to attack them. There are times where you enemies have two health bars. One you have to attack them as The Devourer then switch to a hero to deplete the other health bar and kill them.

    Most enemies can only be damaged by the heroes and The Devourer supports with magic like the Frost Chain ability I mentioned. There are also spirits wondering the Shadow Realm who will attack The Devourer but do not exist in the Mortal Realm. The game also has Diablo style loot with lots of chests containing Silver, the game’s currency, and random weapon and armour drops. With different rarity levels common, uncommon, rare & epic. Like many other games of this type. The Devourer has his own chests containing random loot called Shadow Crystals which can only be accessed when playing as him in the Shadow Realm. Controls are very simple and easy to get to grips with. Your normal attacks are performed with the A button and you can assign 3 abilities to X, Y & B from the inventory menu as you like. When you begin the game you will choose your first hero from a warrior, a mage and an archer. Each character has his or her own back story which you will hear when you first encounter them and can read more about them from the menu.

    You have to collect special powerups to heal which can be used at any time with the left trigger but are a pretty finite resource so making good use of your abilities and avoiding taking damage in combat is necessary. The game has 4 difficulty levels Easy, Normal, Hard & Extreme. I played it on the default Normal difficulty and I found it to be challenging enough that I wasn’t breezing through fights without being overly difficult. But people looking for a meatier challenge the options are there for you and likewise if you want it to be less taxing then you can put it on Easy. Accessibility is very good then with simple controls and a good range of diffi    … Expand
  2. Ramonremo
    Jul 2, 2021
    8
    O jogo eh desajeitado as vezes.
    Meio esquisito a jogabilidade e comandos interfaces também.
    Crashou comigo algumas vezes. Tirando isso, é    O jogo eh desajeitado as vezes.
    Meio esquisito a jogabilidade e comandos interfaces também.
    Crashou comigo algumas vezes.
    Tirando isso, é muito bom, a história é fascinante, os personagens bem dublados e divertidos e a jogabilidade, embora desajeitada, também é mto legal.    … Expand
  4. Xbox_Alive
    Sep 4, 2018
    8
    The presentation side of the game does a great job of creating an immersive experience and both the visuals and sound design combine togetherThe presentation side of the game does a great job of creating an immersive experience and both the visuals and sound design combine together well. I really enjoyed the story that was present in the game because not only was it fun but it also held my interest throughout my time with the game. Combat in the game is very fun and has plenty of depth to it so I ended up being satisfied most of of the time when in combat. Each character you can play in the game has had a lot of thought and effort placed into them and that meant playing as each different character felt rewarding. The RPG mechanics have been implemented really well and in some ways they do have a unique side to them. Unfortunately the game suffers with quite a few technichal issues. There isn’t a lot in terms of variety when it comes to the enemies you face in the game. The puzzles aren’t anything ground-breaking and some are a little on the basic side. Does Shadows: Awakening do enough to get a recommendation from me? Shadows: Awakening is a pretty good RPG that offers you some unique and interesting takes on a tried and tested formula. It combines these unique and interesting elements together extremely well and this filters into the combat which is fun and exciting to say the least. Another aspect of the game that’s also fun and exciting is the story that’s been implemented. The story keeps you invested throughout your time with the game and it also makes you want to play as each character. You’ll be pleased to know then that playing as each character is well worth your time because there’s a lot of thought and effort gone into each character. Technically the game isn’t too bad but it does suffer with a few issues every now and then which can be a little annoying from time to time. That being said I was able to look past these issues pretty easily in the end and when it’s all said and done as far as Action RPG’s are concerned Shadows: Awakening is definitely a good addition to the genre.… Expand
  5. Broyax
    Jun 18, 2021
    1
    Tiens, voici (encore !) un clone de Diablol et encore (donc) un « hak et slach » à la godille (c’est-à-dire ‘ah quelles taches !’ en langageTiens, voici (encore !) un clone de Diablol et encore (donc) un « hak et slach » à la godille (c’est-à-dire ‘ah quelles taches !’ en langage normal) bricolé vite fait par quelques blaireaux sans aucune inspiration, sinon que l’inspiration clonesque (et clownesque) de ces saloperies de Diablol de ces branques de Bliretard.

    A priori, ça sentirait presque l’indé et notamment l’étron indé mais il s’agit sans doute d’un simple A… ou plutôt d’un B- voire en fait d’un C+. Ou C+++ (triple C) parce que c’est vraiment très, très, très con comme « jeu » !

    Un « jeu » boulotté avec la daube Unity mais plutôt joli quand même (c’est pour ça que je donne un point -qund même) ; l’ennui et la répétition sont bien entendu bien présents (hélas) dans ce petit monde de fantasy générique qui fait toc. Une daubasse donc très typique du genre qui n’a aucun putain d’intérêt (on ne peut même pas s’essuyer avec !).    … Expand
  6. neomoonsevin
    May 21, 2023
    1
    Garbage gold game I don't like these fantasy topdown RPGs I used to back in the 80s n 90s but not in 2023 throw this shert out

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