Shadows: Awakening is a recent isometric RPG developed and published by German developer Kalypso Media. If you are not familiar with the term isometric RPG, it’s a visual style often associated with dungeon crawlers like the genre defining Diablo and Baldur’s Gate. Much like it’s predecessors, Shadows: Awakening follows the formula of enter area, kill monsters, loot, repeat. Which can make for a fine gaming experience yet Shadows aspires to be something more. The differences are apparent from the onset as you begin the game as the Devourer, a soul eating demon whom can only traverse the shadow realm, within minutes you are given a chance to control the first of your puppets.
Puppets are souls the Devourer absorbs. He can control these puppets in the land of the living from the shadow realm. With a button tap you switch from the Devourer to anyone of his puppets (up to 3 at a time). The puppet you choose in the beginning functions as a main character of sorts as they are the one to interact with the living NPCs.
Given the choice of three puppets at this point, each represents a class used in the game, Kalig the Bandit King, a warrior; Jasker, an archer; and Evia, a mage who specializes in fire magic. It is important to note that the puppets you acquire in the game all fall within these three classes, yet with enough unique stats and abilities to make them stand on their own and even compliment the other characters’ attacks, but more on that in a bit. Each of the Devourer’s initial puppets, has their own story to tell, and all having died at different points, Kalig within the last year, Jasker over a decade ago, and Evia over three centuries(!), their interactions are reflected within the world of the game. A world in which the developers made to feel is much larger than the game incorporates. The dialogue is clever and the main puppets interact with the Devourer himself. As the story plays out, the actions of Kalig, Jasker, or Evia have an effect on the Devourer, as he absorbs their memories along with their souls. You shape who he is as a character depending on how you interact with NPCs through your puppets.
Combat in this game might have become dull if it were not for every character having unique attack skills as stated. You begin with ine per character, including the Devourer but more unlock as you level up. You can assign up to three at anytime per character, each assigned to a different button. Switching characters on the fly, you can come up with some great combo attacks between puppets. Playing as Jasker in my initial playthrough, for example, I developed a combo with another puppet ( One I picked up through a side quest mind you!), where Jasker would pin the enemies to the ground to be followed up by a roll attack from the second puppet immediately after for large amounts of damage to the immobilized foes. The combinations are not just relegated to the puppets. You can chain attack, specifically during boss battles I’ve noticed, with the Devourer as well. These fights are unique in that often times you’ll need to say, lower an enemy’s shield in the shadow realm, only to finish them off in the real world.
Battles are not the only way the game takes advantage of the world switching feature. Shadows: Awakening also features puzzles to solve in order to make your way through many of the games areas. Often times the puzzles require switching realms in order to solve. It can be something as simple as a bridge, or doorway only existing in the shadow realm,or more complex, such as the puzzle where you can only cross as a puppet, yet the way ahead can only be revealed by switching to the Devourer. A wrong step would lead to death. The puzzles it can be said though, while providing a bit of variety, are often a bit too easy.
All in all the game is a fun experience and if you have the time, it’s worth a second or third playthrough if you want to experience the other starting puppets, and even more as the game contains multiple endings, again, based on your interactions with the game’s NPCs. It’s not to difficult to get into, and fans of the genre will pick it up immediately. The puzzles are never too challenging, and the game may feel repetitive to players not familiar to the dungeon crawler format. Fans of this type of game will find a lot to like however, and the additions add enough variety to make you feel like your playing something completely new.
