Shadow Man Demo

Solving crimes using voodoo and saving the world from the apocalypse at the same time is not at all strange when it comes to video games, although it is a rather unique idea. Coupled with some good level design choices and a nice plot to drive things forward, the formula can actually end up in the form of a good game, as long as the gameplay is in tune as well.

Shadow Man uses the exact same elements in order to create a story for itself, although it includes a few zombies for good measure and plenty of other abominations to keep you entertained. There are also some platformer-like portions which require you to perform some perfect jumps, as well as avoid traps and falling off into hellish pits.

As far as the story is concerned, it all revolves around Michael Leroi, a dead guy who takes it upon himself to investigate some crimes throughout the country and derail the impending apocalypse as well. He can also switch between Liveside and Deadside, the two worlds that coexist together and only a few creatures are able to jump from one to the other at will.

The defining characteristic of the game seems to be the atmosphere and the level design, because the designers managed to create some of the most fascinating and creepy environments out there. Obviously, these can be admired while you’re waltzing around the Deadside, although Liveside is not much prettier either. The monsters are nicely animated and they are just as terrifying as the landscapes.

From a technical point of view, it must be noted that the graphics held on pretty well, or at least the graphic style. Hence, you can still enjoy the game on a widescreen monitor without any major problems and there shouldn’t be any incompatibility issues in most cases. The one thing you may find annoying are the controls, since you cannot use the mouse and the third-person perspective makes it rather difficult for you to navigate the platforming sections.

Overall, it’s the atmosphere that sticks with you the most when it comes to Shadow Man, because the rest of it is not exactly great. However, the good level design and the intriguing story stay with you for a while after you play the game, which is about as good as it can get in such cases.