Shadowgrounds Demo

Top-down shooters may not be in tune with modern trends, but when they are done right, the perspective is not all that important in the end. Thus, the action can be portrayed from basically any angle, as long as the events unfolding on the screen are worthy of attention and the mechanics are responsive enough not to be a bother on the long run.

Shadowgrounds is one of these games and it revolves around a human colony on another planet, which is unexpectedly attacked by a race of vicious aliens. As one of the few able persons that's part of the colony, you are responsible for dealing with the threat, in order to save the lives of the other inhabitants and push back the hordes of aliens, using a huge arsenal of futuristic weapons to do so.

Although it is not fairly obvious, the game also throws a few RPG elements into the mix, due to the fact that it is possible to upgrade some of the weapons and customize the character a bit as you go along through the levels. However, it still remains a shooter at core, mainly because most of your time will be spent unloading clip after clip into unending swarms of odd creatures.

In order to make the experience a bit more interesting, the game features a very malleable environment, which means that most of the objects scattered throughout the levels are destructible. Beside the obvious visual appeal, this gimmick can also be used in the actual gameplay, since falling trees and exploding containers are very useful when you are severely outnumbered.

The weapons themselves are also quite creative, especially in the later stages when you get to wield lasers that are capable of cutting the aliens into pieces. Thanks to the potent graphics engine, these effects are very nicely rendered on the screen, together with good illumination and solid particle effects. The level design is quite interesting and well-made, although it gets a bit repetitive after a while.

Shadowgrounds is definitely worth a try, especially if you are a fan of the sci-fi genre and the top-down perspective does not bother you. Moreover, a great deal of effort went into the actual storyline, which is a welcomed surprise.