I learned a lot more about Shadows of the Damned, a new third person horror action game from Grasshopper Manufacture and EA, after participating in a virtual roundtable with Steve Matulac (Senior Producer), and Joel Wade (Producer), both from EA. Shadows was created by Suda 51, of No More Heroes and Killer7 fame, as well as Shinji Mikami (Resident Evil 4, Vanquish). Better still is the fact that Akira Yamaoka (Silent Hill) is taking care of the music. Understandably, there is a lot of hype surrounding Shadows.
The story presents Garcia, a motorcycle ridin’, black leather jacket wearing professional demon hunter as the protagonist. He is going to Hell. Not so much because he wants to, but because Fleming, the antagonist, has kidnapped Paula, Garcia’s girlfriend. He did this because he wants to lure the skilled demon hunter into Hell to destroy him.
If you have seen any trailers, or the screenshots in this article, this vision of Hell is not what you expect. Suda’s role in this game is primarily on the atmosphere and story, connecting the player to the game, while Mikami focuses more on gameplay mechanics such as controls, boss battles, and so on. In designing Hell, Suda went in a very different direction than the typical western interpretation. You won’t see anything in this Hell that will remind you of Dante’s Inferno for example. The eastern vision of Hell, we were told, is quite a bit different. It’s a place that people (souls?) can visit, and leave, in other words, you aren’t trapped there. Furthermore, Hell in Shadows is relatable, as far as there being urban-like structures.
So what type of experience is Suda’s Hell? It certainly looks like nothing you will have experienced before. Sure, there are a variety of grotesque demons eager to munch on your soul, which isn’t new. Many of these demons have somewhat of a human look to them. They will crawl, run, cloak, and attack at range. Some demons have armor, to protect them from the light. Light and darkness are perhaps the biggest aspects of the gameplay — Garcia uses light to hurt the demons, while the demons use darkness. Knowing how to approach a particular action sequence, or how to dismantle a boss piece by piece, we were told, is what makes this a thinking man’s shooter. The environment, the enemies, and your weapon, all deal with the light and darkness mechanic and it’s up to you to use it as needed to survive. It sounds a lot like something out of Alan Wake, which isn’t a bad thing.
Garcia’s weapon is actually a demon, but a sort of traitor demon, or one that is on his side. It’s also his sidekick. It’s know as Johnson, and it can take various forms including the Boner (where it shoots out bone shards), the Teether (shoots teeth), and a skull form too (called the Skullcussioner, although I think I have that misspelled). As you may discern, Shadows has a lot of sexual connotations and crude humor throughout. EA isn’t worried about backlash, but they are concerned that people won’t give the game a fair chance. They do point out that the crude humor makes this an action comedy with a heavy dose of psychological horror, rather than something flatly horror like Dead Space. On that note, the horror angle on Shadows is a constant, building one rather than one that looks to make you jump like Dead Space or FEAR would. The truly bizarre nature of this Hell, the stress of it, is meant to provide a steady sense of horror but that is balanced with lots of humor, too.
It’s clear there is a lot of action in this game, but I also asked about other aspects of the gameplay, such as puzzles or adventure elements. I was informed that, in addition to the constant strategy of knowing how best to use the light, Garcia will also encounter 3D mazes. These mazes are like Escher drawings where Garcia has to manipulate a room to get from one side to the other. If he does not complete the puzzle correctly, more enemies may pop up. Some parts of the game are also played in a side scrolling, 2D fashion.
These puzzles also provide a way to find red gems, which are the upgrade currency the game uses. There are ‘micro’ and ‘macro’ upgrades. You can upgrade Garcia’s health, the duration of the light shots from Johnson, and Johnson can be upgraded too with advanced versions of his various forms. Gems are also used to buy items from vending machines, as well, including alcohol to restore Garcia’s health.
Shadows of the Damned has a lot going for it, and we’ll know soon enough how it turns out as the game releases next week. Stay tuned.
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