DOOM Retrospective

The year was 1993. It was a frigid Canadian December day, you may even say it was as cold as hell.

I was 9 years old, and a pint-size PC gaming fanatic. My first taste of computer gaming had come from the likes of edutainment titles such as Cross Country Canada and The Oregon Trail, as well as some of the Arthur titles which I had played in the classroom. That soon changed when my parents purchased out first home computer, a slightly used but not abused 486, and that opened my eyes to the bold new world of shareware. Through the portal of these magical floppies passed around by my friends I had hopped and bopped my way through the exotic alien worlds of Commander Keen, fought the Nazi scum throughout the moldering corridors of Wolfenstein 3D, and I was totally excited for whatever would come next. Luckily I would not have to wait long.

My friend Ryan called me over to his place, he had just downloaded the newest shareware, something that would "totally blow my effing head off". He bragged about how he had tied up the phone line all night just to download it (he had a 14.4 baud modem, still better than nothing), and then had played all the way through it in the early hours of that morning. He had a damn fine system, a 486 66mhz with 8mb of ram and a sound blaster 16, and a MASSIVE 17" monitor. (It was doubly as good as my own rig, a 486 33mhz with 4mb of ram, no sound card, and a measly 14" monitor.) Ryan told me to have a seat, and simply type in "doom". So that's what I did.

As I typed in the command to launch the game, and the scrolling startup text crawled up the screen, I could feel my heart pounding in anticipation of what could possibly be as amazing as Ryan was hyping it up to be. And then I heard it, the low droning of the title screen theme, and I stood in awe of the color and detail of the green-clad space marine surrounded by hideous, otherworldly foes drenched in the red of the landscape surrounding them. I didn't know it at the time, but this would be the first step on a lifelong adventure through space, hell on earth, and beyond. I chose Knee Deep in the Dead, and my difficulty, and then the screen melted away.

So there I was, in a blue-carpeted landing bay (Oh my gawd, there were floors and ceilings! And different heights too! The walls are at different angles!), the most epic synthesized metal that the Yamaha YMF262 could possibly muster pumping out of the speakers. My hands trembled as I tested the keyboard controls, pleased to find that they responded exactly like they did in Wolfenstein 3D. I took a look around the room, in awe of the colorful and detailed environment visible through the hangar windows. I then walked up to a barrel full of bubbling green goo and did the first thing that came to mind: I started shooting at it.

One messy death and respawn later I was off again, exploring the nooks and crannies of the starting room, finding my way up the stairs to the suit of fancy suit of green armor sitting on a pedestal(no undead grunts yet, I had chosen "I'm Too Young To Die" like a wuss). I then came back down the stairs, and proceeded through the first door I found (ignoring the deadly barrel this time), and came face to face with the first of the game's zombified ex-marines. After exchanging fire and dispatching him, and his compatriot around the corner, I came out into a room with a narrow walkway surrounded by glowing green sludge. It was at that point that I took a fireball to the face, and met my second untimely end.

Another respawn at the beginning of the level, I was starting to realize that anything and everything could kill me. I set out again, confident that I could win this time. I sprinted through, taking out my assailants with ease, and this time dodged the fireballs and nailed the spiny creep on the ledge. Feeling cocky and proud, and avoiding the green goo pooled at the sides of the walkway, I strode through the door into the next room and found myself face to face with another of the spiny bastards. Panicking, I fired blindly at it, setting off another explosive barrel which reduced said spiny and myself into a fine red mist. 

Yet another respawn.

With an enraged roar, and a hearty laugh from Ryan, I set off again through the gauntlet. I managed to rip and tear every demonic freak that crossed my path a fancy new asshole, and even find a pump-action shotgun behind the first spiny's platform in the process. Finding my stride at last I continued my rampage through the next six levels, through nuclear plants, refineries and command centers, until I reached the ominous sounding Phobos Anomoly. I had learned to use explosive barrels to my advantage, and so I had no problem shredding the four butt-ugly gorilla-like pink demons near the entrance. Felling confident I took the elevator upstairs, straight into the lair of the two ugliest freaks I had ever seen, the Barons of Hell.

My first encounter with the barons went as expected, with my head immediately finding a new home up my arse. The second time went slightly better, I actually lasted 10 seconds or so that time! After 20 or so attempts I finally became good enough at strafing between their fireballs while delivering a salvo of rocket fire to take them out. As their still-warm corpses hit the floor the walls started rumbling, lowering slowly to the ground to reveal a vast outdoor arena. I braced myself, expecting to be overtaken by an onslaught of new foes, but they never came. I curiously explored the area, and found a teleporter platform at the end.

As I stepped through the teleporter, everything went black. I heard my space marine being torn limb from limb by invisible attackers, grunting in pain as what was left of his health drained, finally falling to his unseen foes. Then the screen melted once again, the ending text scrolling slowly out. It told me of my marine's fate, and of the battles that lie ahead if I was so bold as to face the challenge. I would have to order the full game to continue the experience. That would cost money. My young mind reeled, trying to work out how we would pay for it. 

I came to a decision.

Eyes wide, I turned to Ryan.

"We're gonna have to shovel a HELL of a lot of snow, man!"

Review: Lunistice (Switch)

Lunistice

Developed by: A Grumpy Fox

Published by: Deck 13

Date of Release: November 10, 2022

Price: $4.99

It's not too often that a game comes along out of nowhere that just sweeps me away in a whirlwind of nostalgic feelings. I've been playing such a glut of retro-styled games lately that the gimmick is starting to lose its charm and I feel like I've fallen into a rut. However, when it comes to Lunistice on the Nintendo Switch, things are completely different. Not only does it really look and feel like a classic PSX era release, but it also does such an amazing job of representing that mid-90s time period that it was able to snap me right out of my retro nostalgia doldrum.

At its core Lunistice is a tried-and-true 3D platformer with enemies to stomp, tricky jumps to make, and plenty of collectables to grab. The candy-colored aesthetic with its beautiful retrowave sunsets and chunky low-poly art evokes fond memories of mascot games for the good old PlayStation, and the super-adorable protagonist, Hana the Tanuki, would have seemed perfectly at home on the classic console. She controls like a dream too, perfectly responding to player inputs with no perceptible lag to speak of. 

The graphical presentation of Lunistice is utterly peak PlayStation in all its glory, with pixelated textures and dithered transparencies, sprinkled with chunky pixels galore. Despite all the busy action on screen and the massive draw distance, the framerate is a buttery smooth 60fps. The audio and music are also crisp and clean, perfectly resembling the best of what the 32-bit days had to offer. In my humble opinion A Grumpy Fox should be proud of what they've accomplished here, and I hope to see more of their work in the future. This game is an utter steal at $4.99, and I'd recommend it to literally anyone with a Switch. Go buy it already!

Review: Chasm: The Rift

Chasm: The Rift
Ported by: General Arcade

Published by: SNEG

Date of Release: October 10, 2022

Price: $19.99

In the year 1996 id software released their blockbuster first person shooter known simply as Quake. Building on the success of Doom it featured gorgeous 3D environments and an epic CD soundtrack. It very much redefined what a first-person shooter could be and set the stage for the future of the genre. In 1997, a Ukrainian studio known as Action Forms released their take on the 3D FPS, Chasm: The Rift. it wasn't quite as successful as Quake; however, it became a cult classic over the years to come, and commands quite an expensive resell price due to scarcity. But now in 2022 General Arcade has brought Chasm kicking and screaming into the modern world!

At first glance, Chasm: The Rift could be mistaken as being a sequel to Quake, despite using a far more basic engine, and more simplistic game style. The graphics look the part, though a fair bit more colorful than Quakes murky browns, and the models have a similar style and chunkiness that one would expect from id's classic. However, Chasm is a beast of its own, and in some ways has a fair bit more environmental detail than Quake did, with quaint medieval villages and high-tech bases galore. The wind farm in the first level certainly comes to mind. On top of that you get voiced mission briefings to set up the story, which is a lot more than Quake did to introduce it's lore.

Chasm definitely satisfies with its level layouts, ambient soundtrack, excellent animations, badass weaponry, varied bestiary, and tough bosses. It's definitely a good game to play if you're into game from the era, and an amazing example of what might have been had id software been located in Ukraine. General Arcade has done an excellent job porting it to modern systems with all the conveniences one would expect, with the exception of multiplayer. The original game also comes packed into Dosbox, with a CD image you could burn and play on period correct hardware as well. It's a well fleshed-out package that any boomer shooter fan should consider adding to their collection.

Review: Turrican Anthology I and II for Switch

Turrican Anthology I and II

Developed By: Ratalaika Games

Published By: ININ Games

Date of Release: July 29, 2022

Price: $34.99 each

When it comes to the classic run and gun genre, a lot of people will argue that Contra or Metal Slug are the absolute best. But IMO that crown is reserved for the likes of Turrican. Sure it came out a bit later than contra, but it had a nice level of polish and flair in comparison, with astounding graphics for the time (so good that Apogee Software ripped them off for Duke Nukem II!), and a masterful soundtrack by Chris Huelsbeck. And now with the Turrican Anthology parts I and II anyone can experience these glorious games on modern systems thanks to the work of Ratalaika and ININ. Both collections span three systems from the Commodore Amiga, Super Nintendo, and the Sega Genesis. There's an excellent variety available here, and the gameplay bang for your buck can't be beat.

The first volume contains the first two Amiga Turrican games in all their glory, as well as the regular and directors cut version of Super Turrican and the score attack mode for Mega Turrican. As for the second collection it has the Amiga version of Turrican 3, the regular and director's cut versions of Mega Turrican, Super Turrican 2, and the score attack for Super Turrican 1. Between the two packages there's enough there for any Turrican fan to be entertained for quite a while. They've managed to cram in a new map system, jukeboxes, remixed and CD-based soundtracks, alternate covers, and an absolute buttload of other goodies. This is as definitive as it gets.

The emulation is as far as I can tell spot on to the originals, though you will notice a difference in framepacing for the Amiga games as they run at 50hz. The usual plethora of Ratalaika's superb CRT shaders are on offer here as well. The controls are completely remappable and don't suffer from input lag at all, and playing on the OLED Nintendo Switch's screen the pixels absolutely POP. All in all these collections are the ultimate way to experience the series for anyone new to the scene or hardcore Turrican fans alike. 

It's a shame there was a false start with the previously released and buggy as hell Turrican Flashback, but don't judge these releases on that collection's shortcomings. It would have been nice to have some sort of upgrade path for people who bought that release, but sometimes things can't be that simple. Despite the previous flubbed attempt I wholeheartedly recommend these collections, so if you haven't bought Flashback be sure to skip it and buy the Anthology packs instead. And if you have bought Flashback already, just delete it to make room for these masterpieces.

Wonder Boy Collection Switch Review

Wonder Boy Collection (Switch)

Developed By: Bliss Brain

Published By: ININ Games

Date of Release: June 3, 2022

Price: $29.99

Long ago in the arcade dominated era of 1986, a small company named Westone released a game called Wonder Boy, published by SEGA in the arcades. Starring a blonde caveman on a quest to save his girlfriend, it was a decent hit. It spawned a whole franchise of sequels and spinoffs, and even got a port to home consoles by Hudson as "Adventure Island", spawning an entire new franchise. From there the rest is history.

Wonder Boy Collection on the Nintendo Switch contains the 4 most iconic entries in the series. The original Wonder Boy is a platforming title which will of course feel familiar to anyone who has played Adventure Island, as it is pretty much the same game. Wonder Boy in Monster Land was the second game, and it's very much an action RPG rather than a straight up platformer (it also has some of the most horrifying boxart on the Master System). The third title, Wonder Boy in Monster World, is actually the fifth title and is a metroidvania-lite action RPG. as for the fourth title in this collection? Monster World IV is the only game in this collection that doesn't star the titular Wonder boy, and instead stars a newcomer Asha. it's a full on metroidvania and arguably the best title in this collection.

There is definitely a lot of gameplay here in this set, and unfortunately you don't get much more than that. Each game is well emulated, however some of the graphics settings are a bit odd, with the last two games in the set having forced bilinear filtering with the CRT emulation that muddles the image. All that's really on offer here is a barebones gallery that has boxart and manuals and not much else. On top of that, some of the best games in the series (next to MWIV) are missing, and are instead only available in the limited set from strictly limited games, which raises the question: why are digital fans getting the shaft here? Still, this is a decent and functional collection, with four games that are definitely worth playing. Still would have made more sense to have just one collection with all the games.

Pocky & Rocky Reshrined Switch Review

Pocky & Rocky Reshrined

Developed By: Natsume

Published By: ININ Games

Date of Release: June 24, 2022

Price: $29.99

In the vast world of the shoot-em-up (SHMUP) genre, a theme that often pops up is Japanese mythology. From the likes of Touhou to the classic Guwange, it's a topic that seems to fit quite well. And in the case of today's game, Pocky and Rocky Reshrined, it's clear that this title wears it's influences on it's adorable sleeve. Reshrined is essentially a reboot/sequel of the classic cute 'em up series, Kiki Kaikai.  Playing as the titular shrine maiden Pocky and her tanuki friend Rocky, it's up to the player to eliminate a host of mischievous Japanese spirits that are running amok.

It definitely helps that the gameplay in Reshrined is just as refined as in the original games. It's a scrolling shooter where you can fire your attacks in 8 directions while running around on foot as the stage scrolls about in different directions. It's definitely an effective gameplay system, and with the enemies coming from all directions it can get pretty hectic. Thankfully the fun factor is there. The graphics and soundtrack also do not disappoint, with lush visuals and rearranged tracks from the classic games. The presentation is well worth the price of admission alone.

Sadly not all things can be perfect. Pocky and Rocky Reshrined is only about 40-60 minutes long depending on your skill, though it is worth replaying again to improve on your score. There's also a bit of censorship on one of the characters outfits but seriously it doesn't detract from the gameplay in the slightest, and if you're going to skip the game/harass the devs over some missing cleavage, that doesn't speak very highly of your logic (seriously I've seen people wish bodily harm on the devs/localization team over it. What the hell?). All in all, Pocky and Rocky Reshrined is a worthy addition to the series, and I highly recommend it to anyone who's a fan of either the series or the genre. Diehard fans should also check out the physical versions of the game at Pocky & Rocky Reshrined (gamesrocket.com)

Remote Life Switch Review

Remote Life
Developed By: Next Game Level
Published By: Ratalaika Games
Date of Release: May 27, 2022
Price: $18.99

Well I've been seriously blown away here. I've just experienced Remote Life, a new SHMUP from one-man dev team Mario Malagrino. I was honestly not sure what to expect when I saw the previews, but I can say with no doubts that this has been an awesome experience to play. It seems like lately these solo dev efforts (the Axiom Verge games for instance) manage to outshine a lot of recent releases from major studios. Remote life definitely falls into the category of outstanding solo efforts, and the production values are though the roof.

Remote Life is a horizontally scrolling SHMUP with a seriously unique playstyle and art design. The artwork is quite unlike any series I've seen before and has a techno-organic feel to it, and the animation quality id extremely fluid, it really needs to be seen in motion to be believed. As for the gameplay, the standard horizontal SHMUP gameplay has been blended amazingly with a dual-stick firing setup, which lets you aim at enemies anywhere on the screen. The difficulty is pretty tough on the default setting, but it's definitely fair. My only complaint is that you can collide with some of the items that look like they should be in the background, though it may be just a bug with the parallaxing.

The soundtrack is really unique as well, with awesome 80's style buttrock coupled with great synths. Then it switches gears and goes full on dubstep. On top of that there's dialog voiced with these bizarre voice synthesizers, and it totally fits the feel of the game. If the dev was going for an overall atmosphere to match weird 90's scifi, he definitely succeeded. All in all, Remote Life is a badass SHMUP, and I can definitely recommend it, especially at the asking price.

Cotton Fantasy Switch Review

Cotton Fantasy 
Developed By: Success

Published By: ININ Games

Date of Release: May 20, 2022

Price: $49.99

Those who have been reading my blog for a while now certainly know my dark secret: I have a weakness for the Cute-em-up style of SHMUPS. Especially the Cotton series as a whole. From its humble beginnings on Japanese retro computers to the home console versions, I've always loved the series. And now Success has released the latest iteration in the franchise, Cotton Fantasy on the Nintendo Switch, but does this new title hold up to the series pedigree? 

For starters the general presentation is a sight to behold. colourful 2D cutscenes pop off the screen with decent voice acting at key points in the game. The voice acting continues into the gameplay, and this is where my first complaint arises. There is no translation for the Japanese voices during gameplay (despite subtitles being promised), and the characters talk a mile a minute. Adding to the confusion it doesn't matter which character you select, the game simply proceeds during cutscenes as if you've chosen Cotton herself.

The music is up to par with the rest of the series, and so is the core gameplay loop, but the entire experience seems to lack polish, from the missing subtitles, graphical glitches and slowdown, music looping incorrectly or simply just cutting out randomly, and so forth. The game's polygonal graphics, while sufficient, lack the charm of the series signature sprites. All in all the whole package seems underwhelming, especially with such a steep asking price. My suggestion is if you're a Cotton fan, wait for a sale.

Taito Milestones Switch Review

Taito Milestones
Developed/Published By: ININ Games
Date of Release: April 15, 2022
Price: $39.99

Back in the 80s, arcade gaming was really starting to take off, thanks to the likes of companies such as Namco, Midway, Atari and others. However there was also another major name out there at the time, Taito. They pretty much revolutionized the arcade landscape with their 1978 smash hit Space Invaders, and they really kept the hits coming. And now with the release of Taito milestones on Nintendo Switch, it's possible to explore an eclectic and interesting collection of those titles on the go. 

Included in Taito Milestones are 10 games from across the decade of the 80s, with a wide variety of genres. The titles are: Alpine Ski, Chack'n Pop, Elevator Action, The Fairyland Story, Front Line, Halleys Comet, The Ninjawarriors, Qix, Space Seeker, and Wild Western. It's certainly an interesting collection of games, and a decent representation of the 80s Taito, though I think it would have been nice to see Kiki Kaikai and Arkanoid on here.

All in all however, the offering of games on display here are definitely worth experiencing, and they are all well emulated with an absolute plethora of options to customize the display and controls, and even the triple-monitor madness of The Ninjawarriors is represented perfectly here. There's no discernible input lag, and the sound seems spot on. My only complaint really is the small selection of games that are on offer considering the somewhat steep asking price. It would be nice if some more titles could be added later on as DLC. Anyway, if you are an arcade fan, then Taito Milestones is definitely worth checking out.

River City Girls Zero Switch Review

River City Girls Zero
Developed By: Wayforward/Limited Run Games/Technos

Published By: Wayforward

Date of Release: February 14, 2022

Price: $14.99

Well at this point it's no secret that Technos' Kunio-Kun series is an epic saga of badassery, and the latest release from Wayforward, River City Girls Zero is no exception. Hailing from the halcyon days of the Super Famicom, this title was originally released as Shin Nekketsu Koha: Kunio-tachi no Banka in the year 1994. This fourth entry into the beat-em-up franchise marked the first time that Misako and Kyoko were playable characters, as they teamed up with Kunio and Riki to liberate their hometown.

This port of the game is the first time that the game has been localized for a western audience and has a new script that matches the tone of River City Girls, as well as a new theme song/anime intro and manga cutscenes as well. There's also the option to play a literal translation of the game, or the original Japanese version as well. The localization is rather welcome as this is an incredibly lore-heavy game, with an extensive plot laid out through character dialogue. The emulation is spot-on, using MVG's Carbon Engine, previously seen in the Switch port of Shantae. It's really a masterful effort.

Of course none of this would matter if the game was no good, eh? Luckily this is one of the better titles in the series, despite the slightly clunky combat compared to more modern titles, however that's to be expected considering the game is 28 years old at the time of this review. It's still an amazing experience, and Wayforward has truly done an excellent job bringing it into these modern times and updating the story to match their canon. River City Girls Zero is a must have for anyone who is a fan of the series, or beat-em-up fans in general.

Powerslave Exhumed PC/Switch review

Powerslave Exhumed

Developed by: Night Dive Studios

Published by: Night Dive Studios

Date of Release: February 10, 2022

Price: $19.99

Well, today we're going to be looking at the classic Egyptian-themed metal album Powerslave by Iron Maiden. Wait no... what we have here is a classic FPS game being remastered for modern systems, my bad! Back in 1996 Lobotomy Software released this amazing game on the SEGA Saturn, powered by it's in-house SlaveDriver engine. Powerslave is a FPS set in Egypt during an alien invasion, and rather than just being a standard FPS affair it actually has a structure more reminiscent of Metroid Prime. Later on it would get a port to the Sony PlayStation, and also an entirely different and linear version for PC built on the same Build Engine that powered Duke Nukem 3D. Somewhat ironically, the SlaveDriver engine would power the Saturn version of Duke Nukem 3D (as well as Quake!).

Powerslave Exhumed is a combination of the best features of both the Saturn and PlayStation versions, all rolled into a delicious new burrito of first-person metroidvania goodness. Night Dive Studios have transplanted it into their tried and tested KEX engine, fitted with all the modern conveniences that one would expect from a remaster of this caliber. From widescreen graphics to a CRT filter that has a bevy of options to mess around with including simulations of the original console graphics, there's something here for everyone. It's quite an experience with both version to play Powerslave at 60 FPS in modern resolutions. The better visibility and control also make the platforming sections much more palatable.

The Switch version of Powerslave Exhumed has some lovely gyro aiming support, and using the joycons on the switch in handheld or using a pro controller both feel quite intuitive and snappy. As for the PC version, you can also play it with keyboard/mouselook, though at the time of writing there's no Y-axis inversion which makes things difficult for those who grew up on classic PC games, however the devs say support will be patched in as it was merely an oversight. All in all it's clear that a lot of love was put into this port, and it's nice that a new generation of gamers will be able to experience this definitive version of such a classic game. If you're a fan of retro shooters, metroidvanias, or just having a good time in general, I seriously recommend picking it up.

River City Girls PS5 Review

 River City Girls PS5

Developed By: WayForward
Published By: Arc System Works
Date of Release: January 20, 2022
Price: $29.99

Back in the good old NES days, there was one game that always had me coming back for more, it was the famous River City Ransom. A sidescrolling beat-em-up with mild RPG elements, it was an amazing experience and it blew my young mind. You'd beat the crap out of your foes, take their lunch money, and use it to level up in shops and spas. The gameplay was tight, and the graphics were awesome for the time. Later on I found out that River City Ransom is actually part of a larger series from japan known as Kunio-Kun, and I had a blast playing the other entries in the series whether they had been localized or not. There have been a lot of games in the series over the years covering a wide range of genres, and I loved them all. But that's all in the past though, in modern day 2019 Arc System Works teamed up with WayForward to make a new spinoff entry in the series: River City Girls, and it was AMAZING, very much worthy of it's place alongside the mainline Kunio games. And now with this re-release on the PS5 (with a free upgrade for PS4 owners might I add!) even more people can enjoy it.

River City Girls stars Kunio and Riki's girlfriends Kyoko and Misako as they set off on an ass-kicking adventure to rescue their missing boyfriends. And kick ass they do, with style and flair! The spritework in RCG is absolutely amazing, with fluid animation and amusingly exaggerated expressions on your foes as they receive their beatdown. The fighting system feels just as good as in the original games, and has some decent upgrades as well with EXP earned for knockouts, and the ability to recruit defeated foes. The music and voices are amazing, with an awesome assortment of vocal tracks backing some stages. The controls are tight, and fighting your foes feels great with awesomely destructive combos and special moves you can pull off. The DualSense controller really gives you a good sense of feedback through it's haptics as you pull off combos. The bosses are also incredibly punishing, until you figure out their attack patterns and grind a couple levels. When you finally beat them it feels like a real accomplishment.



The only complaint I really have with River City Girls is that the multiplayer is local couch co-op only. I'd have liked to play online with my friends but it just doesn't have that feature, and I suppose the timing would have been a nightmare to get going over the internets. But other than the lack of online, this is an amazingly solid experience. The local co-op is extremely well done, with friendly-fire options that can lead to plenty of amusing situations (and real world fights!). The story is extremely entertaining, overflowing with anime cutscenes and awesomely voiced manga panel based cutscenes to tell the story. River City Girls is every bit in the spirit of the rest of the Kunio-Kun series, and WayForward should be proud of what they accomplished. I'm absolutely looking forward to River City Girls 2 and Zero later this year.

ShadowMan Remastered Switch Review

 

ShadowMan Remastered

Developed and Published by: NightDive Studios

Date of Release: April 17, 2022

Price: $19.99

 

In the beginning, there was Acclaim. Maskers of many good games, and seemingly as many bad ones. Masters of the licensed tie-in game, they weaved tales of dinosaur hunters, foul-mouthed children, and roid-raging police officers alike. Then came the game that in my humble opinion put Acclaim on the map, ShadowMan. Released in 1999 on the Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Dreamcast and PC to moderate fanfare, it was a sprawling third-person shooter of metroidvanian influence. The scope of the game was quite massive for the era, despite having a large amount of planned content cut out to ship it in time. Regardless of any cuts, the Nintendo 64 version was amazing, quite easily one of my favorite games on the system. I don't think I've ever played a game that just drips with so much atmosphere, with the dark ambience just oozing from every pore of this game's being. 

The voodoo-based trappings of ShadowMan's story paint a colorful backdrop to the game word, and the visual presentation is very unique. The visual aesthetic is wonderfully twisted as gothic architecture gives way to rusted industrial brutalism, and structures made of stitched skin with bone supports. The whole world has a real lived-in(or died-in) feel to it, and you can almost smell the blood and corrosion caking the surfaces. The soundscape of ShadowMan can simultaneously be a treat for the ears, but also nightmare fuel at the same time. The haunting ambient melodies that play as you traverse Deadside give way to the horrific sounds of torture and surgical machinery as you traverse the Asylum.

Now there original game holds up pretty well, but NightDive wasn't satisfied with that. They got Kaiser to rip out ShadowMan's soul and transplant it into the KEX engine, with all the modern conveniences that such a process entails, and on top of that they have restored the majority of the cut content, had the composer remaster the original soundtrack and compose new tracks for the cut areas, and then reskinned the entire package with HD textures, uncensored the models, and added improved rendering. As if that wasn't enough, they then updated the control scheme, re-did the physics, and then shoved a SECOND Violator up it's arse (hope it fits!).

All of these enhancements seriously made the PC version of ShadowMan Remastered a must have, and that resulted in it being at the time my favorite way to experience the game. However now that it has been ported over to the Nintendo Switch with all of the bells and whistles intact, and the full suite of graphical options as seen on PC, not to mention the new gyro controls, the Switch version is by far the definitive way to play ShadowMan. All in all NightDive, Kaiser and the KEX team have outdone themselves. The Loa smile on this remaster, as well as this amazing Switch port, and I wholeheartedly recommend checking it out.