Recent reviews by Pt.Jones

I can't believe this game came out 10 years ago, I must say that it aged quite well just like with wine.

If your looking for a cinematic horror experience full with mystery and action, then look no further!

Still a Classic!

Shadow man was one of the many great games I owned on my n64, and one of my many games I just never managed to finish it (damn you mission impossible!), this was mostly due to it being in French (I lived in Swiss) and so I couldn’t understand what to do, but also of its complex levels structures. Nonetheless I still did enjoyed the game and found it had quite a unique atmosphere. 11 Years later I finally decide to have a go on it again, and what a surprise I must say!

The Story

In Shadow man you play as Michael LeRoi who possess voodoo powers and can travel both worlds of the living and dead. Summoned by Mama Nettie, he must travel to Deadside a place where all living things go after death. Here he must stop a great evil being “Legion” along with five serial killers who are trying to gather dark souls to bring pain and suffering to those of the living world. Michael must travel to vast lands and fight his way through them in order to gather these darks souls before evil does.

The Game

Apart from the straightforward story the game is offering, it still offers plenty of insight and character background for each main good or evil characters. The story is unique and quite pleasant if one decides to follow it; the game is dark, gory, and has a gothic (kickass!) soundtrack which helps to further get involve with the game. The voice cast is brilliant, especially Michael, and I must say that for its time the graphics weren’t that bad as some people claim to be. Indeed the graphic was something that didn’t really bother me; I value more gameplay, over graphics.

If offers a large number of different distinctive environments which become available once the player has gathered the necessary number of dark souls and item. This game offers quite similar mechanics seen in other video games such as in “The Legend of Zelda”. Another similar factor to Zelda would be that you are free to explore any level (as long you have the necessary number of souls), so even though it is quite linear, it still offers some freedom. However due to the large levels, the first time navigating through them can be quite a hassle because they tend to become like a maze, and so this is where perhaps having a mini map could have come in handy.

Through each level the player must solve puzzles, defeat enemies, swim, jump, climb, collect cadeaux, items, souls, were only some may be only obtainted if you possess the right ability or item. The player can fast travel using a teddy bear, and save his progress whenever he/she wishes. All the items and weapons you gather are store inside an inventory and Michael can equip two items at the same time, this makes life much easier rather than continuously scrolling to the desired item.

The Good

• Amazing Soundtrack
• Great story
• Great voice acting
• Long and enjoyable game
• Good graphics (at those times)

The Bad

• First time navigating a level can become quite a hassle
• Can take some time getting used to the camera and controls
• Some back tracking is needed to further progress through the game

Final Verdict

In overall I really do enjoy the game and recommend it to anyone who enjoys action adventures games like Tomb Raider and The Legend of Zelda. It has a deep story with an enjoyable soundtrack, and for the price I can guarantee you that its more than what it is worth for. Additionally steam are kind enough to give you the entire soundtrack, a avatar, and some PDF’s of the games map, quick reference card, and a neat strategy guide that will definitely come in handy!

8/10