Beyond Shadowgate Review (Steam)

Beyond Shadowgate Review, The original design of the never-before-seen point-and-click adventure has been brought to life after 30+ years in the vault – Beyond Shadowgate! This new massive game (created by the designer of the original hit Shadowgate and a leading 8-bit adventure studio) is 5 TIMES BIGGER than NES Shadowgate!

Beyond Shadowgate Review Pros:

  • Beautiful modern 8 Bit graphics.
  • 449.9MB Download size.
  • Steam achievements.
  • Own in-game achievements.
  • Full controller support.
  • Graphics settings – display, window scale, and cursor style.
  • Gamepad override option.
  • Time pressure can be set to default or infinite.
  • Three save slots.
  • Beyond Shadowgate is an enhanced and expanded version of the original NES version of the game.
  • Point and Click style gameplay.
  • You have a set of actions to interact with the game screens – move, look, use, take, open, close, hit, and speak.
  • Very old school but it still feels amazing to me.
  • Two cursor choices.
  • Having more power than before, the game offers animated scenes and actions.
  • The story is all text and gives a feeling of a choose-your-own-adventure.
  • Amazing Chiptune soundtrack.
  • The whole game can be played with just a mouse, the keyboard is used more for shortcuts to actions.
  • Save when you want.
  • Inventory is a list of collected goods, and learned spells to cast.
  • This is gaming comfort.
  • The DLCs (chargeable) include comics and a very good of age-inspired strategy guide.
  • Wisp is a character you can click on at any time to get helpful hints or a gentle nudge as to where to go.
  • The borders of the screen will flash when you enter a timed event.
  • Best played with headphones so you can block out the world and absorb everything.
  • The strategy guide also acts as a museum piece with high-definition scans of the box art, and original game screens and has a full walk-through of the game.
  • You have a small map like interface which helps with interacting with elements in the current screen.
  • It’s a game that is really hard to put down.
  • Very generous checkpoints so you don’t have to replay large chunks of the game.
  • Clean interface to use.
  • Puzzles throughout, all that changes really is if it’s clearly a puzzle or you have to think outside the box for a solution.
  • There is nothing wrong with playing the game using the DLC strategy guide as it may have a walk through but it’s not a step-by-step guide. Either way, it’s still old school to use a guide of sorts especially as they shutdown the Nintendo hotline.

Beyond Shadowgate Review Cons:

  • You young gamers may have a big learning curve compared to us older gamers, you have to be precise with actions and do literal things to progress and this will be a whole new experience for some.
  • This is more Steam but I hate how fiddly it has to be in order to find and use the strategy guides etc, granted it’s only once as I can move it around but still.
  • Timed events are brutal unless you go infinite which diminishes the experience.
  • The Wisp only changes her help at set points.
  • The game has no in-game tutorials and really does leave it to you to sort out and work out.

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Beyond Shadowgate:

Official website.

Developer: Zojoi LLC.

Publisher: Zojoi LLC.

Store Links –

Steam

  • 8/10
    Graphics - 8/10
  • 8/10
    Sound - 8/10
  • 7/10
    Accessibility - 7/10
  • 8/10
    Length - 8/10
  • 10/10
    Fun Factor - 10/10
8.2/10

Summary

Beyond Shadowgate impresses with its beautiful modern 8-bit graphics and a manageable download size of 449.9MB. The game supports Steam achievements and has its own in-game achievements, adding to the replay value. Full controller support and various graphics settings, including display, window scale, and cursor style, enhance the gaming experience. The gamepad overrides option and the ability to set time pressure to default or infinite provides flexibility in gameplay. With three save slots, players can manage their progress efficiently.

This enhanced and expanded version of the original NES game retains its point-and-click style, offering a nostalgic yet refreshing experience. Players interact with the game screens using a set of actions such as move, look, use, take, open, close, hit, and speak. Despite its old-school mechanics, the game feels amazing, partly due to the two cursor choices and the added power that allows for animated scenes and actions. The text-based story gives a choose-your-own-adventure vibe, complemented by an amazing chiptune soundtrack. The game can be played entirely with a mouse, with the keyboard used for action shortcuts, and players can save their progress at any time. The inventory system lists collected goods and learned spells, contributing to a sense of gaming comfort.

The DLCs, which are chargeable, include comics and a well-crafted age-inspired strategy guide. The character Wisp provides helpful hints or gentle nudges, and the screen borders flash during timed events. The game is best played with headphones to fully immerse in the experience. The strategy guide also serves as a museum piece with high-definition scans of the box art and original game screens, along with a full walkthrough. A small map-like interface helps with interacting with elements on the current screen, making the game hard to put down. Generous checkpoints prevent the need to replay large sections, and the clean interface is user-friendly. Puzzles are a constant feature, varying in difficulty and requiring both straightforward and outside-the-box thinking.

However, there are some drawbacks. Young gamers might face a steep learning curve compared to older players, as the game demands precise actions and literal solutions to progress. The Steam interface can be fiddly when accessing strategy guides, although this is a one-time inconvenience. Timed events can be brutal unless set to infinite, which can diminish the experience. The Wisp character only updates her hints at set points, and the lack of in-game tutorials means players must figure things out on their own.

In summary, Beyond Shadowgate offers a nostalgic yet enhanced gaming experience with beautiful graphics, flexible gameplay options, and a rich soundtrack. While it provides a comfortable and immersive adventure, the game presents challenges, especially for younger players and those unfamiliar with old-school mechanics. Despite these hurdles, the game remains a compelling and hard-to-put-down experience. It is a game that just thinking about makes me smile.

Jim Smale

Gaming since the Atari 2600, I enjoy the weirdness in games counting Densha De Go and RC De Go as my favourite titles of all time. I prefer gaming of old where buying games from a shop was a thing, Being social in person was a thing. Join me as I attempt to adapt to this new digital age!