Shadow Realms

Did You Know?

• The game inspired a spiritual successor called Breach, created by former developers, but that game was also cancelled after its early access release on Steam.
• Shadow Realms received positive pre-release reception for its customization options, tactics, and mix of magic and weapons.
• The game's official website featured developer blogs and a sign-up form for its closed alpha program.

Plot

The game is set in modern-day Earth and the parallel world of Embra. Heroes with magical powers awaken and are pulled into a dark realm, joining a centuries-old battle. They face creatures in a war against the Shadow Legions to save humanity. Hidden pathways between Earth and Embra have been crossed by only a few. Arcane energy flows from Embra's molten core, and those born with talent can reshape reality. Long before humans, cultures on Embra rose and fell, leaving monuments and relics preserved by arcane energies. The Radiant Empires, the first great nations to break Embra's cycle of self-destruction, united five thousand years ago in cooperation. They discovered Earth, a world with weak magic. Embra's explorers crossed to Earth but found humans unpredictable and the environment uninhabitable. The pacifist Radiant Empires were overwhelmed by the Shadow Legions, who toppled their cities. Without an army, the citizens turned to Earth as their only hope.

Gameplay

Shadow Realms was an episodic four-versus-one action role-playing game. Players could choose from six classes: Warrior, Assassin, Wizard, Cleric, Ranger, Warlock, or play as the Shadowlord. The game featured cooperative third-person missions in an evolving world, with episodes releasing frequently. Players decided their story paths and customized characters and combat, including guns, axes, and fireballs. Four-player teams fought a fifth-player Shadowlord who controlled creatures, set traps, and changed the environment, remaining unseen until possessing a monster or casting a spell.

Development

Shadow Realms was first announced at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con with a live-action trailer titled You've Been Chosen. Further details and the first gameplay video appeared at Gamescom 2014. The game was developed by BioWare's Austin studio using DICE's Frostbite 3 engine, targeting Windows XP users. It was planned only for Microsoft Windows, though the studio's general manager Jeff Hickman said a console release might follow if the PC version succeeded. In January 2015, sources indicated the game was postponed and rebooted due to failures of other multiplayer games, with a possible 2017 release on Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. On February 9, 2015, BioWare announced cancellation to focus on Dragon Age: Inquisition and Mass Effect: Andromeda.