Shadows: Awakening
A demon-summoning action RPG with isometric hack-and-slash combat.
Shadows: Awakening is an action role-playing game developed by Slovak studio Games Farm and published by Kalypso Media. Released in August 2018 for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4, it serves as both a remake and sequel to the 2014 game Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms and is the third installment of the Heretic Kingdoms series. The game is notable for its core mechanic of switching between a demon summoned from the Shadow Realm and up to three playable characters.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Shadows: Awakening
- Collapsible
- no
- Developer
- Games Farm
- Publisher
- Kalypso Media
- Series
- Heretic Kingdoms
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4
- Genre
- Action role-playing
- Engine
- Unity
- Director
- Peter Nagy
- Writer
- Peter Hornák
- Composer
- Benny Oschmann
- Released
- 17 August 2018
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Shadows: Awakening takes place in the fantasy world of the Heretic Kingdoms. The game begins with the player being summoned from the Shadow Realm in the form of a demon named the Devourer by a mysterious hooded man, voiced by Tom Baker. The player then chooses from three long-deceased heroes, each with their own abilities and storyline, which the Devourer possesses. The resurrected hero is called upon to stop other demonic forces from taking over the Heretic Kingdoms in the form of the recently assassinated secret council Penta Nera.
Gameplay is presented from an isometric perspective with a top-down camera angle, focusing on hack-and-slash combat and loot collection. The core mechanic involves switching between the Devourer and up to three playable characters. The game also contains puzzles and quests that players must complete to progress the story.
Two expansions were released in 2018. The Chromaton Chronicles, released on 26 October 2018, added new areas and a new puppet for the player to summon. Necrophage's Curse, released on 13 December 2018, added new puzzles, quests, enemies, and another new puppet.
Reader's Guide
Shadows: Awakening received generally favorable reviews, with a Metacritic critic score of 77/100. Push Square rated it 7/10, describing it as a deep action RPG that brings a literal new dimension to the Diablo format, delivering many hours of engaging hack-and-slash gaming despite occasional stumbles. The game was ranked 94th in Metacritic's Best PC Video Games for 2018 list. It was nominated in the Technology category at the 2019 Central and Eastern European Game Awards (CEEGA), but lost to Space Engineers. The game's legacy lies in its dual-role mechanic of controlling both a demon and possessed heroes, expanding the Heretic Kingdoms series while serving as both a remake and sequel. Its two expansions, released within months of the base game, extended the content with new areas, puzzles, and summonable puppets, though the game did not win its CEEGA nomination.
Did You Know?
- The mysterious hooded man who summons the Devourer is voiced by Tom Baker.
- The game's first expansion, The Chromaton Chronicles, was released on 26 October 2018.
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