Shadow of the Beast II

"Looks really nice, plays like a dog. Could of been a lot better."

Before we have a look at Shadow of the Beast 2 let's first have a look at it's predecessor. Shadow of the Beast is a platformer that was more popular on the 8 bit computer systems than on the console scene. The game was very average and let down by the sheer frustration of the sudden death gameplay which punished you if you made one mistake. The graphics were really nice though so there is only room for improvement where the sequel is concerned. This is where the problems start though as all the faults from the first are present in the second.

The first thing that you notice when you start to play are the graphics, they are really nice looking and the colour effects are fantastic. They are pretty dark and gothic looking which makes it more tense to play which is a refreshing change from the mass of cute games so popular now days. The main character also looks good as does all the other characters and enemies in the game, they also move nicely too. So from a graphical point of view, this game is fine.

The music isn't that bad either. The music just sits in the background adding extra atmosphere to the game which works well. Every now and then it changes depending on your situation, if there is a big monster it will get slightly faster for instance. The music is generally good.

Now we come to gameplay which where this game falls flat on it's face. You see, Beast 2 is very puzzle orientated and the game is also very linear. This would not be too bad if it wasn't for various sections where you need to try it out a few times before you get it right. This means that you may plough through fifteen minutes of game to get killed trying out a new section, then you must start over and work your way through again. There is one section where there is a bridge, if you don't work out what you need to do quick enough then the bridge retracts and you fall into acid with no way out. This section is quite far into the game, the question to be asked is do you want to keep having to go through the same sections of game just to die in ten seconds because you are unsure what to do? The game gives you no incentive what so ever to explore and try things out.

Another big problem (and in my opinion should never happen in games) is that you can easily get into a no-win situation. This could happen so many times within this game that it makes you wonder if the designers thought about it at all, or even if it was play tested. An example is the axe weapon you pick up. If you don't know that they are supposed to be used in a certain section and use them somewhere else, you can't pick up any more and therefore can't complete the game. Another section sees you fighting a monster on a bridge, the monster is supposed to fall through the bridge making the river accessible for you. If you kill the monster without him falling through the bridge, again, you cannot finish the game.

To round this game up I would say that overall this game is average. Despite the way the game plays it is not impossible as I have completed it myself. You just have to know how all of the sections play before you attempt to go through them all which is stupid. It seems that the programmers had loads of good ideas but could not put them into the game properly. It's a shame that a game as good looking as this plays so pig ugly.

Graphics - 8 - Great colour use, really well drawn.
Sounds - 7 - Fitting music to add to the atmosphere.
Gameplay - 4 - Flawed because of ''sudden death'' gameplay.
Game size - 7 - Hard but only for the wrong reasons.
Addiction - 4 - Once finished you will never play it again.

Overall - 5 - Not too bad, could of been a lot better.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 09/19/01, Updated 09/19/01