Shad'O
- September 3, 2012
- Okugi Studio
Get on Steam"Shad'O is a unique Tower Defense game, taking place in the dreamlike universe of a boy's mind. Players must drive away the fog of oblivion and help the boy recover his memory, using allies such as light companions and various tactics. The game features gorgeous procedural fog and intense boss fights, with a captivating reversed narrative and great freedom of action."
Reviews
- The game features unique mechanics such as fog of war and MMO-style boss fights, providing an interesting twist to the tower defense genre.
- It has a solid art style and sound design, creating an engaging atmosphere for players.
- The game offers a challenging experience that requires strategic thinking and replaying scenarios to master enemy abilities.
- The requirement to install QuickTime, which is outdated and poses security risks, significantly detracts from the game's accessibility.
- Many players experience crashes and instability, particularly on modern systems, making it difficult to enjoy the game.
- The gameplay can feel slow and tedious due to long animations and a lack of speed options, leading to frustration during play.
- story11 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 18 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The game's story features a unique and intriguing narrative that explores themes of resilience and memory, set against a backdrop of creepy, shadowy elements. While the overarching storyline may be considered mediocre and suffers from poor translation, the gameplay and distinctive storytelling style compensate for these flaws, making it appealing to fans of the genre. Overall, the story is engaging, though it may not resonate with all players, particularly those seeking a polished experience.
“It also has an interesting storyline and structure with some unique game elements.”
“The story is interesting and what seems obvious at first turns out not to be so obvious.”
“The story is vaguely creepy as you are reclaiming a little boy's memories from 'Shad'o', a murky mess of shadow and gloom.”
“The story is weird, and the (I'm guessing) French to English translation seems pretty bad, but that's easy to overlook considering how well done the gameplay is.”
“Two minor cons are apparent: quick installation is required and the poor English translation of a somewhat mediocre overarching storyline detracts from the game slightly; however, the basic concept of fighting inside one's nightmares is otherwise well executed and lends itself to interesting environments.”
- gameplay7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The gameplay features engaging MMO-style boss fights, a fog of war mechanic, and unique bonus stages, but some players find it frustrating due to the necessity of frequent tower juggling and the limited impact of unique elements. While the game offers enjoyable mechanics and solid level design, it can become taxing as difficulty increases. Overall, it is well-received for its gameplay despite some translation issues and thematic inconsistencies.
“Nice game to own for tower defense type games; the mechanics get taxing later on, but overall it's a good game to play.”
“It has an interesting mechanic of territory control (pushing shadows back with your imaginary tower-friends), and it creates a nice somber tone with its cut-scene art.”
“Frustrating gameplay that more or less forces you to do some 'tower juggling' where you have to sell towers and build in new spots on almost every level.”
“The unique elements, while thematically relevant, didn’t really add much to the gameplay itself, but only served as slight annoyances, hindering you in a way that other tower defenses don’t.”
“Namely the MMO-style boss fights, fog of war mechanic, and unique bonus stages.”
- graphics3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their appealing art style and solid quality, enhancing the overall experience. However, some reviewers note that while the visuals are attractive, they feel somewhat familiar and lack originality.
“The graphics are solid, complemented by great music and sound effects for a tower defense game.”
“The art style is very nice and enjoyable.”
“Terrible acting, pretty graphics; you know, we've seen it all before.”
- music2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The music in the game is praised for its relaxing quality, contributing positively to the overall experience alongside solid graphics and sound effects.
“I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
“Solid graphics, music, and sound effects for a tower defense game.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Reviewers note that the lack of statistics for levels diminishes the game's replayability, as it reduces the motivation to improve performance and revisit previous content.
“The lack of stats for levels limits replay value and diminishes the desire to perform well.”
“Without meaningful progression or variety, I found myself losing interest after just a few playthroughs.”
“The game feels repetitive, and there's not enough incentive to replay it once you've completed the main story.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find that while the game offers engaging content, certain minor issues can lead to a tedious grinding experience.
“The grinding in this game feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“I find the grind to be a major chore, taking away from the enjoyment of the game.”
“The amount of grinding required to progress is overwhelming and detracts from the overall experience.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users have reported encountering error messages upon initial installation, but they can resolve these issues by following the troubleshooting guide provided. Overall, stability appears to be a concern for some players, particularly at launch.
“When you first install the game, you get an error message that directs you to a troubleshooting page.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly impossible to enjoy.”
“I experienced constant lag and disconnections, which ruined the overall experience.”
