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."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features unique mechanics such as fog of war and MMO-style boss fights, providing a fresh take on the tower defense genre.
- It has solid graphics, music, and sound effects, creating an engaging atmosphere for players.
- The storyline is interesting and adds depth to the gameplay, making it enjoyable for fans of tower defense games.
- The game requires the installation of QuickTime, which is outdated and poses security risks, leading to frustration for many players.
- Gameplay can be slow, with limited speed options and unnecessary animations that can detract from the overall experience.
- There are significant stability issues on modern systems, with many players reporting crashes and inability to start the game.
- story22 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 32 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game's story features a unique and intriguing narrative centered around reclaiming a boy's memories from a shadowy realm, blending elements of creepiness and depth. While the overarching storyline may be considered mediocre and suffers from poor translation, the gameplay and unique storytelling style compensate for these flaws, making it particularly appealing to fans of the genre. Overall, the story is engaging, with unexpected twists that keep players invested, though it may not be suitable for everyone due to its challenging nature.
“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 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: quicktime 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.”
- gameplay14 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The gameplay features engaging mechanics such as MMO-style boss fights, a fog of war system, and territory control, which contribute to a unique tower defense experience. However, players have noted that the requirement for frequent "tower juggling" can be frustrating, and some unique elements may feel more like hindrances than enhancements. Overall, while the gameplay can become taxing, it is generally well-received for its level design and mechanics.
“Namely the MMO-style boss fights, fog of war mechanic, and unique bonus stages.”
“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.”
“The level design and gameplay is great; I thoroughly enjoyed it.”
“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 being 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.”
“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.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their appealing art style and solid execution, contributing positively to the overall experience. However, some reviewers feel that while the visuals are attractive, they lack originality and are accompanied by subpar voice acting.
“The game features a very nice art style that I enjoyed.”
“Solid graphics, music, and sound effects for a tower defense game.”
“Terrible acting, pretty graphics; you know, we've seen it all before.”
- music4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The music in the game is praised for its relaxing quality, contributing to an overall positive experience alongside solid graphics and sound effects. Players find it soothing enough to enhance their gameplay and create a calming atmosphere.
“Solid graphics, music, and sound effects for a tower defense game.”
“I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviewers note that the absence of statistics for levels significantly diminishes the game's replayability, as it reduces players' motivation to improve their performance.
“The lack of stats for levels limits replay value and diminishes the desire to perform well.”
“The absence of level statistics significantly reduces the game's replayability.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find that while the game offers engaging content, certain minor issues can lead to a tedious grinding experience.
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users have reported encountering error messages upon initial installation of the game, but they can resolve these issues by following the troubleshooting guide provided. Overall, stability appears to be a concern primarily during the installation phase.
