Shadow Bug

About

Shadow Bug is a one-finger controlled action platformer, where you play as an overpowered ninja hero, slicing monsters to save your home forest from an evil factory. The game features hand-crafted levels, memorable boss fights, and a breathtaking soundscape, with leaderboards for speedrunning levels. Its mesmerizing art and unique take on platformers make it a standout game.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

+11

Skip User Reviews

98%

Audience ScoreBased on 975 reviews

gameplay28 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

Unique gameplay mechanic where movement is based on attacking enemies, providing a fresh twist on platforming.
Beautiful artwork and fluid animations enhance the overall experience, making it visually appealing.
Challenging yet rewarding gameplay with a good difficulty curve, allowing for both casual play and speedrunning opportunities.

The game can become repetitive over time as the core objective remains largely the same across levels.
A sudden spike in difficulty in the final levels may frustrate players and disrupt the overall pacing.
Limited replayability once all objectives are completed, as there are few additional challenges to pursue.

gameplay
78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
60%
4%
The gameplay of "Shadow Bug" is characterized by its unique mechanics that blend platforming with strategic enemy interactions, requiring precise timing and movement. Players appreciate the elegant level design that gradually introduces new challenges, although some levels may feel repetitive or overly difficult. Overall, the game offers a smooth and engaging experience, enhanced by its beautiful art style and fluid controls, making it enjoyable for both casual players and those seeking speedrunning opportunities.
- “This one surpassed my expectations with crisp animations, great sound effects, and a smooth curve of difficulty when adding new mechanics and increasing puzzle difficulty.”
- “The game has a gorgeous aesthetic, a simplistic but well fleshed-out core mechanic that is fun to use, and nicely designed and challenging boss fights.”
- “The unique movement mechanics of the game play extremely smoothly, and the levels are designed to be difficult despite the fact that a large portion of your movement is in straight lines between enemies.”
- “Great art style and content, but mostly casual game decides to do a solid faceplant on the last few levels where the difficulty spikes resulting in boring repetitive gameplay, locking off further level content.”
- “A lot of your time spent playing would likely be redoing levels over and over, trying to improve your times, similar to Dustforce, although mechanically easier because it's mainly clicking with your mouse cursor.”
- “I doubt this will be much of a speedrun game because of how basic the mechanics and movement are, but you can at least move kinda fast with good timing on some of the levels.”
graphics
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
90%
7%
3%
The graphics of Shadow Bug are widely praised for their beautiful artwork, fluid animations, and engaging aesthetic that enhances the gameplay experience. Many reviewers highlight the game's distinct art style and well-designed environments, although some note that the animations can feel floaty, reminiscent of mobile games. Overall, the visuals contribute significantly to the game's immersive atmosphere, complemented by a solid soundtrack.
- “The artwork is phenomenal and gives the game a distinct look; the soundtrack is pretty good as well.”
- “To make the experience even better, you get to enjoy a beautiful OST and even greater graphics, both at play level and background that make the fast trip around levels easy on the eyes and maintain the feeling of immersion constantly on high.”
- “The visual and audio aesthetics are both on point and exceptionally well made.”
- “The graphics and animations feel floaty, something expected from a mobile game.”
music
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
79%
10%
11%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players finding it engaging and immersive, enhancing the overall experience. While some describe it as generic, others appreciate the solid soundtrack that complements the beautiful graphics and fluid animations. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's atmosphere, making it enjoyable to listen to repeatedly without becoming irritating.
- “The artwork is phenomenal and gives the game a distinct look, the soundtrack is pretty good as well.”
- “Aesthetic is very pleasing: fluid animation, beautiful backgrounds and enjoyable soundtrack.”
- “The visuals are pretty nice (reminds me a bit of Ori) and the music is pretty solid, doesn't get irritating to listen to over and over and definitely helps the mood of the game as you're going through levels.”
- “The music is very generic and the graphics and animations feel floaty, something expected from a mobile game.”
- “None of the music or effects bothered me if I heard them over and over while trying a level.”
- “The music and story are both pretty much write-offs, but the rest of the game is good enough that for platforming fans this is probably worth a look.”
story
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The game's story is simple and brief, typically lasting 2-4 hours, and serves primarily as a backdrop for the gameplay, which features regular background changes and boss encounters. While the narrative and music are considered lackluster, the overall fluid controls and engaging mechanics make it appealing for platforming fans.
- “You get to enjoy a rather simple story that eventually translates in the regular change of backgrounds, but not before you pass through the boss of that section, always present with refreshing and clever playing mechanics.”
- “The controls are very fluid, gameplay super smooth and there's actually a story too!”
- “The story may take 2-4 hours on average or maybe less.”
- “The story may take 2-4 hours on average, or maybe less.”
- “The music and story are both pretty much write-offs, but the rest of the game is good enough that for platforming fans, this is probably worth a look.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
33%
50%
The game offers a moderate level of replayability, primarily through secondary objectives and the challenge of completing levels in different styles, such as speed running and power running. However, once players achieve all stars in each level, the replayability diminishes significantly, as there are limited incentives to revisit completed content.
- “Sometimes it's simply not possible to both speed run and power run, so it adds that extra challenge and replayability, with some levels having secrets to be found.”
- “Limited replayability; once you have all stars per level, there's nothing else to do.”
- “Sometimes it's simply not possible to both speed run and power run, which adds an extra challenge and replayability, with some levels having secrets to be found.”
- “Secondary objectives give more replayability if you are up for an additional challenge.”

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85%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews

The Red Lantern
A compelling narrative experience with beautiful visuals.
Geeksundergrace.com
85%

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