Shadow Madness

About

Stinger returned home one morning after a night out of town to a horrible surprise. A mysterious force had destroyed his coastal hometown, leaving few survivors. Unable to even determine the remains of his own house, the young man was now an orphan. Upon meeting a mystic named Windleaf, the two decided to embark upon a journey to find out what happened. Their adventure in Shadow Madness will span…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

62%

Audience ScoreBased on 21 reviews

story5 positive mentions

graphics4 negative mentions

The game features a well-crafted story with engaging characters and sharp dialogue, blending elements of fantasy, horror, and dark comedy.
The soundtrack is praised for its quality, boasting a variety of battle themes and atmospheric tracks that enhance the overall experience.
Despite its age, the game has a certain charm and nostalgia for fans of classic RPGs, making it a worthwhile experience for those who appreciate its unique narrative.

The port suffers from significant technical issues, including poor graphics, unresponsive controls, and a lack of modern features like customizable settings or resolution options.
Gameplay mechanics are often poorly explained and implemented, leading to a repetitive and easy combat experience that lacks challenge.
The game is criticized for excessive backtracking and a lack of quality-of-life improvements, making it feel tedious and outdated compared to modern RPG standards.

story
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
50%
19%
The game's story is highly praised for its depth and engaging narrative, featuring a diverse cast of characters and a richly developed world filled with lore. Players appreciate the mature themes it explores, including mental health and politics, alongside well-crafted dialogue and memorable character interactions. Despite some gameplay shortcomings, the story remains a standout aspect, making it a worthwhile experience for those who prioritize narrative in RPGs.
- “Every NPC has their own unique portrait, their own unique dialogue, and their own unique position within the wider story going on.”
- “It really does feel like the creators did this awesome work putting together this mature, diverse plot that deals with mental diseases, feelings of despair, vast fantastical worlds and politics, all with excellent dialogue and characterization.”
- “I found the story engaging throughout my entire 20 some hours with the game, and the characters are incredibly likeable and memorable.”
- “However, in order to deal with that story, you'll have to suffer through excessive amounts of backtracking, graphics that weren't even good at the time, and battles that are never going to offer even the slightest challenge.”
- “So yes - the game is certainly unimpressive from both gameplay and technical perspectives, but if you play RPGs for the story and world, then Shadow Madness has more than got you covered.”
- “Here's hoping that maybe someone with an actual budget can try making a story in Arkose again.”
graphics
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
53%
27%
The graphics of the game are widely regarded as outdated and unimpressive, even at the time of its release, with low poly visuals and minimal customization options. While some players appreciate the nostalgic charm and simplistic design, many agree that the visuals have aged poorly and do not meet modern standards. However, the game compensates for its graphical shortcomings with a memorable soundtrack and engaging story.
- “The PC port plays well enough; visuals aren't great, but they are not bad either.”
- “Throw in some legitimately solid music and some cute (if primitive) location visuals, and you have quite a decent game.”
- “- Unimpressive 1998 graphics, running on a non-upscaled display (for shame!)”
- “Graphics: almost none.”
- “There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
- “The graphics also weren't all that impressive when this came out.”
gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
25%
38%
The gameplay is criticized for being unplayable and simplistic, resembling an outdated Final Fantasy clone with low-quality graphics and poorly explained mechanics. While it features an interesting mechanic involving divided party battles, the overall experience feels basic and constrictive, leaving players unimpressed despite the game's strong narrative elements.
- “There's a super interesting mechanic going on, where your party is divided and each part has to deal with a different iteration of the boss.”
- “The gameplay, while certainly functional, is both incredibly basic and somewhat constrictive feeling.”
- “So yes - the game is certainly unimpressive from both gameplay and technical perspectives, but if you play RPGs for the story and world, then Shadow Madness has more than got you covered.”
- “This was an old simple Final Fantasy ripoff, low poly graphics and basic JRPG gameplay, shallow compared to Western CRPGs as to be expected for the Japanese audience, who weirdly abhor complexity in video games (hence their console-centric gaming philosophy).”
- “Unfortunately, the actual gameplay is... bad.”
- “The mechanics are poorly explained and even more poorly implemented.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
29%
43%
The music in the game is widely praised, featuring a substantial and diverse soundtrack that includes over two dozen battle themes and atmospheric tracks that enhance the overall experience. While the graphics may not impress, the iconic musical score significantly contributes to the game's charm and immersion, making it a standout aspect despite its other shortcomings.
- “Not the best graphics, but one of the best music soundtracks, in my opinion.”
- “I feel I should also point out that many of the locations are competently crafted from an artistic standpoint, and the musical score ranges from good to excellent, boasting - no, I'm not kidding - over two dozen different battle themes, as well as some really pleasant and moody tracks that only play in one room!”
- “Overall a decent emulated version of an old classic that, while lackluster in graphics, had a very iconic soundtrack and exhilarating story.”
- “Throw in some legitimately solid music and some cute (if primitive) location visuals, and you have quite a decent game (although I'd recommend it for no more than $10 if we're being completely honest).”
- “+ solid musical score & thick atmosphere”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
The atmosphere of the game is praised for its solid musical score and immersive world, which is filled with intrigue and well-developed characters, contributing to a captivating experience.
- “For what it does right, it primarily creates an atmospheric world of intrigue, filled with well-written characters. Shadow Madness has a special place in my heart.”
- “The solid musical score creates a thick atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.”
- “The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth needed to immerse players.”
- “While the visuals are decent, the atmosphere fails to evoke any real emotion or tension.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from poor optimization, lacking support for modern display resolutions and widescreen monitors, which results in subpar performance on contemporary gaming PCs.
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including poor controller support and frequent freezes in the main menu, which detracts from the overall experience.
- “It's a shame, but the port is plagued with poor controller support and freezes in your main menu right off the bat.”