Shadow of the Depth
- April 22, 2024
- ChillyRoom
Get on Steam
Get on Play Store"Shadow of the Depth is a top-down, action roguelike game with hand-drawn visuals, offering five distinct characters to play as. Explore an ever-changing labyrinth and engage in immersive combat, experimenting with various abilities and tools. Each character, such as the melee warrior Arthur or the agile assassin Arya, brings unique strengths to the battlefield."
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Reviews
- The combat is fun and engaging, with a variety of characters and skills that allow for different playstyles.
- The game has a solid foundation with good graphics and responsive controls, making it enjoyable to play.
- There is potential for future updates and content, which could enhance the overall experience.
- The game suffers from balance issues, particularly in higher difficulties where certain characters and builds can trivialize encounters.
- There are significant bugs, such as the first boss not allowing progression after defeat, which detracts from the gameplay experience.
- The lack of clear descriptions for skills and abilities can lead to confusion, making it difficult for players to strategize effectively.
- gameplay52 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay is praised for its engaging and polished mechanics, featuring a satisfying combat system reminiscent of classic gauntlet-style games, with a strong emphasis on character diversity and strategic depth. Players appreciate the core gameplay loop and the ability to animation-cancel, though some express concerns about balancing issues in later stages and input lag affecting the experience. Overall, the game offers a fun and rewarding action RPG experience, with a solid rating of 7/10 for gameplay.
“The feel of gameplay is awesome; I can only compare it to the Hades series, but I found 'SOTD' to be much deeper and more satisfying in combat.”
“The game itself is quite fun and shows a lot of competency and consideration on the part of the developer regarding game mechanics and good 'game feel.' This includes being able to animation-cancel via dodges and blocks, well-executed feedback on attacks and abilities, and a myriad of satisfying sounds for breaking objects, guzzling down potions, and vacuuming up jewels and coins that tickle the brain in just the way one looks for from these sorts of gauntlet-adjacent games.”
“This is just what the doctor ordered: a no-nonsense action RPG with pleasing graphics and engaging gameplay.”
“I've had many encounters where I stun-lock the boss and I'm sitting there just wailing away at it for ages waiting for its HP bar to go down and wonder... if this wasn't stun-locked, would I really want to fight this thing for this long and deal with dodge mechanics?”
“The game has a combo system so that each character has different ways of attacking when using your basic attack, but the names for them aren't immediately obvious, which makes for bad gameplay when you find a skill and have no clue what it's even supposed to be enhancing.”
“However, I'd venture to guess that the reason people aren't playing it is because there is some wicked input lag that is so counterintuitive to the gameplay loop that it just gets annoying to try to play.”
- graphics16 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 19 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed feedback, with many praising the art style and overall aesthetic as beautiful and engaging, particularly in the character selection screen. However, some players expressed concerns about visibility issues, especially with projectile enemies, suggesting that indicators for such attacks would enhance gameplay. Overall, while the graphics are appealing, there are calls for improvements and tweaks to enhance the gaming experience further.
“This is just what the doctor ordered, no nonsense action RPG with pleasing graphics and engaging gameplay.”
“The graphics and overall aesthetic are nice and I particularly enjoyed looking at the striking character selection screen art.”
“I found a happy medium that lets me enjoy the detail in the dark, beautiful artwork while also helping me not run face first into enemies.”
“Graphics: this was the first thing that turned me off (edit: I think all projectile enemies should have some kind of indicator, including arrows and spikes). It doesn't feel good getting hit by something you can't see (example stage 2!!!!) but playing it because...”
“I love the art style, and the top-down aspect to it, and for the price I would recommend it - and of course, I am well aware it's in early access, so do look forward to the team filling it out massively, as the scope for an absolutely amazing game is certainly there, I just feel like it needs a few tweaks here and there.”
“Love the art style and music.”
- story12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The story in the game is generally perceived as conventional and lacking depth, with players expressing disappointment over the minimal narrative engagement and poorly paced cutscenes. Many users feel that the story is not a priority, as they are more focused on gameplay elements like combat and dungeon exploration. Overall, the narrative fails to enhance the gaming experience, leading to a consensus that it is weak and unremarkable.
“I didn't think a top-down game could have fast-paced control, excellent art, strong story, and great level design all in a single package.”
“I assumed each character would offer a unique story gameplay experience, including within the dungeons.”
“No story going on... there was a cutscene I got to, but the text went by faster than my ability to read all of it.”
“Music is fairly standard, and the story is laughably bad.”
“[b]Story:[/b] conventional background story, but I don't care; I just want to slaughter the monster in the dungeon.”
- music8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players appreciating its quality and fitting style, though some describe it as fairly standard. While it enhances the overall experience, there are calls for more variety and content to elevate it further. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's atmosphere, complementing its art style and gameplay.
“Love the art style and music.”
“Music/sfx: decent enough for this type of game.”
“Despite these problems, I've been having a great time; the combat is really solid, the bosses were fun, the artwork is good, the music is good, it just needs more content and some balance and performance patches.”
“Music is fairly standard, and the story is laughably bad.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a mixed perception of replayability, with some players expressing a desire for more playable characters to enhance the experience, while others feel the game lacks sufficient replay value. Overall, the sentiment suggests that while there is potential for high replayability, it is currently limited.
“High replayability!”
“More playable characters, please!”
“Just not much replay value here.”
“More playable characters please!”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players note that while the game includes a reroll mechanic for skillbook and upgrade pickups after some grinding, the overall experience can feel excessively grindy, which may detract from the enjoyment typical of roguelite games.
“I get that it's a roguelite, but it is feeling a bit grindy.”
“There is a reroll mechanic later on after some grinding, but only on skillbook/upgrade pickups.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is notably lacking, particularly in the last biome, which struggles on lower-end hardware like the i5 with Intel Iris graphics. While players enjoy the combat, bosses, and overall aesthetics, there is a clear need for performance improvements and additional content.
“The last biome has very poor performance on my i5, Intel Iris laptop.”
“Despite these problems, I've been having a great time. The combat is really solid, the bosses were fun, the artwork is good, the music is good; it just needs more content and some balance and performance patches.”
