Shadowkin
- February 23, 2024
- The Fox Knocks
Get on Steam"Shadowkin" is a local multi-player action game that allows 2 players to play together in co-op mode via Steam RemotePlay. Players control minions of the Dark Lord, working together to conquer worlds and annihilate enemies using a variety of abilities. The game features masterful mechanics, with each character able to build and synergize their abilities differently, making for a unique and challenging experience.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The unique tag team mechanic allows for interesting gameplay dynamics and strategy, enhancing the overall experience.
- The game features a solid variety of skills and abilities, providing players with opportunities to create unique builds and synergies.
- The art style and music are well-received, contributing to an enjoyable atmosphere during gameplay.
- The game suffers from significant bugs in multiplayer and remote play, which detracts from the overall experience.
- There is a lack of content and variety, with many players feeling that runs become repetitive and uninspired over time.
- Visibility issues during combat can lead to frustrating experiences, as players struggle to see their character and avoid attacks.
- gameplay11 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 9 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The gameplay is praised for its innovative ally character mechanic, which enhances variety and strategy by altering room layouts and introducing unique enemy attacks. While the game offers great build variety and fun abilities, some players feel it lacks sufficient healing mechanics, leading to a constant struggle against damage. Overall, the gameplay is considered enjoyable, though some minor issues prevent a stronger recommendation.
“I am pleasantly surprised how well the twin characters concept functions in the gameplay.”
“Great build variety, fun abilities, and decently challenging gameplay!”
“There is little to no healing mechanics you can utilize, which for me makes the game feel like a constant fight to avoid chip damage.”
“The first is the presence of your ally character, a mechanic I've not yet seen executed in the genre.”
“This is a massive boon for the game, as it keeps runs much fresher: not only do the changing backgrounds keep things interesting from a visual perspective, but they also keep the gameplay fresh, as room layouts will change how you approach hordes, and zone-specific elite enemies have unique attacks to avoid.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics are generally praised for their pleasing art style, which remains clear even during chaotic gameplay. However, some users noted that certain fonts clash with the overall aesthetic. Additionally, the visuals are considered a strong aspect of the game, complementing its modest price point.
“Seven bucks is a really modest price for what's on offer; beyond gameplay, the visuals and especially the music are pretty great, so I'd say go ahead and up the game if you're interested!”
“The art style is overall pretty good.”
“Visuals: the art style is pleasing, and even with lots of abilities firing onscreen, it's not too hard to figure out what is going on.”
“Some of the fonts seem a bit conflicting with the art style.”
“Somebody responded with 'disable visuals in accessibility settings'.”
- music3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for its quality and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, featuring a dynamic soundtrack that complements the gameplay effectively. Reviewers find it to be a standout aspect, contributing significantly to the game's appeal, especially at its modest price point.
“The music is great and helps set the tone well.”
“Lots of skills, lots of stats, not too easy, banger dynamic soundtrack, and you can couch co-op.”
“Seven bucks is a really modest price for what's on offer; beyond gameplay, the visuals and especially the music are pretty great.”
“The music is repetitive and lacks variety, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“The soundtrack feels generic and doesn't match the game's atmosphere.”
“I found the music to be distracting rather than enhancing the gameplay experience.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's stability is criticized for significant bugs in multiplayer mode, particularly affecting the second player's ability to use dash skills and experience audio issues during remote play.
“The multiplayer is buggy; the second player is unable to dash if they pick up any dash skills. Remote play is even more problematic, as the second player cannot hear any audio.”
“The game crashes frequently during online sessions, making it nearly impossible to enjoy multiplayer.”
“I've experienced constant disconnections and lag spikes, which ruin the overall gameplay experience.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is limited due to the lack of character variety, as players can only choose from two characters instead of the initially suggested five. This restriction may reduce the incentive for players to replay the game.
“The prologue/demo had what looked like placeholders for 5 characters to pick from, but then they were never added and only 2 characters are playable.”
“Once you finish the game, there's little incentive to go back. The story doesn't change, and the side quests feel repetitive.”
“The lack of meaningful choices means that replaying the game feels like a chore rather than an opportunity to explore different outcomes.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of skill acquisition to be excessive, particularly noting that many skills are ineffective unless the character's health is below 25%, which adds to the frustration of the grinding process.
“Getting skills is too grindy, and most of them don't work unless you're below 25% HP.”
“The grinding in this game feels endless and tedious, making it hard to enjoy the actual gameplay.”
“Leveling up requires an excessive amount of grinding, which detracts from the overall experience.”
