The end of the world just started and everyone is gone. The machines took over and your only goal is to look for your missing sister in a retro wave atmosphere. Fight and find your way into the danger with your shield in this vibrant pixel art world.
Shieldmaiden features stunning pixel art and a unique shield mechanic that adds creativity to both combat and platforming.
The game offers a fun and challenging experience with engaging boss fights and a friendly atmosphere, allowing players to enjoy without the stress of limited lives.
Despite its short length, the game is well-polished with tight controls and a captivating story that keeps players interested.
The game is quite short, with many players completing it in under three hours, leading to concerns about its value for the price.
Some levels lack variation in design, causing confusion and repetitive gameplay experiences.
Technical issues such as poor resolution options and inconsistent controls can detract from the overall experience.
gameplay
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
52%
8%
The gameplay of "Shieldmaiden" is characterized by polished controls and a unique shield mechanic that allows for creative combat and energy absorption, making it an engaging platformer. However, while the visuals and boss fights are praised, some players find the level design underwhelming and not fully utilizing the character's abilities, leading to a lack of challenge and variety. Overall, the game offers a visually stunning experience but falls short in delivering a consistently rewarding gameplay experience.
“It stands out as an excellent platforming game with stunning visuals featuring great pixel art and beautiful anime style; it delivers a challenging adventure with polished gameplay and tight controls!”
“The shield mechanics are really creative and fun to use.”
“It's a platformer with cool boss fights and a rather unique game mechanic - a shield.”
“This is a relatively short sci-fi themed platformer with less than 2 hours of gameplay as you do fairly routine, slightly unpolished platformer jumping with wall jumps and so on, but the highlight of this short game is the not all that amazing boss fights.”
“Still, even with huge improvements to the overall gameplay and narrative feel, it's a niche game that had potential in terms of mechanics, but ultimately it's underwhelming because the level design often does not utilize the character's full ability.”
“I don't really have a problem with the gameplay or how the platforming works, it's more about not really having level sections that would properly challenge me; you can almost speedrun the game with no prior knowledge.”
graphics
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
37%
13%
The graphics of the game are characterized by stunning pixel art and a beautiful anime style, which many players find visually appealing and well-executed. However, some critiques highlight the use of outdated retro graphics without options for resolution or customization, leading to a perception of low quality in certain aspects. Overall, while the visuals are praised for their artistry and animation, there are calls for more variety and detail in the environments.
“This game has clear influences from the games I mentioned above, the music is really good, it's got some cool mechanics, great art style, cool character design, fun enemies, and really fun boss fights.”
“The game seems pretty fun, with fun ways of reinventing usual platform mechanics and jaw-dropping visuals.”
“In general, I liked the visuals and the soundtrack, even though some of the songs are reused.”
“A choice was made to use obsolete, decades-old retro pixel 'art' as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
“There's no option to change the resolution for the game or customize the graphics settings.”
“There's no way for gamers to try to improve the low-quality graphics.”
story
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
41%
14%
The story is generally considered engaging and set in an interesting cyberpunk/post-apocalyptic world, though it is not deeply explored. Players can choose to engage with the narrative or focus on gameplay, with some appreciating the smooth storytelling and music, while others find the plot serves mainly as a backdrop for combat. Overall, the narrative is seen as a secondary element in a platforming experience, with mixed feelings about its depth and presentation.
“I loved the storytelling and it felt very smooth, definitely craving for more!”
“The story is engaging and the pixel art cyberpunk/post-apocalyptic themes are top shelf.”
“Story texts are often presented during gameplay, which gives you the choice of fighting your opponents or reading the texts.”
“I don't know about what the story was, I just always accidentally pushed a button and the whole dialogues auto-skipped.”
“The story is only a pretext for the character to move from one point to another and face enemies. It is not a big deal, but I doubt that you are looking for a super story in a platform.”
“I believe they added some additional cutscenes and dialogue to the story; I still didn't care about it, but I do appreciate some extra visuals if nothing else.”
music
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
88%
6%
6%
The music in the game is widely praised for its quality and contribution to the overall aesthetic, complementing the quirky art direction and solid presentation. While many players enjoyed the soundtrack and its integration with gameplay, some noted a lack of variety due to the reuse of certain tracks. Overall, the music enhances the experience, particularly during boss battles, but could benefit from more diverse compositions.
“The art direction is great, sprites, music, sounds, and animation all come together to make a presentation that is quirky and solid.”
“It has gorgeous pixel art, a great soundtrack, and controls well.”
“This game has clear influences from the games I mentioned above, the music is really good, it's got some cool mechanics, great art style, cool character design, fun enemies, and really fun boss fights.”
“I had it set to the lowest possible volume before silence for both effects and music, and neither seemed muted at all.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its friendly and enjoyable atmosphere, enhanced by the absence of limited lives, which contributes to a relaxed gaming experience.
“Nevertheless, it maintains a friendly and highly enjoyable atmosphere with no limited lives.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews highlight that while the game excels in areas such as art style, character design, and engaging gameplay mechanics, there is little emphasis on character development, suggesting that the focus may be more on aesthetics and gameplay rather than deepening character narratives.