Shieldmaiden
- March 12, 2020
- Dumativa
- 2h median play time
Get on SteamThe 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.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
Xbox
Reviews
- Shieldmaiden features stunning pixel art and a beautiful anime aesthetic, making it visually appealing.
- The unique shield mechanics provide creative gameplay options, allowing for both offensive and defensive strategies.
- The game offers a fun and challenging experience with engaging boss fights and a friendly atmosphere, despite its short length.
- The game is quite short, with a playtime of around 1 to 3 hours, which may not justify its price for some players.
- Level design can feel repetitive and lacks variation, leading to moments where players may feel lost or stuck in loops.
- There are technical issues, such as inconsistent controls and a lack of display options, which can detract from the overall experience.
- gameplay20 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this platformer is characterized by polished controls and a unique shield mechanic that adds creativity to combat and exploration. While the visuals and art style are praised, some players feel that the level design does not fully utilize the character's abilities, leading to a lack of challenge and variety. Overall, the game offers a fun experience with engaging mechanics, but it may leave some players wanting more depth and challenge.
“It stands out as an excellent platforming game with stunning visuals featuring great pixel art and beautiful anime style, delivering a challenging adventure with polished gameplay and tight controls.”
“The shield mechanics are really creative and fun to use.”
“There's just enough gameplay variety to keep it interesting.”
“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.”
- graphics12 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are a mixed bag, with many praising the stunning pixel art and anime style that enhance the platforming experience. However, some users criticize the reliance on outdated retro graphics and the lack of customization options, which detracts from the overall visual quality. While the character design and animations are well-received, there are calls for more detail and variety in the environments and music.
“It stands out as an excellent platforming game with stunning visuals featuring great pixel art and beautiful anime style, delivering a challenging adventure with polished gameplay and tight controls!”
“Great pixel artwork and animation.”
“The game seems pretty fun, with fun ways of reinventing usual platform mechanics and jaw-dropping visuals.”
“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.”
- story11 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as interesting but not deeply explored, with engaging elements and smooth storytelling that enhances the experience. While some players appreciated the narrative and its integration with gameplay, others felt it served primarily as a backdrop for combat, lacking depth. Overall, the pixel art and thematic elements received praise, but the story's significance varied among players.
“The world and story are interesting, even though it is not explored that much.”
“I loved the storytelling, and it felt very smooth; I'm definitely craving for more!”
“The story is engaging, and the pixel art cyberpunk/post-apocalyptic themes are top shelf.”
“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.”
- music8 mentions
- 88 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, with many reviewers noting a great soundtrack that complements the quirky art direction and solid presentation. However, some players pointed out a lack of variety due to the reuse of certain tracks, suggesting that while the music is enjoyable, it could benefit from more diversity. Overall, the combination of music and visuals contributes positively to the game's appeal.
“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.”
“The battles with the bosses are quite fun; the music is very good and the aesthetics of the game are impressive.”
“I had it set to the lowest possible volume before silence for both effects and music, and neither seemed muted at all.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game fosters a friendly and enjoyable atmosphere, enhanced by the absence of limited lives, allowing players to engage without pressure.
“Nevertheless, it maintains a friendly and highly enjoyable atmosphere with no limited lives.”
- character development1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
While the reviews highlight strong elements such as music, mechanics, art style, and character design, they do not specifically address character development, suggesting it may not be a focal point in the game.
