is hard. Like, stupid hard. Its difficulty arises from its challenging puzzles and its retro playstyle. For the young/uninformed Shadowgate originally appeared in the Ancient Gaming Era of the 80s. A point-and-click masterpiece for Mac, Shadowgate was regaled as one of the best gaming experiences of its era. Its popularity landed it an NES port in 1989. And since nostalgia mining is still alive and well, the game received a reboot after a successful Kickstarter ran by Zojoi Studios. Graphically, it's a big change:
Gameplay wise? Not so much. Hence the stupid hardness I referenced earlier. It's not just that Shadowgate has intricate, well designed puzzles but also that the control scheme and play style feel so foreign. The basic strategy for a game like this initially feels like "try everything on everything and see what happens." We've been conditioned to more-or-less hug the right wall and mash "A" in dungeon exploration scenarios the last decade or so. Hack and slash mechanics usurped the point-and-click brain games of yesteryear. And for good reason. Hack and slash games are simple to learn and easy to play. Shadowgate is neither of those things.
This is a good thing.
Too often, reviews are judged by "fun." It seems logical enough. Distill the concept of "game" to its essence and you'll find fun. A good game should be fun. So if a game isn't fun, in the conventional sense, should it be considered bad? In the case of Shadowgate, I'd argue no. Because although the game was frustrating and difficult I can't argue that it's a bad game.
Far from it, actually.
Shadowgate succeeds on a lot of levels. The story, though basic, is a nicely envisioned one complete with wonderful art and voice acting. Ditto the game itself. Zojoi has designed lush backgrounds to point-and-click through, a well-executed departure from the more conventional "walk around and touch stuff" system. All of the art assets in the game look great, and the ambient sounds are realistic. You'll notice it when you solve a puzzle. The rumbling of a sliding stone tomb or the creak of a mechanical grate feel like triumphant horns in the otherwise murky silence. When it comes to an immersive experience Shadowgate nails the all too important subtleties.
The gameplay is rather complex. You'll soon find that the RPG skillset you've been using the last few years doesn't really apply here. Don't light all the torches, either. This classic Zelda move doesn't yield results in Shadowgate, and you'll end up wasting all your torches. Trial and error gameplay becomes a Sisyphean task in light of the various commands. There isn't just the basics like "use" or "look." There's also speak, go, close, open, eat, hit and take. If you try to use every command on every object in every room you'll get nowhere. Or you'll die.
Shadowgate likes to kill you.
Pick up a candle? Fall through a trap door. Look at a lake? Tentacle monster pulls you in. Steal a dragon's trash? Get burned to a crisp. All this in the first half-dozen rooms. Quicksave is your best friend. After that, start paying attention. Shadowgate gives out plenty of clues, but don't expect waypoints and object highlights. Instead, you'll read and interpret the actual text itself. For example, one room has a burning brazier in it. After extinguishing the flames the text description contains the phrase "you note the poor craftsmanship of the piece." Translation: you can break it with a hammer.
You will also be accompanied by a talking, glowing skull named Yorick. Shakespeare's Yorick? Who knows? I didn't get that far in the game to find out. But if you've gotta name a talking skull, Yorick is a safe route. And he serves as your best source of hints in the baffling room-to-room crawl of Shadowgate. Much like the text-based clues, Yorick isn't giving anything away. In fact, his sarcastic tone can sometimes be difficult to interpret. After completing a puzzle that had me throw an enchanted orb into a lake (to freeze it), Yorick chimed in with a comment before I left the room. Something to the effect of "an all-powerful wizard gives you a mystical relic and you leave it behind after one puzzle. Sounds like a good idea." Was it a good idea? Obviously not, but those are the kinds of context clues Shadowgate gives you. I melted some ice with my torch and pulled out the orb (after several futile attempts to smash it out with a sword or hammer or non-talking skull).
Clearly, this is not a game with mass market appeal in mind. It's not for the easily distracted or the casual gamer with only an hour or less to kill each play session. Shadowgate is a hard, thoughtful game that features some impeccably designed art and objects as well as a solid fantasy story and plenty of immersive atmosphere. It's not for everyone. But the faithful few who yearn for the point-and-clicks of days gone by or the younger gamers looking to experience a classic and learn about the roots of gaming would do well to invest in Shadowgate.
They might even have fun.
