Shadow of memories anime6/12/2023 ![]() ![]() This is a title of exploration and creative thinking, not of simple skill or button-mashing. There are no combat mechanics, no HP bar, and not a single action element, but Shadow of Destiny will raise your blood pressure in less-traditional ways. Eike needs to be in his own time at the correct time, or it’s game over. If you think of trying to cheat the system by hiding out in another time to avoid your murder, think again. The boogeyman is coming, and you need to think quick. ![]() And yes, cut-scenes and dialogue take up time as well you’re not going to stop the clock. Players do need to be cognizant of the time of their death and solve the mystery before it comes to pass. You won’t be racing the clock as desperately as you would in a real time-trial, but after seeing yourself being murdered over and over, the game doesn’t come across as ‘leisurely’ either. The first few playthroughs are fraught with tension and a feeling of being rushed, compounded by a very sparse and eerie soundtrack. ![]() Technically, there are nine different endings the player can discover, a novel addition that had me desperately playing the game over and over again. Luckily, the replay value is strong, and the player seems almost encouraged to make mistakes. The same holds true in Shadow of Destiny, though it is very possible to make mistakes despite the title’s linear design. With most time-travel media, the protagonist needs to be careful not to inadvertently impact the timeline in a way that could lead to a paradox. As you progress, you meet a cast of strange characters who (sometimes) do have an impact on your own survival. But that might be his only memorable quality, so it’s best to appreciate it.)īut it’s those hilarious extremes which make the game so enjoyable. Eike overthinks everything and is incredibly stupid. Get killed by an assassin in a tree? Obviously, you should go back 400 years to make sure the tree is never planted! (Before you ask, no, you can’t just simply avoid the tree. Over the next eight chapters, the player must time and time again prevent their own untimely demise, often by the most ridiculous means imaginable. Rinse & Repeat.Īfter being unceremoniously killed during the game’s opening credits, a curious creature named Homunculus gives blonde-haired, empty-headed hottie Eike Kusch the power to travel through time. It’s almost masterfully flawed.Īnd it all begins with you getting stabbed. It does something so utterly unique, enough to leave a long-lasting impression, but it doesn’t do it exactly right. Some reviews give it one star, while others give it a 9/10. And that’s what makes it so difficult to pin Shadow of Destiny down: it’s wonderful, and it’s terrible. I feel like I am the only one who still replays this incredibly bizarre mash of terrible character designs and delightfully spooky ambiance. ![]() In 2020, approximately one human being still thinks about Shadow of Destiny (or Shadow of Memories, as it’s called everywhere except North America.) They don’t immediately think of a two-decade-old time-travel mystery adventure game set in a sleepy German village and released on the Playstation 2. When someone mentions Konami, most (normal) peoples’ brains conjure images of Pyramid Head, Solid Snake, or a certain ubiquitous children’s card game. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |