I played it with a good freind of mine and we both really enjoyed parts of it. The atmosphere in the game is very dark. The mythological influences, the general style and above all, the internal worlds of the serial killers that you have to hunt down in the course of the game, are really well done. The music accompanies the whole thing very appropriately. Unfortunately, I found the level design absolutely insufferable. How often we got lost in this labyrinth of a game and sometimes wandered around pointlessly for hours on end is no laughing matter. I also found the German dubbing rather cringeworthy, but I do understand that it wasn't easy to capture the Lousiana atmosphere of the original in German. Gameplay was ok, but also frustrating at times when, for example, we fell down somewhere or some enemy did an abnormal amount of damage. Overall, it was a rather mixed experience, I would have preferred a more linear game progression.

Excellence would be an understatement. Perhaps the strongest example of a remaster today, Shadow Man Remastered features updated animations to restored locations and voice lines, to even brand new additional content; it gleams with polish and dedication so many games desperately need. One could go on and on about all that this game has done on a technical level but it's better to discuss how this game stands up on its own.

As exceptional a game it is, the bone structure is from an old school 3D Action-Adventure game from 1999...it comes with hiccups, even seeing as it has been overhauled for the modern day. Platforming is at the core of this game, when it works in tandem with the atmosphere and controls, it's outstanding. However it doesn't always achieve this, perhaps not even most the time; deceptive and tricky jumps plague some areas of the game, making it difficult for newcomers to jump in. Once mastered, the maneuvering in this game can be quite nice but it takes some going before that can happen. It can be frustrating failing jumps and falling into pits of lava or coal, for instance. Shadow Man Remastered knows how hard it's source material is however, sporting a quick save option (buried in a bindings menu but present nonetheless), and fast load times, as if to encourage the player to press onward in spite of the frustration.

Beyond the improved yet still held back controls of the game, it features a lovely, haunting a macabre atmosphere upheld by the expertly crafted and strange soundtrack by Tim Haywood, of which has been remastered and composed all over again.

There were no half measures taken here, Shadow Man Remastered is a painstaking work of art to radically change the feel of an old game. In many ways it succeeds, from the beautiful soundtrack, to the overhauled movement and controls (this used to be a tank controlled 3D game, about as annoying as it sounds). But others not so much, dated and sometimes downright unfriendly design can plague this game even still, but Shadow Man is Shadow Man, sinews, warts, skin tags and all. You'll get your money's worth as long as you're prepared to meet it part way.

🚨 New Conmancore game alert 🚨

A mad combination of Tomb Raider, Metroid Prime, Ocarina of Time, Silent Hill, Quake, and Donkey Kong 64. Do you enjoy every single one of those games? Welcome to Deadside. If not, you might want to steer clear of the Shadow Man.

Shadow Man is the voodoo-themed comic-adaptation 3D metroidvania collect-a-thon from hell, dripping with atmosphere and filled with random bullcrap to find and gather up (not nearly as many as DK64 but you do need to return to levels multiple times, even if you don’t want to 100% the game like I did). I got lost a couple times, and I can see some taking issue with its labyrinthine level-design, its wealth of collectibles, its relative lack of enemy variety, and I suppose the all-dark-all-the-time environments, but I thought this game was a constant vibe machine.

I loved exploring and backtracking through the underworld to discover new areas, climbing through the game’s temples and discovering secrets and upgrades. The liveside (real world) levels were especially atmospheric, taking you from sticky Louisiana bayous to even stickier London subways and New York apartments. Each one is inspired by real serial killers like Jack the Ripper or films like Silence of the Lambs, and the game is filled to burst with interesting background details and environmental storytelling.

I’m shocked I had never heard of the game (or comic) before, because it aligns almost perfectly with what I enjoy about my favorite fifth-generation titles. Some of the collectibles are called Dark Souls…

Shadow Man is even bald. Bald, I tell you! Representation win. Truly a Conman certified classic.