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.
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.