Shadowgate 2014 – A Big Step Forward in Point & Click Adventure Games
Staff Review by Rebecca Horovitz, IVA’s Acquisitions Coordinator for Games.
Shadowgate 2014 is a real step forward in the point and click adventure game. It’s amazing. It’s immersive. It really tells a story. With each room I entered, whether it contained a huge dragon or a tiny frost elemental, I got a sense of a history that felt ancient. The solutions to each puzzle are almost never obvious, and the few times they are, I was so used to the circumvention of logic that they end up being difficult as well. Until I clicked just the right place ( with my mind yelling at me for being so blind!) I found myself frantically moving throughout the castle in search of answers. Traipsing back and forth from room to room, while aggravating and time consuming, did give me the feel of a real adventure, and of being lost and hopeless.
OK, time to admit that I am horrible at these games. So, despite the well- designed map. I had to ask for help, not only from the cute (but also annoying) talking skull, but from online as well, especially when I went closer to death. This was often due to curses, and my own idiocy. Of course whenever I did get a puzzle right away the jolt of happiness I got was unlike any other.
My favorite part of the game so far has been the music room. You choose how to combine the music which is a real treat.The haunting melodies in the music fit the era in the game perfectly. I never tired of listening to them.
Shadowgate 2014is well constructed, well organized, beautifully drawn, and very interactive. Nearly everything you click on has a vivid description that goes hand in hand with the audio and visuals of the game.
In my opinion, Shadowgate 2014 is truly a masterpiece that brings this genre back to life.
Here’s a link to the trailer.