Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms Review (PC)

good
key review info
  • Game: Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: No
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Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms

Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms is an isometric action role-playing game that offers an interesting world to explore and some sweet novel gameplay mechanics to toy with.

The game continues developer Games Farm's Heretic Kingdoms series, showing a world in disarray, in a time of uneasy peace, following a long period of tyranny.

The basic premise of the game is one that we have seen many times throughout history. After the fall of a despotic regime, the rebellion takes its place, oftentimes enforcing an even tighter grip on the land and people.

The shackles of the former tyrant have been broken, but people are still not free, as the three races, the men of Corwenth, the wolves of Taymuria, and the ogres of the Sura Wastes, are each plotting and preparing for war.

No longer rallied behind the common goal of overturning the tyranny, old enmities arise once more, and with nobody to hold the reins of power, chaos is slowly gripping the kingdoms.

The secret society that instrumented the fall of the oppressive Theocrat is now looking to grab said reins, corrupted and enslaved by dark forces beyond understanding.

You assume the role of a demon known as the Devourer, entering an alliance of sorts with a powerful mage, and set out to right wrongs and uncover the mystery behind the shadowy forces that are threatening the world.

I hate bugs, I really do
I hate bugs, I really do

Gameplay

Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms offers a pretty standard action role-playing game experience, clicking for moving and targeting, various classes to play as, with skills to level up and shiny gear to find and wear.

It also introduces a novel and pretty cool mechanic. The Devourer is a powerful demon, able to travel between the real and shadow world at whim, and to feed on the souls of fallen enemies.

The shadow world is a slightly modified version of the real world, with more neon smoke flying around, a different set of enemies to fight, and less decrepit buildings.

This also translates into some puzzles, as you are able to deal with various unseen signs while in demon form, as well as navigate on bridges that have crumbled in the real world. The Devourer can also speak to the spirits of the fallen, integrating some story elements neatly into the entire switching back and forth premise.

The game's unique party system enables you to switch between characters mid-fight and to navigate the map on either the human or demon version.

This mechanic enables some great interactions, such as the option to combo abilities from your characters and to go into the world of shadows in order to get better positioning, or to get up close and personal with a ranged character.

The ability to get out of harm's way quickly and to get superior positioning makes combat more strategic, which comes in handy when things are starting to get rough, as your characters are quite squishy.

You can have up to three active party members at any one time, and there are several characters you can choose from, which means that you won't get bored too easily and will always be able to enjoy a more varied play style.

Fortunately, the experience is shared between all characters, so you you're not missing out on anything if you change your party make-up.

The shadow world looks a lot like the '80s
The shadow world looks a lot like the '80s

Of course, when you start the adventure, you still have to pick a "main" character from the golden triad of fighter, mage and archer, whose story you'll follow, but you will also get a bunch of other characters to play with as you progress through the game, most of which are pretty creative, and not just there as filler.

There are main quests, side quests, a ton of books to read, and some stories of the world's denizens to follow, fleshing out a carefully crafted fantasy universe that's just waiting to be discovered.

Unfortunately, there are also many quirks and faults to the game, starting with the general finicky feeling of combat. Clicking on enemies simply doesn't feel as smooth as it should be, and you will find yourself moving at the wrong times and not when you wanted to. The game also feels a bit unresponsive occasionally, and some skills are simply clunky to deploy.

There are also a few other glitches and hiccups, but perhaps the biggest impediment to fully enjoying the game is the fact that it's incomplete. The project is very ambitious, but it's still a work-in-progress, still in need of a lot of polish. In addition to this, it's also meant to be an episodic adventure, so it's not a standalone, self-contained experience.

The crafting system, for instance, offers a ton of different options, but almost none of them is of any use. The ingredients you require are rare, most of the time you won't even have the specific ones that you need, and the things you will be able to craft will usually be worse than what you're already wearing.

Inventory management and the user interface as a whole feel clunky, but thankfully, there are several filters that enable you to find what you need in your overcrowded bags.

Sound and visuals

Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms looks great and has a very strong, atmospheric vibe. You get to see a couple of different biomes, enter catacombs and tombs, and traveling between the twin dimensions highlights pretty much everything with a ton of glow effects.

The general level architecture is pretty sound, and although you won't encounter any jaw-dropping panoramas (which, granted, are harder to pull off in an isometric perspective), everything looks great and ties in nicely with the rich lore.

Both the mortal and spectral planes look stupenduous and serve their purpose very well, the crypts are full of dark nooks and cobwebs, pretty much everything is done with attention to detail.

The game's dialogues are fully voice acted, and while some of the lines feel off occasionally, for the most part, the voice cast did its work commendably, enhancing the immersive experience.

The music is also great, with a ton of beautiful orchestral tunes that offer the unfolding events a feeling of grandeur and urgency.


The Good

  • Innovative concepts
  • Interesting mechanics
  • Set in a rich fantasy universe
  • A lot of eye candy

The Bad

  • Incomplete
  • Short
  • Wonky combat
  • Technical issues

Conclusion

The first chapter of Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms is pretty solid, offering a great mix of narrative and combat, but the following ones seem to favor combat over substance, which is a bit of a disappointment.

The combat system has a lot of potential, what with the synergies between all the characters you can switch on the fly and the ability to teleport to an alternate dimension, but unfortunately, at the mechanical level, the controls simply don't feel fluid enough.

For the most part, combat feels very static, you're healing and whittling down enemy health bars while standing in place, and the many skills at your disposal don't seem very balanced.

This, together with the many areas that feel simply incomplete, mars the overall experience, taking it down considerably. The fact that it's not very long to begin with further drives down its value.

story 8
gameplay 6
concept 9
graphics 8
audio 8
multiplayer 0
final rating 7
Editor's review
good
 
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Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms screenshots (25 Images)

Shadows: Heretic KingdomsI hate bugs, I really doThe shadow world looks a lot like the '80sA wolfman is always welcome in my team #teamjacobThe backgrounds look great
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