Shadowgrounds Preview

Shadowgrounds, developed by Frozenbyte and published by Meridian4, is a claustrophobic top-down shooter set in the future. That intro may sound like any number of games, the game (due out late next month) is all about atmosphere and pulls it off better than any game I’ve seen in a good while. Even though the game’s sparse lighting and narrow corridors borrow quite heavily from games like Doom 3, Shadowgrounds stands as its own animal, with unique gameplay and thick ambience. While there are some elements that need to be cleaned up a bit, like weak AI and repetitive enemies, Shadowgrounds has a lot going for it and could be one to check out.

While Shadowgrounds is a top down view action game, it controls much like a first person shooter. You use the WASD keys to move back and forth and strafe, and the mouse to aim around 360 degrees. You can also roll and interact with computer consoles, other characters and PDA’s that you find lying around (another allusion to Doom 3).

However, the main element that makes Shadowgrounds so intriguing is the use of lighting. Your character spends most of the time in the dark, requiring the use of a flashlight to get by and make his way through the environment. The flashlight bounces off of objects and casts eerie shadows, making for some really creepy situations. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if there’s an enemy scurrying about, or if the lights are playing tricks on your eyes.

While the game does have some great atmospheric elements, there are a few issues that mar the experience. The enemy AI is pretty dumb, doing foolish things like attacking you once and then just standing there waiting for you to make your move. This interrupts the flow of the action, as enemies will bombard you with attacks and just stop.

Another problem is the somewhat drab presentation of the enemies. They are made of the customary big spider-lookin’ crab things, large-headed reptilian monsters, and a few other stock alien creature archetypes. They tend to get a little boring after a while.

Save the superb lighting effects, the graphics look about three years behind the times. The character models, while nicely animated, look a little simplistic compared to most games hitting the market right now. The environments, while a little drab, suit the game’s atmosphere very nicely, working with the game’s dark and dreary look.

The sound is also pretty good. The ambient noise is creepy and adds to the mood nicely, as does the music. The voice acting is a little on the weak side however, and leaves a bit to be desired.

All in all, Shadowgrounds is a surprisingly engaging game, with some truly great aesthetic elements and a nice sense of atmosphere. If all the pieces fall into place, this could be one to check out next month.