Welcome back to The Game Collection!
I've been focusing an awful lot on RPGs made by classic developers. They made the classics I grew up playing, the games that inspired my love for the genre. The games that inspired this series of reviews. But I think it’s time we check out a game that was also inspired by these classics. The developer Something Classic sent me a copy of Shadows of Adam for review, so let's see how they did! Is Shadows of Adam itself a mere shadow cast by the games that came before it? Or does it stand on its own legs as classic all on its own? I am SuperDerek and this is Shadows of Adam!
Shadows of Adam is a turn-based Japanese-style RPG that's available to play on PC and Nintendo Switch. It was developed by Something Classic after a successful Kickstarter campaign, raising over $20,000. Shadows of Adam launched originally in 2017 for PC, and was just ported over this year to the Nintendo Switch, which is the version I played for this review.
The story of Shadows of Adam follows Kellan, son of the hero Orazio and his childhood friend and adopted sister Azrael. Several years ago, Orazio set out on a journey, never to be heard from again, leaving behind his children, and a dark secret. And as the world begins to slip into darkness, the blight afflicting the world spreads and infects the land. Is in this world that our story picks up. Kellan and Azzy go exploring the Tangle, a treacherous and poisonous gnarl of twisted thorns and vines, in search of the source of the blight. Along the way they come across Curtis, a powerful monk who helps the duo out. Upon discovering and defeating a monstrous carnivorous plant, they find a magical tome buried within a tree trunk. It is then that a vision of Orazio appears, pleading to Azrael to help him, before vanishing. With that, our small band of characters go off on a journey to find Orazio, and get to the bottom of that creepy magical tome.
The game gradually leads the player through several towns and dungeons, in search of magical crystals, magical artifacts, and running from an evil prince, hell-bent on capturing Azzy for her sparkling magical abilities. Along the way we uncover the history of magic, the origins of artifacts, and meet several fun and interesting characters along the way.
The overarching story of the game itself isn't where the writing of this game truly shines though. That would be in the dialog. Shadows of Adam is very self-aware, and breaks the 4th wall often. The writing is clever and whimsical enough to keep readers engaged, but never so off-the-rails as to border on parody. Some of the most charming and memorable characters are the pirates obsessed with cleaning, for example. Shadows of Adam walks a fine line, and in doing so tells a story that is accessible to newcomers to the genre that may be appreciated even more by veterans. The writing helped make every character interaction a joy to watch, and loads of fun to voice-act during my twitch streams!
Another area where Shadows of Adam comes into its own is in the gameplay. There are no random encounters in Shadows of Adam which I know will be a huge selling point for some of you out there. Something Classic borrows from the likes of Final Fantasy Mystic Quest by strategically placing enemies at key points within the dungeons to help make sure that you never find yourself needing to grind, as long as you fight the monsters in your way. This provides perfect balance to battling, exploration, and puzzle-solving. The fact that there are some real head-scratchers in the game, and you don't have to worry about random encounters while problem-solving is the way things ought to be more often! Because trust me, the puzzles are hard enough as they are, without the extra distractions!
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