This for me was the first Metroidvania that was neither Metroid or Castlevania. It will always hold a special place in my heart and it brings memories of my youth playing it and getting immersed in this unique world. So happy Nightdive Studios remastered this but also went the extra mile of including the cut content that couldn’t fit on either a cartridge, CD-ROM, or even a GD-ROM. Kudos to those fine programmers. 👍❤️😃
The cut content was surprisingly extensive. NightDive are consummate professionals when it comes to video game preservation, they do so with the utmost respect for the original game.
I'd love a sequel video diving into some of the atmospheric and environmental storytelling. The blunt and surface level storytelling is indeed a bit mediocre, but there is a lot of storytelling in the world itself that gets glossed over. The Temples feel ur-ancient. Undisturbed even by Legion. The game is so wrapped up in the End of All Things and the Temples are a glimpse of the beginning. The first time we go Deadside, the wailers we encounter don't even attack us. They just mill about crying, weeping, and flinching in fear as you come near or pass them. They are outside the Marrow Gates. They have not yet accepted oblivion as their reality. These are clearly meant to be ordinary, recently deceased people who have just died and found themselves in Hell. The sorrow of the voice acting for these first wailers has been burned in my mind for 25 years. It is so unnerving and completely perfect for what is being conveyed even after all this time. Shadow Man isn't afraid of a little loving gothic camp but they take tbe right things 100% seriously and this first trip to Deadside was one of them. And while these first wailers are harmless, you can still destroy them completely and eat their souls, or simply watch them fade away to true nothingness. I think this first trip to the first Deadside area may be the greatest horror moment in any story and any medium... and no one talks about it! As another commenter noted, the hookmen and chainsaw hogs chop up captured Deadsiders that seem like ordinary people who had died. In other Asylum levels you see transportation infrastructute and crates, some of which partially open which show heaps of chopped up bodies and viscera. Those are then sent to the Experimentation and Play Rooms for melding into True Forms and the implanting of a dark soul using one of those machines. How about the early childhood music box horror ambient music in the dark engine areas? In cheaper horror this would be distorted into a horrific soundscape with cheap filters. Shadow Man plays the notes normally, but the melody they form has this hollow and increasingly maudlin vibe. This is an externalization of Michael's guilt and those horrible memories of his family's final moments seared into his mind forever. As we get closer to the core of the dark engine, we hear this haunting music as Michael grapples with his guilt by chasing a phantom of false hope. How did I figure out how to open a corpse portal? The theatre in the Cathedral of Pain. Purely environmental. All of this is nowhere to be found in dialogue. It's demonstrated in the world and through exploration. I'd like a few flairs like a Legion/Mike encounter partway through the plot, but generally I wouldn't have it all amy other way.
Some excellent points, I’d be surprised if no-one else has covered them before. The wailers at the starting area do attack, or at least they used to in the N64 version. As you say, this would be a worth a stand-alone video. Perhaps I’ll revisit Deadside again.
It has that effect, yes. The map definitely helps to orient you. The coffin gates are prominent landmarks to guide you around. Personally, I love the open levels and exploration.
Oh what??! There’s a horror mode?!! That’s awesome 🤘 Glad you’re enjoying it. Shadowman is unique in gaming, I can’t think of any experience quite like it.
This is outstanding! A thoroughly excellent and enjoyable delve into a platformer that has hooked me earlier this year for many similar reasons. The amount of depth you go into to draw out every bit of the experience is awesome, and you do a wonderful job compiling it all into a very entertaining script. Wonderful stuff!
@@HeyBlondieGamer I whole heartedly agree. And the video was awesome! You touched on a lot of things that I didn't even tune into on my own playthrough. Always love hearing different perspectives on things!
Great Analysis of a N64 favourite game of mine! I also played it back in my youth and was mesmerized by its weird world building and the horror lurking in each corner. Playing the NY Stage of Avery Marx back then was for me the horror since he popped out of thin air and you notice it before when the music gets filled with dread In the Remaster they changed it for the other too, that they appear throughout the stages at least once before reaching the final place. About the Legion Analysis of its Plan: I rather think here, that he intentionally knew and foresaw that ShadowMan would collect them all so he never hindered him even while slaughterhing the Five. As you mentioned too, he was betting that ShadowMan would fall to the corruption so that he can gain them without much trouble. Violence was only supposed to be as a last option imo. If you actually lost to him, a video clip would play how ShadowMan was the Catalyst for all of it since the beginning thanks to the prophecy he planted long ago. In the end, Legion took the Dark Souls unto him as foretold but not as he planned. For me it was interesting if the power of the dark souls overcame Legion and ripped him apart in the last moments before credits roll (asylum crashing down)
Thank you! The Marx level was a standout as one of the most depraved and mature settings in the game, more so the PC port than the console which is more graphic. Oh for sure, he was banking on a clean sweep of the souls by a struggling Shadowman. What’s odd though is that The 5 are his avatars of destruction. Netty already dreams of Legion so Shadowman was always going Deadside to figure out what was wrong. He didn’t need serial killers in Liveside to prompt the trip to Deadside. The implication - the 5 have value to Legion’s plans. Yet, he doesn’t bat an eyelid as they fall, a clear indication of Shadowman’s growing mastery over the dark souls. It should have been the indicator to a smart super villain that things weren’t going to plan. I think they undersold Legion and The 5 by a large margin. They needed more agency and air time to be credible threats in the flesh. Their lore is incredible though, the atmosphere of each Liveside location is palpable.
This is my favorite Shadow Man review and trust me Ive seen many. Great job! Very thorough and well executed. This game has captivated me since I can remember. It's presence and level of immersion make all the flaws irrelevant to me. Love this game.
Thanks! Shadow Man is a classic example of many design and concept choices melding into an extremely competent and memorable experience. A risky new IP by today’s standards, but back then the industry was still pushing boundaries. One of my favorites.
I've been going through your videos and I gotta say you're doing a great job. Especially with these hour long videos. They're so light and breezy that they just fly by.
Discovered your channel via your Unreal video & then stumbled across this fitting tribute to an underrated gem. Back when Blockbuster game rentals were a thing, we rented the N64 original from there, I don't recall if I beat the game before having to return it, but I did later pick up the Dreamcast version & played through it several times, the mood & atmosphere this game evokes is unmatched in my mind. As for the remaster, I dare say it's Night Dive's best work to date, high praise I feel, considering their work on the first 2 Turok games & Doom 64. The restored content, whilst not quite up to the same level of quality as the base game, was a delight to experience. Thanks for this video, I'll likely be checking out more of your work in the future. ^_^
I lost count the number of plays I racked up on my N64. One the rare games that still felt as evocative on the 10th completion as the 1st. I didn’t realize how gritty and mature the Home Improvement killer’s level was until I played the PC version. My god… 😳 Thank you for the support and for taking the time to comment! 😁
That's a fair point. The music that always springs to mind when I think RE is the police station in original RE2, that track was dripping with atmosphere.
@@HeyBlondieGamer The safe room soundtrack in the west side of the mansion in RE1. Under the staircase. Capcom safe room soundtracks are the best atmospheric soundtracks in gaming history.
What a game, i was totally mesmerised by it in 99 and if someone had said in 2022 there would be an amazing remaster for me to enjoy it all over again i would have laughed at such a notion, as it stands the game is definitely of its time but its a time i think was the best in gaming that being 1995 - 2005 pure fun is whats missing for me in subsequent years. Having finished the remaster and am looking up everything on youtube i can about it, speedruns, reviews obscure details, guides to100%ing it etc but your video however is the very best review on the game without a doubt throughly enjoyed it and will point anyone i can to it in future, oh and i did indeed subscribe, "for we are many!"
I couldn’t get enough of the screenshots in the mags leading up to its release. Shadowman is dark, but it’s done tastefully, and the aesthetic design is a big part of the appeal. Nightdive knocked the Remaster out of the park, and I’m glad that there are devs out there with passion and love for the beloved classics. I really appreciate the sub and the support, thanks so much for dropping a comment! 👍 “For We are Many.”
With the latest update 1.4 now gives us a reason to collect every cadeaux. A new level 10 coffin has been added in the Fogometers that leads to a door requiring all 666 cadeaux. Behind both door leads to a new item. A light soul. Collecting it will make the shadowgun permanently fully charged. Meaning the player no longer needs to press and hold the fire button to charge the shadowgun. Also in 1.4 are a new collectable and weapon. The bloody teddy bear. In every area there is a hidden teddy bear. Getting to them is interesting. These collectibles are hidden in out of bound areas, behind a fake wall and seemingly out of reach areas. All requiring a specific parkour or skill exploit. For example in the temple of fire (toucher) one teddy bear is hidden behind the loading zone leading back to the Paths of Shadow. You have to constantly seamlessly side roll up the slope as the wall pushes you towards and around the loading trigger. Once your in go to far end of the bridge and the teddy bear will be there.
@@HeyBlondieGamer I heard that they are working on two cut enemies a seraph queen boss for the experimental rooms in the room right before the one with the retractor and some kind of worm monsters.
@@freakishtech2310 I heard about the seraph boss. I thought that would have made it in already. Guess I’ll need to keep a closer eye on future updates.
I'll admit that I don't know anything about Vodou beyond the negative portrayal it gets in fiction, so it was very interesting to hear that a video game (and presumably the comic it's based on) adapted the religion into its story. Thank you very much for giving us some details on this faith! A shame to hear the actual plot of the game didn't think everything through and faceplanted a little bit in the end, but it's clear that this wasn't a phoned-in job and I'm glad the parts of the game that worked work so well. However, I wonder if parts of the game's narrative failings come from the fact that it was made during the era of collectathon games; if nothing else, the mechanics of that genre might explain why some of the Dark Souls don't have better hiding places.
You're welcome :) The vodou research was interesting, and the mixed origins were quite surprising. The plot isn't horrible, it's just overwhelmingly plain. I doubt the story is what people remember when they recall ShadowMan, and a game doesn't need a strong plot to be engaging. The characters do a great job of relating their sinister motives and they carry the narrative parts of the experience. I was disappointed because I saw the missed potential and thought it was worth pointing out. Games were still maturing as an industry back then, and ShadowMan is poised on that knife's edge of serious media and something to kill time.
You got everything right, except the horror of the true ending. Legion tricks Mike into giving him his teddebear before the final boss battle. Mike is now forever stuck in deadside (until 2nd coming) which gives zero explanations and is trash IMO. This is the best overview and review on this game i have ever seen. Salute! I have an exclusive remix of the marco theme Tim made for me! Even cooler! I'll link it if you respond
I never really saw the ending as horrific. To us, perhaps, but to Mike… “The horror. The horror. I embrace it.” You’re right, it’s an unfulfilling end. Cheers! Yeah, drop a link, that sounds really cool!
for anyone wondering there have been many updates to the remastered version of shadowman, including a new game plus and iron man mode unlocked via konami style codes, and a weapon you unlock by finding secret collectibles
Yep, they were still working on significant chunks of content after ‘release’. It should have been labeled as early access. I don’t like the violator unlock via secret collectibles. The violator was historically the reward for reaching level 10 shadow power and opening the lvl 10 coffin gate, which meant someone had found all dark souls. It felt like a more meaningful reward than the art book. Double violators absolutely shred Legion, and you can end the boss fight quickly if you have both.
I was so obsessed with this game I spent so long finding all the souls and unlocking all the hidden dead side weapons no matter how many times I replayed the game it was difficult to remember where everything was 😂
Legion had hoped Mike would collect all the dark souls to power up to defeat him. However, this was a ploy to get shadowman to essentially bring all the dark souls' legion, and his forces could not get too such as the ones guarded in the blood temples. Legion did not anticipate Mike becoming more powerful than himself. A few uno reverse cards were played at the end.
For me the most incredible part of the experience was how the Playrooms were handled. You're given enough time to get comfortable with the setting and themes, and when you entered new areas previously the music that played remained consistent, until the Playrooms. The way the music drops as soon as you're presented with the Asylum's "experiments" was pure genius.
That moment stands out for me too. It’s so sinister and creepy, and the horrific environmental storytelling is the sledgehammer to the guts. But you know. As soon as the music drops you know it won’t be pretty.
It’d be interesting if Haywood composed a piece and the team loved it so much that they built an area for it, but I doubt that’s how it went down. Either way, a really creepy touch. Right up there with the Home Improvement Killer’s victims. That was some seriously messed up imagery.
I should follow their roadmap and have another play when it’s done. I’m curious to know what they’ve changed in Asylum, as it was largely beat for beat from the original games.
im going through the game atm so i cant finish the video, but its well made so far 👍 (meant the video, but the game too. once i got used to the controls, i couldn't stop playing, despite being really lost sometimes. i'll push through grr) I've noticed two videos now mention the lack of a map, so i guess they patched it in, both in-game and including a PDF document
Cheers, I appreciate the feedback! The controls are one of the best improvements (believe it or not). It plays so fluidly now compared to the original, and I reckon more people would have given up on Shadowman if the controls had remained as they were. The map was missing at release. The OG games came with maps out of the box, and it wouldn’t have required much effort to update it for the initial release. Hell, you could still use the original maps to navigate, and I’d argue that they were absolutely necessary to assist with exploration since the coffin gates were prominent landmarks. They were also working on an area and a new boss which I didn’t know about until after I had finished. Oh well. Some advice on navigation - rely on the map for general navigation but don’t be afraid to go off the beaten path. Focus on getting the gads and voodou items before exploring too much as Shadowman is a Metroidvania-styled game and many paths, dark souls, and cadeaux are locked behind areas that require specific abilities to access.
@@HeyBlondieGamer Managed to beat it! Albeit by consulting videos and guides to help find a few ways. (My eyes kept missing climbable ledges lol) Ugh, the playrooms music. It's the reason I kept thinking about the game to begin with (and finally playing it now), having seen it as a teen in a Disturbing Video Game OSTs video thing with a thumbnail of the colourful playroom. Was a bit surprised that it was just one little room in the end. I kept getting goosebumps on my arms as I was playing too. Less "fear", but morseo utter madness and sensory overload from the noises and getting lost in this bloody maze. The song "Toys" is also very good, yet sad. All in all, cool game, + I'm a slowpoke + I've become Half Life Barney, since I now owe Jaunty a beer + the horror... **the HORROR...!** I'll keep my eye on the new game Darque Mask that's apparently being made, even though it won't really have anything to do with this Michael LeRoi one.
I believe the remaster was built upon the N64 version, but don’t quote me on that. It was pretty impressive for the day with the memory expansion installed.
Hi! That video was awesome! Thank you! I'm sorry to relive this comment section years later, but it seems you are very nice and are still answering comments. I never got to play this game back in the day. I almost bought it for my N64 but end up buying a different game I don't remember now. I'm glad I skipped most of the story bits as I don't get spoiled. I'll come back to it, if I play the game. Which comes to the reason of my comment. I'm interested in buying the remastered version as it is on sale now on both GOG and Steam. I have a question. All reviewers are praising the new controls, but how do they work? I love playing on PC with mouse+keyboard. Does this game allows me to control Mikes movement with WASD and the camera with the mouse at all times? Does A and D strafes while you aim with the mouse? It seems that the game has a sort of auto-aim. It is not a problem at all, but can you still select targets? How does it work exactly? Did you play with mouse? How is the sensitivity, is it smooth? Also, this remastered version got updates and new contents after launch, is it true? Can I change the FOV? Nightdive loves to add FOV sliders and I appreciate it so much. I'm sorry to bother with so many question, but I'd appreciate any help, if you don't mind. Thank you!
Hey, sorry I got to your comment a bit late. Glad you enjoyed the video! I played exclusively with keyboard + mouse. Target lock is still fine and yes, there’s full camera control with the mouse. The biggest changes are the input limitations. On the original N64 version you could only move one direction at a time. So, if you wanted to strafe and move backward, you could only do one or other. The remaster allows you to combine strafe and forward/backward movements which makes traversal and combat so much smoother. They compensate by buffing enemy health and numbers. It’s honestly the best implementation of Shadowman’s controls that you could ask for and it plays like a dream. I don’t know about the FOV slider but I suggest taking a look at the GOG forums, perhaps someone has already answered that question there. Yes, Nightdive did add more content post-review. I believe there’s another boss encounter, a new hardcore mode, and some other stuff. They always do a great job of supporting their games, though I would have liked to see this content in 1.0 instead of post-release updates. Hope this answers your questions 😁
I actually preferred 3 of the 5 being in Gardelle county jail. I did not like the restored levels. Also the boss battles are kind of perfect to what the game is striking for, and Michael tells us. The 5 are disposable to Legion. They just needed to open their gate for his armies. They are nothing to him, nor are they nothing of a challenge for Mike. They are nothing to him. Just "people" that need to be stopped. Like he says himself "I found the how the five reaches liveside, but it's always daytime when i arrive, maybe i should hold off until night, which is not easy as they are after my blood" Meaning he *could* have just waited and they would each fall easily to him and the nature of the Shadowgun. They are pawns. Not important to Legion, other than leading Mike to fulfill his own faked Prophecy. The enemies are very much the terrifying nature of the environment. JAck would have killed himself either way, He would still be able to meet Legion. It is just a story device for us to understand something grander is at foot. Jack is the true ripper though, as the intro takes place the same year the ripper killings stopped. The very month. For Legions prophecy to be fulfilled, all of the five need to die. Everything is leading up to the final boss, where Mike was always intended to sit the throne and get sucked dry of the dark souls he (which Legion knew) he needed to collect to even get there. Therefore i forgive the lack of cool boss mechanics, as the entire point is how par for the course they are in Legions and Mikes eyes, They simply possess a dark sou, something Mike could deal wth normally if it were nighttime. And right before the game, in the unique comic book run before the game, there WAs a test run like Jaunty deduces. Their death is meant to happen. Everything is meant to happen. Nothing was not as Legion predicted as he wrote the prophecy. They needed to open the gates, and be a reason for Mike to finally confront him. The five are, again, nothing. Jack built the asylum (making him the true leader of the five, The lizard king is only led to believe HE is the true leader because of his EGO. A way to easily get him to just do as LEgion says. His ego is apparent in his intro to the fight. They are all puppets. Nobodies. That's what's so amazing. The entire game is Legions plan. Everything except him receiving all the dark souls when beaten, killing him was his plan. Everything was as it was meant to be until you beat both his forms. Legion couldn't obtain them himself. He had msanged to gather around 15 OPENED Govi. He cannot open them himself, but gathers them to Asylum etc so Mike can easily open them, consume them and lose to Legion. The Dark souls are not something shadowmen deal with, this was the one time they were something a shadowman had to collect. So the story is actually perfectly executed knowing the entire story. (I know who each serial killer is supposed to be, i know why the story is how it is and wy it is. And it's perfect. Before the remastert we were a tight knit fan group on FB which Tim Haywood was the leader of, and we talked in depht about everything, personally. Just an example, Marco Cruz isn't modelled after ANY serial killer. He's directly based (down to his outfit) on Robert Deniro from the movie Cape Fear. It's insane how perfect the story is. LOVE THIS VIDEO!!!! AMA!
That’s a lot of interesting info. I’d love to go back one day and see what I missed the first time around. I always figured that the serial killers were based on analogues either in fiction or the real world. One thing which has never sat right with me is Legion’s oversight of just how powerful the dark souls would make Mike, powerful enough to defeat him. Did he underestimate how many there were? Did he underestimate Mike’s ability to contain and channel them? Mike didn’t just stomp through the 5 killers, he stomped Legion’s entire army. Taken in aggregate we see a huge swathe of bodies in Mike’s wake. I guess you could chalk it down to simple overconfidence, but Legion feels more complex a character to be run down by simple hubris. Perhaps one day I’ll revisit this analysis with a fresh set of eyes. Thanks for dropping a comment, this was a great read 👍
As we see in the bad aka prophecy ending, Legion's army is not animated before Mike is sucked dry of his dark souls. So the bodies are built, they just miss the dark souls. We just kill a few of them who were experiments from the few dark souls Legion managed to get hold of. In that ending we see many marching through the main gate to earthside. Yes it was hubris on Legions part, he did not expect Mike to be able to channel the dark souls so well. As nettie hints at, even mike could be corrupted by the darkness of the souls. Which he indeed almost does as he says progressively in the level intros. So Legion expected somebody who could not truly contain their power. The only reason we could destroy him forever was because we beat him to a pulp, then gave HIS weakened body ALL the dark souls at once. The plan was to beat Mike who could not master the dark souls, place him upon the Dark throne of the dark engine-and forcefully draw out all the dark souls. Again, the bad ending. When that ending happens. Legions "prophecy" was indeed fully complete. Mike is just badass like that xD
I always thought it’d be cool if there were side effects of taking on higher levels of dark souls, like Mike has to fight some inner demon or gets transported to a temporary level (in his mind) which he must escape.
I agree! by the way did you know the reason the hookmen are slashing up the deadsiders? their flesh is used to make the Trueforms! As you progress you can see the the flesh being transported from the cages to the playgrounds etc The asylum is a true factory. (although the hookmen love their jobs) :D@@HeyBlondieGamer
Played this in mid 2000 It has one of the best soundtracks/scores of video game history. I love the African instruments that were used & the atmospheric music. Each song fit perfect for every moment and level. The story was excellent. Gameplay (I’m in the middle) but it really didn’t matter to me because the music,story and visuals were AMAZING!!!! Part 2? I don’t know wtf happened.but From what I saw….. I didn’t even bother to play it 😂😂😂😂it just looked like trash.
Every track from this game lives in my head rent-free. I can recall virtually every piece of music. There’s been no soundtrack like it to date either which is a testament to its masterful design.
I don’t know why I picked up this game as a kid. I didn’t know why I saw the appeal. There was something creepy about it but I was drawn in. It gave me the creeps but I didn’t outright scare me like most horror games has. There was a depressing dread that followed. At the time I was sort of a re-practicing catholic but I was somehow obsessed with stories of prophecy and apocalypse.
The creep factor dialed to 11 during the serial killer hunts. The Home Improvement killer in particular had one of the creepiest levels in the game. The art design and tone came at the perfect time when I craved darker edgier titles on the N64.
@@HeyBlondieGamer I think that and the one with Jack the Ripper had the creep factor. But yes, I just thought about the game recently and did the TH-cam search and found your vid and I pretty much agree with your whole description.
@@HeyBlondieGamer speaking of which, I played Mafia 3 dlc, the one dlc that dealt with a death cult, I forgot the name, it had some borrow elements that reminded me of shadow man, the voodoo-like creeps, Louisiana, and weird hallucinations.
@@HeyBlondieGamer Funny thing is, the "happy ending" isn't the real ending, the real ending is when Shadow Man is defeated and Legion and his army goes into the world. They actually appear in Central Park (New York), this is seen by two strange creatures, called Mellor and Pheeps, and it really doesn't go the way Legion intended. I really wish we could make the true sequel. I Like your video. Oh and Hello, I'm Tim Haywood, Audio Director of Shadow Man. hi!
As soon as I saw your name I thought “Nah, it couldn’t be…” 😅 Firstly, thanks so much for taking the time to watch the video and drop a comment on my tiny channel! Hey, now that’s a bleak ending. Was it cut because it wasn’t considered a fitting end for the player character’s journey? There’s also mention of sequel hook with a golden fetus which was apparently cut, are they related? Mellow and Pheeps - is that a rip on Guy Miller and Simon Phipps? Thanks again for taking the time to comment, Tim. You’ve made my day!
@HeyBlondieGamer I enjoyed the bit I played when I bought the remaster but got a little stuck trying to get into the Asylum or whatever big ass building when you first get there. Gonna be playing this weekend.
Asylum can be confusing initially. The map does help with general navigation, and you’ll get more abilities later which allow greater exploration of Asylum.
His plan is flawed, the explanation is inadequate. If I were a bad guy I’d get very concerned if I watched an overpowered undead warrior tearing ass through my army. At no point does Legion question his plan or Mike’s ability to control and channel the dark souls. He still believes he’ll win despite the immense power which Mike gathers to himself (a power which Legion is supposedly intimately familiar with and acknowledges as a force capable of reshaping Deadside). For an intelligent and calculating antagonist, this is a massive narrative oversight.
This for me was the first Metroidvania that was neither Metroid or Castlevania. It will always hold a special place in my heart and it brings memories of my youth playing it and getting immersed in this unique world. So happy Nightdive Studios remastered this but also went the extra mile of including the cut content that couldn’t fit on either a cartridge, CD-ROM, or even a GD-ROM. Kudos to those fine programmers. 👍❤️😃
The cut content was surprisingly extensive. NightDive are consummate professionals when it comes to video game preservation, they do so with the utmost respect for the original game.
The game has such a unique atmosphere. The metroid style progression is so rewarding too.
I can’t wait for the console release. One of my favorite games of all time. For we are many.
It is prophecy. We cannot fail. For We are Many.
I'd love a sequel video diving into some of the atmospheric and environmental storytelling. The blunt and surface level storytelling is indeed a bit mediocre, but there is a lot of storytelling in the world itself that gets glossed over.
The Temples feel ur-ancient. Undisturbed even by Legion. The game is so wrapped up in the End of All Things and the Temples are a glimpse of the beginning.
The first time we go Deadside, the wailers we encounter don't even attack us. They just mill about crying, weeping, and flinching in fear as you come near or pass them. They are outside the Marrow Gates. They have not yet accepted oblivion as their reality. These are clearly meant to be ordinary, recently deceased people who have just died and found themselves in Hell. The sorrow of the voice acting for these first wailers has been burned in my mind for 25 years. It is so unnerving and completely perfect for what is being conveyed even after all this time. Shadow Man isn't afraid of a little loving gothic camp but they take tbe right things 100% seriously and this first trip to Deadside was one of them. And while these first wailers are harmless, you can still destroy them completely and eat their souls, or simply watch them fade away to true nothingness. I think this first trip to the first Deadside area may be the greatest horror moment in any story and any medium... and no one talks about it!
As another commenter noted, the hookmen and chainsaw hogs chop up captured Deadsiders that seem like ordinary people who had died. In other Asylum levels you see transportation infrastructute and crates, some of which partially open which show heaps of chopped up bodies and viscera. Those are then sent to the Experimentation and Play Rooms for melding into True Forms and the implanting of a dark soul using one of those machines.
How about the early childhood music box horror ambient music in the dark engine areas? In cheaper horror this would be distorted into a horrific soundscape with cheap filters. Shadow Man plays the notes normally, but the melody they form has this hollow and increasingly maudlin vibe. This is an externalization of Michael's guilt and those horrible memories of his family's final moments seared into his mind forever. As we get closer to the core of the dark engine, we hear this haunting music as Michael grapples with his guilt by chasing a phantom of false hope.
How did I figure out how to open a corpse portal? The theatre in the Cathedral of Pain. Purely environmental.
All of this is nowhere to be found in dialogue. It's demonstrated in the world and through exploration. I'd like a few flairs like a Legion/Mike encounter partway through the plot, but generally I wouldn't have it all amy other way.
Some excellent points, I’d be surprised if no-one else has covered them before.
The wailers at the starting area do attack, or at least they used to in the N64 version.
As you say, this would be a worth a stand-alone video. Perhaps I’ll revisit Deadside again.
I really want to like this game, but it makes me feel like a rat trapped in a maze
It has that effect, yes. The map definitely helps to orient you. The coffin gates are prominent landmarks to guide you around. Personally, I love the open levels and exploration.
"All 120 dark souls"
Gwyn having an aneurysm.
Currently playing the new horror mode, I love it! I wish there were more games like this instead of live services bs
Oh what??! There’s a horror mode?!! That’s awesome 🤘
Glad you’re enjoying it. Shadowman is unique in gaming, I can’t think of any experience quite like it.
That was a really good analysis
Cheers!
This is outstanding! A thoroughly excellent and enjoyable delve into a platformer that has hooked me earlier this year for many similar reasons. The amount of depth you go into to draw out every bit of the experience is awesome, and you do a wonderful job compiling it all into a very entertaining script. Wonderful stuff!
Thanks, Shalashakka, I’m glad you enjoyed it! Shadow Man is a gem that deserves more coverage.
@@HeyBlondieGamer I whole heartedly agree. And the video was awesome! You touched on a lot of things that I didn't even tune into on my own playthrough. Always love hearing different perspectives on things!
Great Analysis of a N64 favourite game of mine!
I also played it back in my youth and was mesmerized by its weird world building and the horror lurking in each corner.
Playing the NY Stage of Avery Marx back then was for me the horror since he popped out of thin air and you notice it before when the music gets filled with dread
In the Remaster they changed it for the other too, that they appear throughout the stages at least once before reaching the final place.
About the Legion Analysis of its Plan:
I rather think here, that he intentionally knew and foresaw that ShadowMan would collect them all so he never hindered him even while slaughterhing the Five.
As you mentioned too, he was betting that ShadowMan would fall to the corruption so that he can gain them without much trouble. Violence was only supposed to be as a last option imo.
If you actually lost to him, a video clip would play how ShadowMan was the Catalyst for all of it since the beginning thanks to the prophecy he planted long ago.
In the end, Legion took the Dark Souls unto him as foretold but not as he planned.
For me it was interesting if the power of the dark souls overcame Legion and ripped him apart in the last moments before credits roll (asylum crashing down)
Thank you!
The Marx level was a standout as one of the most depraved and mature settings in the game, more so the PC port than the console which is more graphic.
Oh for sure, he was banking on a clean sweep of the souls by a struggling Shadowman. What’s odd though is that The 5 are his avatars of destruction. Netty already dreams of Legion so Shadowman was always going Deadside to figure out what was wrong. He didn’t need serial killers in Liveside to prompt the trip to Deadside. The implication - the 5 have value to Legion’s plans. Yet, he doesn’t bat an eyelid as they fall, a clear indication of Shadowman’s growing mastery over the dark souls. It should have been the indicator to a smart super villain that things weren’t going to plan.
I think they undersold Legion and The 5 by a large margin. They needed more agency and air time to be credible threats in the flesh. Their lore is incredible though, the atmosphere of each Liveside location is palpable.
This is my favorite Shadow Man review and trust me Ive seen many. Great job! Very thorough and well executed. This game has captivated me since I can remember. It's presence and level of immersion make all the flaws irrelevant to me. Love this game.
Thanks! Shadow Man is a classic example of many design and concept choices melding into an extremely competent and memorable experience. A risky new IP by today’s standards, but back then the industry was still pushing boundaries. One of my favorites.
By the end of your first sentence i was reading this in Legion's voice
This will forever hold a special place in my ♥
I've been going through your videos and I gotta say you're doing a great job. Especially with these hour long videos. They're so light and breezy that they just fly by.
Thank you so much! I don’t deliberately design them to be an hour, that’s just how the last few videos have ended up.
Discovered your channel via your Unreal video & then stumbled across this fitting tribute to an underrated gem.
Back when Blockbuster game rentals were a thing, we rented the N64 original from there, I don't recall if I beat the game before having to return it, but I did later pick up the Dreamcast version & played through it several times, the mood & atmosphere this game evokes is unmatched in my mind.
As for the remaster, I dare say it's Night Dive's best work to date, high praise I feel, considering their work on the first 2 Turok games & Doom 64. The restored content, whilst not quite up to the same level of quality as the base game, was a delight to experience.
Thanks for this video, I'll likely be checking out more of your work in the future. ^_^
I lost count the number of plays I racked up on my N64. One the rare games that still felt as evocative on the 10th completion as the 1st. I didn’t realize how gritty and mature the Home Improvement killer’s level was until I played the PC version. My god… 😳
Thank you for the support and for taking the time to comment! 😁
Funnily enough, when I hear the Moonlight Sonata, is always think of Resident Evil. It came before this game and Jill played it.
That's a fair point. The music that always springs to mind when I think RE is the police station in original RE2, that track was dripping with atmosphere.
@@HeyBlondieGamer
The safe room soundtrack in the west side of the mansion in RE1.
Under the staircase.
Capcom safe room soundtracks are the best atmospheric soundtracks in gaming history.
Ain’t that the truth. I love listening to compilations of them while working.
What a game, i was totally mesmerised by it in 99 and if someone had said in 2022 there would be an amazing remaster for me to enjoy it all over again i would have laughed at such a notion, as it stands the game is definitely of its time but its a time i think was the best in gaming that being 1995 - 2005 pure fun is whats missing for me in subsequent years.
Having finished the remaster and am looking up everything on youtube i can about it, speedruns, reviews obscure details, guides to100%ing it etc but your video however is the very best review on the game without a doubt throughly enjoyed it and will point anyone i can to it in future, oh and i did indeed subscribe, "for we are many!"
I couldn’t get enough of the screenshots in the mags leading up to its release. Shadowman is dark, but it’s done tastefully, and the aesthetic design is a big part of the appeal. Nightdive knocked the Remaster out of the park, and I’m glad that there are devs out there with passion and love for the beloved classics.
I really appreciate the sub and the support, thanks so much for dropping a comment! 👍
“For We are Many.”
With the latest update 1.4 now gives us a reason to collect every cadeaux. A new level 10 coffin has been added in the Fogometers that leads to a door requiring all 666 cadeaux. Behind both door leads to a new item. A light soul. Collecting it will make the shadowgun permanently fully charged. Meaning the player no longer needs to press and hold the fire button to charge the shadowgun.
Also in 1.4 are a new collectable and weapon. The bloody teddy bear. In every area there is a hidden teddy bear. Getting to them is interesting. These collectibles are hidden in out of bound areas, behind a fake wall and seemingly out of reach areas. All requiring a specific parkour or skill exploit.
For example in the temple of fire (toucher) one teddy bear is hidden behind the loading zone leading back to the Paths of Shadow. You have to constantly seamlessly side roll up the slope as the wall pushes you towards and around the loading trigger. Once your in go to far end of the bridge and the teddy bear will be there.
Man, I wish the 666 coffin gate had been there from the beginning. I'm glad they included it though.
What does the bloodied teddy do?
@@HeyBlondieGamer you basically can throw it at enemies and it kills enemies in one hit. You can throw it indefinitely
@@freakishtech2310 Wow! Given how hard they are to find, that's a fair deal. Do they have many more updates planned?
@@HeyBlondieGamer I heard that they are working on two cut enemies a seraph queen boss for the experimental rooms in the room right before the one with the retractor and some kind of worm monsters.
@@freakishtech2310 I heard about the seraph boss. I thought that would have made it in already. Guess I’ll need to keep a closer eye on future updates.
I'll admit that I don't know anything about Vodou beyond the negative portrayal it gets in fiction, so it was very interesting to hear that a video game (and presumably the comic it's based on) adapted the religion into its story. Thank you very much for giving us some details on this faith!
A shame to hear the actual plot of the game didn't think everything through and faceplanted a little bit in the end, but it's clear that this wasn't a phoned-in job and I'm glad the parts of the game that worked work so well. However, I wonder if parts of the game's narrative failings come from the fact that it was made during the era of collectathon games; if nothing else, the mechanics of that genre might explain why some of the Dark Souls don't have better hiding places.
You're welcome :)
The vodou research was interesting, and the mixed origins were quite surprising.
The plot isn't horrible, it's just overwhelmingly plain. I doubt the story is what people remember when they recall ShadowMan, and a game doesn't need a strong plot to be engaging. The characters do a great job of relating their sinister motives and they carry the narrative parts of the experience. I was disappointed because I saw the missed potential and thought it was worth pointing out.
Games were still maturing as an industry back then, and ShadowMan is poised on that knife's edge of serious media and something to kill time.
You got everything right, except the horror of the true ending. Legion tricks Mike into giving him his teddebear before the final boss battle. Mike is now forever stuck in deadside (until 2nd coming) which gives zero explanations and is trash IMO. This is the best overview and review on this game i have ever seen. Salute! I have an exclusive remix of the marco theme Tim made for me! Even cooler! I'll link it if you respond
I never really saw the ending as horrific. To us, perhaps, but to Mike…
“The horror. The horror. I embrace it.”
You’re right, it’s an unfulfilling end.
Cheers! Yeah, drop a link, that sounds really cool!
for anyone wondering there have been many updates to the remastered version of shadowman, including a new game plus and iron man mode unlocked via konami style codes, and a weapon you unlock by finding secret collectibles
Yep, they were still working on significant chunks of content after ‘release’. It should have been labeled as early access.
I don’t like the violator unlock via secret collectibles. The violator was historically the reward for reaching level 10 shadow power and opening the lvl 10 coffin gate, which meant someone had found all dark souls. It felt like a more meaningful reward than the art book. Double violators absolutely shred Legion, and you can end the boss fight quickly if you have both.
I was so obsessed with this game I spent so long finding all the souls and unlocking all the hidden dead side weapons no matter how many times I replayed the game it was difficult to remember where everything was 😂
You’re not kidding. I did the same whenever I replayed it and there was always that one section I forgot existed or a bunch of cadeaux I missed.
Legion had hoped Mike would collect all the dark souls to power up to defeat him. However, this was a ploy to get shadowman to essentially bring all the dark souls' legion, and his forces could not get too such as the ones guarded in the blood temples. Legion did not anticipate Mike becoming more powerful than himself. A few uno reverse cards were played at the end.
For me the most incredible part of the experience was how the Playrooms were handled. You're given enough time to get comfortable with the setting and themes, and when you entered new areas previously the music that played remained consistent, until the Playrooms. The way the music drops as soon as you're presented with the Asylum's "experiments" was pure genius.
That moment stands out for me too. It’s so sinister and creepy, and the horrific environmental storytelling is the sledgehammer to the guts. But you know. As soon as the music drops you know it won’t be pretty.
@@HeyBlondieGamer Makes me wonder if it was Akklaim who made that decision or Tim Haywood who came up with the idea.
It’d be interesting if Haywood composed a piece and the team loved it so much that they built an area for it, but I doubt that’s how it went down. Either way, a really creepy touch. Right up there with the Home Improvement Killer’s victims. That was some seriously messed up imagery.
@@HeyBlondieGamer Heh yeah, two of the most memorable parts of the game right there
I also just found out this game is available on Switch. I'm going to download it and play this the entire weekend. Relive the nostalgia 😊😊😊
Hell yeah, it's also on the switch. im going to download and spend the weekend lost in nostalgia
yo, really cool video, old gaming has something different from nowadays releases, i miss them
Cheers!
It’s great that Nightdive Studios have dedicated themselves to restoring classics like Shadowman.
Pretty sure they expected players to read some of the comics, hence the lack of character descriptions ingame.
The game got yet another update and now it adds more things, and the asylum has been under heavy reconstruction
I should follow their roadmap and have another play when it’s done. I’m curious to know what they’ve changed in Asylum, as it was largely beat for beat from the original games.
im going through the game atm so i cant finish the video, but its well made so far 👍 (meant the video, but the game too. once i got used to the controls, i couldn't stop playing, despite being really lost sometimes. i'll push through grr) I've noticed two videos now mention the lack of a map, so i guess they patched it in, both in-game and including a PDF document
Cheers, I appreciate the feedback!
The controls are one of the best improvements (believe it or not). It plays so fluidly now compared to the original, and I reckon more people would have given up on Shadowman if the controls had remained as they were.
The map was missing at release. The OG games came with maps out of the box, and it wouldn’t have required much effort to update it for the initial release. Hell, you could still use the original maps to navigate, and I’d argue that they were absolutely necessary to assist with exploration since the coffin gates were prominent landmarks. They were also working on an area and a new boss which I didn’t know about until after I had finished. Oh well.
Some advice on navigation - rely on the map for general navigation but don’t be afraid to go off the beaten path. Focus on getting the gads and voodou items before exploring too much as Shadowman is a Metroidvania-styled game and many paths, dark souls, and cadeaux are locked behind areas that require specific abilities to access.
@@HeyBlondieGamer Managed to beat it! Albeit by consulting videos and guides to help find a few ways. (My eyes kept missing climbable ledges lol)
Ugh, the playrooms music. It's the reason I kept thinking about the game to begin with (and finally playing it now), having seen it as a teen in a Disturbing Video Game OSTs video thing with a thumbnail of the colourful playroom. Was a bit surprised that it was just one little room in the end. I kept getting goosebumps on my arms as I was playing too. Less "fear", but morseo utter madness and sensory overload from the noises and getting lost in this bloody maze. The song "Toys" is also very good, yet sad.
All in all, cool game, + I'm a slowpoke + I've become Half Life Barney, since I now owe Jaunty a beer + the horror... **the HORROR...!**
I'll keep my eye on the new game Darque Mask that's apparently being made, even though it won't really have anything to do with this Michael LeRoi one.
outstanding, great work
If that’s the remaster I’m seeing that looks real good I had the PlayStation version when it came out I had forgotten game till now
I believe the remaster was built upon the N64 version, but don’t quote me on that. It was pretty impressive for the day with the memory expansion installed.
Hi! That video was awesome! Thank you!
I'm sorry to relive this comment section years later, but it seems you are very nice and are still answering comments. I never got to play this game back in the day. I almost bought it for my N64 but end up buying a different game I don't remember now. I'm glad I skipped most of the story bits as I don't get spoiled. I'll come back to it, if I play the game.
Which comes to the reason of my comment. I'm interested in buying the remastered version as it is on sale now on both GOG and Steam. I have a question. All reviewers are praising the new controls, but how do they work? I love playing on PC with mouse+keyboard. Does this game allows me to control Mikes movement with WASD and the camera with the mouse at all times? Does A and D strafes while you aim with the mouse? It seems that the game has a sort of auto-aim. It is not a problem at all, but can you still select targets? How does it work exactly? Did you play with mouse? How is the sensitivity, is it smooth?
Also, this remastered version got updates and new contents after launch, is it true? Can I change the FOV? Nightdive loves to add FOV sliders and I appreciate it so much.
I'm sorry to bother with so many question, but I'd appreciate any help, if you don't mind.
Thank you!
Hey, sorry I got to your comment a bit late. Glad you enjoyed the video!
I played exclusively with keyboard + mouse. Target lock is still fine and yes, there’s full camera control with the mouse. The biggest changes are the input limitations. On the original N64 version you could only move one direction at a time. So, if you wanted to strafe and move backward, you could only do one or other. The remaster allows you to combine strafe and forward/backward movements which makes traversal and combat so much smoother. They compensate by buffing enemy health and numbers. It’s honestly the best implementation of Shadowman’s controls that you could ask for and it plays like a dream.
I don’t know about the FOV slider but I suggest taking a look at the GOG forums, perhaps someone has already answered that question there.
Yes, Nightdive did add more content post-review. I believe there’s another boss encounter, a new hardcore mode, and some other stuff. They always do a great job of supporting their games, though I would have liked to see this content in 1.0 instead of post-release updates.
Hope this answers your questions 😁
I actually preferred 3 of the 5 being in Gardelle county jail. I did not like the restored levels. Also the boss battles are kind of perfect to what the game is striking for, and Michael tells us. The 5 are disposable to Legion. They just needed to open their gate for his armies. They are nothing to him, nor are they nothing of a challenge for Mike. They are nothing to him. Just "people" that need to be stopped. Like he says himself "I found the how the five reaches liveside, but it's always daytime when i arrive, maybe i should hold off until night, which is not easy as they are after my blood" Meaning he *could* have just waited and they would each fall easily to him and the nature of the Shadowgun. They are pawns. Not important to Legion, other than leading Mike to fulfill his own faked Prophecy. The enemies are very much the terrifying nature of the environment. JAck would have killed himself either way, He would still be able to meet Legion. It is just a story device for us to understand something grander is at foot. Jack is the true ripper though, as the intro takes place the same year the ripper killings stopped. The very month. For Legions prophecy to be fulfilled, all of the five need to die. Everything is leading up to the final boss, where Mike was always intended to sit the throne and get sucked dry of the dark souls he (which Legion knew) he needed to collect to even get there. Therefore i forgive the lack of cool boss mechanics, as the entire point is how par for the course they are in Legions and Mikes eyes, They simply possess a dark sou, something Mike could deal wth normally if it were nighttime. And right before the game, in the unique comic book run before the game, there WAs a test run like Jaunty deduces. Their death is meant to happen. Everything is meant to happen. Nothing was not as Legion predicted as he wrote the prophecy. They needed to open the gates, and be a reason for Mike to finally confront him. The five are, again, nothing. Jack built the asylum (making him the true leader of the five, The lizard king is only led to believe HE is the true leader because of his EGO. A way to easily get him to just do as LEgion says. His ego is apparent in his intro to the fight. They are all puppets. Nobodies. That's what's so amazing. The entire game is Legions plan. Everything except him receiving all the dark souls when beaten, killing him was his plan. Everything was as it was meant to be until you beat both his forms. Legion couldn't obtain them himself. He had msanged to gather around 15 OPENED Govi. He cannot open them himself, but gathers them to Asylum etc so Mike can easily open them, consume them and lose to Legion. The Dark souls are not something shadowmen deal with, this was the one time they were something a shadowman had to collect. So the story is actually perfectly executed knowing the entire story. (I know who each serial killer is supposed to be, i know why the story is how it is and wy it is. And it's perfect. Before the remastert we were a tight knit fan group on FB which Tim Haywood was the leader of, and we talked in depht about everything, personally. Just an example, Marco Cruz isn't modelled after ANY serial killer. He's directly based (down to his outfit) on Robert Deniro from the movie Cape Fear. It's insane how perfect the story is. LOVE THIS VIDEO!!!! AMA!
That’s a lot of interesting info. I’d love to go back one day and see what I missed the first time around. I always figured that the serial killers were based on analogues either in fiction or the real world.
One thing which has never sat right with me is Legion’s oversight of just how powerful the dark souls would make Mike, powerful enough to defeat him. Did he underestimate how many there were? Did he underestimate Mike’s ability to contain and channel them? Mike didn’t just stomp through the 5 killers, he stomped Legion’s entire army. Taken in aggregate we see a huge swathe of bodies in Mike’s wake. I guess you could chalk it down to simple overconfidence, but Legion feels more complex a character to be run down by simple hubris.
Perhaps one day I’ll revisit this analysis with a fresh set of eyes.
Thanks for dropping a comment, this was a great read 👍
As we see in the bad aka prophecy ending, Legion's army is not animated before Mike is sucked dry of his dark souls. So the bodies are built, they just miss the dark souls. We just kill a few of them who were experiments from the few dark souls Legion managed to get hold of. In that ending we see many marching through the main gate to earthside. Yes it was hubris on Legions part, he did not expect Mike to be able to channel the dark souls so well.
As nettie hints at, even mike could be corrupted by the darkness of the souls. Which he indeed almost does as he says progressively in the level intros. So Legion expected somebody who could not truly contain their power. The only reason we could destroy him forever was because we beat him to a pulp, then gave HIS weakened body ALL the dark souls at once. The plan was to beat Mike who could not master the dark souls, place him upon the Dark throne of the dark engine-and forcefully draw out all the dark souls. Again, the bad ending. When that ending happens. Legions "prophecy" was indeed fully complete. Mike is just badass like that xD
I always thought it’d be cool if there were side effects of taking on higher levels of dark souls, like Mike has to fight some inner demon or gets transported to a temporary level (in his mind) which he must escape.
I agree! by the way did you know the reason the hookmen are slashing up the deadsiders? their flesh is used to make the Trueforms! As you progress you can see the the flesh being transported from the cages to the playgrounds etc The asylum is a true factory. (although the hookmen love their jobs) :D@@HeyBlondieGamer
@LuciferReincarnate That makes sense. Did Mike mention this in one of his monologues? I can’t remember.
Shalashaskka brought me here... I have no regrets.
Shalashaskka’s reviews are deep and insightful, really good content.
And I’m glad to have you here, welcome!
The map is on the book files wheres explains shadow mans powers. I found it reading a long Hope it helps
They must have patched it in because it was initially missing. Glad to hear that it’s there now, it’s borderline essential to navigation.
Played this in mid 2000
It has one of the best soundtracks/scores of video game history.
I love the African instruments that were used & the atmospheric music. Each song fit perfect for every moment and level.
The story was excellent. Gameplay (I’m in the middle) but it really didn’t matter to me because the music,story and visuals were AMAZING!!!!
Part 2? I don’t know wtf happened.but From what I saw….. I didn’t even bother to play it 😂😂😂😂it just looked like trash.
Every track from this game lives in my head rent-free. I can recall virtually every piece of music. There’s been no soundtrack like it to date either which is a testament to its masterful design.
I don’t know why I picked up this game as a kid.
I didn’t know why I saw the appeal.
There was something creepy about it but I was drawn in.
It gave me the creeps but I didn’t outright scare me like most horror games has.
There was a depressing dread that followed.
At the time I was sort of a re-practicing catholic but I was somehow obsessed with stories of prophecy and apocalypse.
The creep factor dialed to 11 during the serial killer hunts. The Home Improvement killer in particular had one of the creepiest levels in the game.
The art design and tone came at the perfect time when I craved darker edgier titles on the N64.
@@HeyBlondieGamer I think that and the one with Jack the Ripper had the creep factor.
But yes, I just thought about the game recently and did the TH-cam search and found your vid and I pretty much agree with your whole description.
@@HeyBlondieGamer speaking of which, I played Mafia 3 dlc, the one dlc that dealt with a death cult, I forgot the name, it had some borrow elements that reminded me of shadow man, the voodoo-like creeps, Louisiana, and weird hallucinations.
Ah neat, I haven’t played that yet. Looking forward to it.
the ending was so dumb, he just found out that luke wasn't there after all, and then he's just like: YEEAAAH I RULE
The emotional resolution is pretty awful. Mike is also trapped after the battle.
@@HeyBlondieGamer Funny thing is, the "happy ending" isn't the real ending, the real ending is when Shadow Man is defeated and Legion and his army goes into the world. They actually appear in Central Park (New York), this is seen by two strange creatures, called Mellor and Pheeps, and it really doesn't go the way Legion intended. I really wish we could make the true sequel. I Like your video. Oh and Hello, I'm Tim Haywood, Audio Director of Shadow Man. hi!
As soon as I saw your name I thought “Nah, it couldn’t be…” 😅
Firstly, thanks so much for taking the time to watch the video and drop a comment on my tiny channel!
Hey, now that’s a bleak ending. Was it cut because it wasn’t considered a fitting end for the player character’s journey? There’s also mention of sequel hook with a golden fetus which was apparently cut, are they related? Mellow and Pheeps - is that a rip on Guy Miller and Simon Phipps?
Thanks again for taking the time to comment, Tim. You’ve made my day!
Interesting, thanks for info. That sounds waaay cooler@@TimHaywoodProductions
These are all great games I love them there's one I like a whole lot it was called Black
0:34 wow what a statement right at the start. tbh I never have heard the N64 refered to in this way lol. I would argue the PS1 filled that role.
the map is not mssing in the remaster btw
They must have added it after release. I’m glad to hear that it’s there now, it’s needed for general navigation.
I watched this again as I'm about to jump back in and play more agyer I beat The Punisher.
I think you’ll enjoy Shadowman. The setting and (now refined) gameplay will be right up your alley.
@HeyBlondieGamer I enjoyed the bit I played when I bought the remaster but got a little stuck trying to get into the Asylum or whatever big ass building when you first get there. Gonna be playing this weekend.
Asylum can be confusing initially. The map does help with general navigation, and you’ll get more abilities later which allow greater exploration of Asylum.
@HeyBlondieGamer Yeah, I'm making it further now. I just had to get used to it
Some of the textures absolutely look like they have been AI upscaled.
That’s possible. Which textures/areas are you referring to?
Shadowman is 10× better than doon eternal
I love both for vastly different reasons.
Why didn't you SPOILER WARN Thief ending?
For a 20+ year old game???
@@HeyBlondieGamer obviously. You underhanded your audience. You spoiled the experience for thousands.
You should have warned.
Legion literally explains to you at the end why he wanted you to collect the dark souls.
His plan is flawed, the explanation is inadequate. If I were a bad guy I’d get very concerned if I watched an overpowered undead warrior tearing ass through my army. At no point does Legion question his plan or Mike’s ability to control and channel the dark souls. He still believes he’ll win despite the immense power which Mike gathers to himself (a power which Legion is supposedly intimately familiar with and acknowledges as a force capable of reshaping Deadside). For an intelligent and calculating antagonist, this is a massive narrative oversight.
As opposed to figuratively explained?