A Dark Journey Through Shadow Tower | Series Retrospective
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ค. 2024
- Quietly standing in the shadow of King's Field are the Shadow Tower games. Their sales were low and they didn't find much love with the critics. Yet Shadow Tower's menacing dark ambience, wholly different from that of it's brethren, has become more potent - and more interesting - with age. In this video, we'll look into the history of these games, their mechanics, and dig into their hopelessly Stygian atmosphere.
THUMBNAIL BY:
Yuri Chuchmay - The Shadow Tower itself
Lazarus De Lis - The Text and background fill in
/ lazarusdelis
Thanks to @AvalancheReviews for lending his voice to the video!
SOCIALS:
/ majuular
/ majuular
SECOND CHANNEL:
/ @majuularcade
Ranking Every King's Field & Shadow Tower Game (video):
• Ranking Every King's F...
VARIOUS PIECES OF SOULS/BLOODBORNE FOOTAGE SOURCED FROM:
SourceSpy91
/ @sourcespy91
LongplaysArchive
/ @longplayarchive
LIST OF MUSIC USED IN THIS VIDEO:
pastebin.com/SF9fv3kN
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Introduction
3:12 - Shadow Tower - Story
7:20 - Shadow Tower - Overview
13:17 - Survival Horror & Mechanics
20:57 - Shadow Tower - Combat
29:29 - Shadow Tower - Navigation
35:41 - Shadow Tower - Exploration & Atmosphere
37:42 - Shadow Tower - Sound
42:44 - Shadow Tower - Levels & Enemies
1:07:45 - Shadow Tower - MULTIPLAYER?
1:09:13 - Shadow Tower - Conclusion
1:13:08 - Abyss - Development
1:18:12 - Abyss - Introduction & Story
1:25:41 - Abyss - Overview
1:29:09 - Abyss - Ranged Combat
1:34:13 - Abyss - Shrines
1:37:51 - Abyss - Melee Combat
1:40:21 - Abyss - Atmosphere
1:49:21 - Abyss - Levels & Enemies Pt 2
2:12:00 - Abyss - Conclusion
2:15:14 - Conclusion
2:16:11 - Credits - เกม
Majuular, disturbed by the self-reflection necessary to complete Ultima 4, flees to the comfortable, morally ambiguous embrace of FromSoft.
Damn, you've got my number...
@@Majuular Be sure to tell us which virtue gave you the most trouble.
I am glad you pointed that out. Ultima 4 is a little bit terrible.
@CatzyCatzy I wasn't even being critical. I actually love Ultima 4, despite how grindy and obtuse it can be.
Right?...@@kyon813...all of them. But especially the two that showed up on NES. Obtuse and brutally slow, but they were amazing and still are.
Tracing the growth of a series or studio through these lengthy retrospectives is much more enthralling than an individual game review.
It's really gratifying to make content about these bigger topics! I recommend the channel 'I Finished A Video Game' if you enjoy the whole series/studio look, he does really thorough and historical retrospectives on series.
I'd also recommend thorhighheels' coverage of Fromsoft's older games!
I like both lol
Love I finished a video game he's great
@@Majuular Yup, also put his parasite eve video on more times than I count, y'all are the closest thing to that comfy feeling of playing the game when perhaps in this hectic adult life we don't have the time to actually play the game 🙏🙏🙏
i loved it when Ruus Hardy went "it's like a Shadow is Towering over me..." One of the most emotional scenes in Fromsoft's lineup
That part was a little too fanservicey for me, but I understand why long time Shadow Tower fans liked it...
I thought this was a "I loved it when he said 'it's morbin' time'"-type comment...
we need a new shadow damnit TOWER! thats what im saying!
@@razmatazz9310He said "it's Shadow Tower time!" And then he towered over all of the shadows
I cried when my main character bled hyper realistic tears and told me "It's like the Dark is in all of our Souls" at the end of Dark Souls 3
1:15:30 I feel like it's worth pointing out that Yui Tanimura didn't just codirect Elden Ring, but also effectively salvaged Dark Souls 2 as a replacement director once Shibuya flaked.
With less than a year to go as well as having to develop for consoles that were now rapidly becoming pastgen, it's kind of terrifying that the game came out as solid as it did even with all the flaws. Not to mention, the DLCs with him fully in control and with none of the deadline crunch ended up head and shoulders above the base game.
The man deserves so much more credit than he gets.
I knew that he was a director of Dark Souls 2, but I had no idea that he shouldered so much of it during crunch. It's such a shame that just searching his name on Google results in a bunch of people insulting him simply because he was involved with DS2, or assuming that the parts of Elden Ring they don't like were his responsibility.
Ngl I love how sinclair lore does the little shorts where they just fuck everything on to yui like he'll sort it dw
I personally find Dark Souls 2 best. It has best balanced system, multiple routes open right from start and improvements it has over first are numerous and should have been kept. Not all changes were great, but more was good than bad.
Developing for PS3 first should have been a boon with technology being familar. DLCs suffered from lack of scale, but they were all real good and vast such and final touch to main game was really nice.
@@booradley6832 PvP in all Dark Souls-games has been a mess. I never bother with it. I prefer co-op instead.
better than miyazaki thats for sure
The phrase "you're lucky Moleman isn't here, he'd never let you talk to me this way" pops into my head every day. Thank you for this gift.
Some say if you go and binge every video on this channel 3 times and say majuular into a broken mirror. A new video will appear.
It worked!!
Do u know if it comes with a catch? Asking 4 a friend...
I heard that it will appear...a month later, uhhhh, spoooooky...
@@j.s.t.6515 oh...disappoi- i mean good! All good😅
glad im not the only one who has seen most of his videos more than once lmao
I love that Miyazaki is completely unaware of the poison swamp memes and From just genuinely include them in every game instinctively through pure passion for them.
But he's aware of the people memeing on him for liking feet
@@alejandrovallejo6763
Dude loves his barefoot ladies
@alejandrovallejo6763 people who actually believe miyazaki doesn't see or hear reviews of his games in any format, are actually braindead, a supreme level of density, especially as its now world renown mainstream. But it's the ds community and the reaches and copium knows no bounds
@@deeezey_2239Chill man I just watched a video and made a comment, I haven't even finished a ds game, it was just a joke, a funny thought.
For what it's worth you are right and it did occur to me but I have better things to redpill people about than "Miyazaki pretends to not know about poison swamp memes sheeple".
Can we stop arguing like plebs and lynch our corrupt governments so we can live in peace and harmony with nature on this Earth already? Cool.
Bro why are you coming in swinging like that.@@deeezey_2239
Majuular has joined Civvie 11, Accursed Farms and GrimBeard on my "must watch immediately" list--though they mostly cover games outside the genres that I like and play.
That's a real monkey's paw situation 🥲
Glad you find value in them anyway!
Tehsnakerer and Warlockcracy are also pretty great.
grimbooooo 👻🐕
@@Majuular You're very entertaining and getting better. Plus I find older rpg's, adventure games and whatever else falls outside my wheelhouse interesting to learn about...just not play.
If you started doing content on 2000's pop music or the current internet drama it would be different. No one is THAT entertaining.
Nice to see some GrimBeard love on here. AesirAesthetics and Iron Pineapple are pretty good for Fromsoft material.
I love this kind of content. It is like anti-clickbait where you click on the thumbnail because you know what you are getting: A long, fascinating deep-dive into a certain topic with wonderful commentary!
That’s a great way of putting it
Mole Man ran so Undead Merchant could walk.
Mole Man rolled so Undead Merchant could sit.
I feel like the main distinguishing point of a "survival horror" is that there is a possible "lose state" that can be achieved by poor use of resources, even if this lose state might not actually exist due to certain mercy mechanics. The important thing is that the player is under the assumption that poor tool use can get them into a very hard place.
Alright, you get a pass on that “who’s that Pokémon?” Ad break. You earned it
Yessss, now everyone can learn about Fromsoft's best NPC. Fat Mole.
One thing I find interesting about these games that isn’t mentioned in the video is the completion ratings for each level. The completion % is tracked for each zone, which is a bit weird considering the loot is semi-random. Some enemies have guaranteed drops but most have a loot pool, including bosses. A boss may drop one of three or so good weapons, or nothing at all.
But apart from tracking secrets and items you’ve collected, it tracks how many enemies you’ve killed, because while enemies respawn there’s actually only a set amount of them, so it’s possible to kill every single enemy in the game and have a completely empty tower to explore! Some rare/unique enemies, or some that have a rare drop, will only spawn after you’ve killed X amount of enemies in the zone, or in a certain room. So it’s a nice incentive to kill as many enemies as you can because you never know what you’ll get. As well as enemies in the first game increasing your stats when you defeat them.
1:19:46 I legit went "hell yeah brother" and pulled a beer out of my mini fridge to crack it open. I had to dude. The sheer force of the M1911 overtook me.
Two World Wars and now the Shadow Tower.
no offense but beers in a mini fridge is alcoholic behavior
@@HughAverageHomoMan where else should he put them? The attic?
@@Null_Experisin his belly, duh. Wasting freshly purchased beer by waiting to drink it later! For shame!
@@booradley6832 How do I unsubscribe from this wikipedia feed?
Thank you for this. Shadow Tower Abyss is my favorite "old Fromsoft" game. I adore it
Mine too. it's such a unique game.
For me, its a one of a kind mix of what was best about kings field, but introducing new ideas. Even though guns are just bows, there are headshots and a new limb system. I genuinely think Shadow Tower Abyss is the peak of what Kings Field formula could be. I long for Fromsoft now to once again try a more "horror" approach to the their games. They remade Tenchu into Sekiro, so why can't we have a reimaging of Shadow Tower ? @@Majuular
Mine too, along with Otogi.
I'm pretty sure Miyazaki commented previously on how much he likes poison swamps, which tells me he repeatedly forgets how much he likes poison swamps before he makes the next one, which... explains a lot.
Much like the story of the souls games, he's undergoing his own tragic unending cycle.
@@Majuular He recently said in an interview that he has now embraced that aspect of himself. Which is very good to hear, and has horrifying ramifications for future games.
@DemonLordSparda I'm gonna go on a whim and say because he's Japanese it could be a different context,
The whole toxic area in every game fucking with the players, or his corruption to feet.
@@DemonLordSparda
"After much self-reflection, I have decided to become worse"
@@josedorsaith5261 Very based Miyazaki
2 hours?! You're spoiling us!
After a long week, you deserve it!
@@Majuular It has been a long and difficult week, so this is just what i need. Thank you
2.32 hours in fact
It’s such a bummer Abyss never made it to America. Swords, sorcery, GUNS, and dismemberment? I think a ton of us Americans woulda gotten a big laugh from it!
Funny enough, it was Sony who said no. Since they thought we wouldn't like it. And that almost happen to Demon's Souls back in 2009
@@pancholopez8829 Less "almost happened again" and more "it happened again but so many people were importing the japanese release of the game that they changed their minds".
I really enjoy learning about how a given studio's DNA winds it way through their catalog of games.
Details large and small, like the curse jar giggle sound effect. Design thinking like "poison swamps create tension and reframe the exploration experience". All this stuff that you can only see clearly if you explore many games going back into the catalog.
I love ER and DS. Your work exploring and documenting their predecessors grounds my experience of those games and connects them to a very tangible lineage that I wouldn't be privvy to otherwise.
Good stuff.
Old man staring at a monitor, jazzy upbeat music, I know im in for a good time
The use of the OoT OST is pure gold. Love these as I finally push my way through the Souls series.
Thank you! Not sure why, but it just seemed appropriate.
@@Majuular the Forest Temple’s Wallmasters do seem to fit FromSoft more than a Nintendo title, so I can see why!
In retrospect this feels a lot like "Baroque." Bizzare roguelike that is nothing quite like anything like it before or since. Esoteric.
False, Baroque was literally shiren the wanderer but in 1st person. Many items and systems are direct parodies from shiren. At least in psx baroque. Shadow tower is unique even among kingfield
hate king's field but baroque and shadow tower are two of my faves. baroque is better imo tho if purely for the story/aesthetic
it's been such a treat seeing you grow and get the attention you've always deserved with your comfy and informative videos
Maj is here to see me through the end of my work day and my commute home. Bless you, my chill games homie.
I was on a trip to Newfoundland for an event with my girlfriend's family recently. The weather sucked and my girlfriend wasn't feeling well so we didnt get to do much, but it was a great opportunity to watch a bunch of your videos. I love your presentation and the fascinating insights you give into leaser-known games like this. Honestly makes me realize how simplistic my own content is. So glsd to see you thriving in this niche of TH-cam. Happily signed up to the Patreon. Keep up the great work man!
Please, never change your opening.
I have a friend who loves this game. Thanks for giving me a video to watch about it!
Every time i boot a video up and look at the length and im just like the intro old man
my first majuular video was king's field so i've been waiting for this one
You have such an incredibly amazing way of making videos. I always look forward to them.
You’re videos are like a warm blanket! Thanks for sharing
Woah youre releasing them quickly this year :0 As always, thanks for the quality work
That opening theme triggers something joyful in my lizard brain, and I appreciate it. Love your stuff, man.
majuular video on shadow tower? LETS GO BABY
Stumbled across your channel about 2 weeks ago, have put this video on so many times since. The psx visuals/a game I've never heard of/long form video is the perfect combo for me putting this on while I'm working or winding down for the night. Keep it up ! And I certainly wouldn't be averse to more psx games
For me survival horror is all about equipment managing with limited resources, therefore Slenderman is not survival horror, just horror but Shadow Tower is Survival horror in my book.
Majestic!! Now I'm eagerly awaiting: "A Dark Journey Through The Adventures of Cookie & Cream" ^-^ Only then shall we discover the true Kuri Kuri Mix that only FromSoftware is capable of surprising us with... *Laughs ominously for seemingly no reason*
Here I am...
Can of Pickles...
This’ll be a treat
I like jars better.
Here I am, Uncle Moe, while you eat!
One of the few memories from the SBF Zaibatsu.
The Pickles.
I'm crying, bro really is a can of pickles
Embalmed Cucumbers
Dude i've been binging every video you have and I almost finished them all so this was perfect timing. Love your channel man.
Dark Souls? Shadow Tower? I feel like *From Software* needs to invest in some lightbulbs.
Thank you
Yea seriously thank you for this lmao
Better than Dark Race or Dark Ring.
You make the best reviews Majuular. Don't ever change your style.
WHAT?? You just keep coming with the games I wanted but didn't think anybody would cover
An instant like and click from me. I'm a lucky SOB that actually owns Shadow Tower physically and on my Vita. The summer of 2019 playing Kingsfield IV and Shadow Tower back to back are some of my favorite gaming memories. This video is going to introduce a lot more people to these old games which is always a great thing, dungeon crawling survival horror games need all the love they can get!
Man my lady has been on a trip for a week, I've rewatched every video of yours. And of course right before she comes home you release this?
Thank you man. I've been considering getting on your patreon, but now I'm sold.
I feel like I've come to have a feel of what sort of games you'd enjoy, so maybe give Baroque (the Sega Saturn version) a gander. If you're unfamiliar, it plays a lot like the Kingsfield series but the main draw is its distinct art style and narrative. I have to be honest some areas of that game made me want to throw my PC out the window but maybe that's in a good way.
Either way, scrumptious video as always!
Thank you very much! I'm going to be doing a Saturn video this year (in which Baroque will undoubtedly be included). Appreciate the rec nonetheless!
I no nothing of Shadow tower and i'm not into most of the games you talk about on your channel. But the fact your care so much and are passionate about what you're talking about really shows and in turn makes me care too. I love your videos and always excited to see what random weird game your going to talk about next. Keep your momentum going, you're a beast.
OH SWEET CHRIST A SHADOW TOWER RETROSPECTIVE
LET'S GO
holy shit what a treat. you sir are a gentleman and a scholar (i look forward to you inevitable Way of the Samurai deep dive)
Were you the person mentioning it on Twitter the other day in my replies?? I'm very curious about this game.
Highly recommend. They're super fun and get progressively whackier, like Yakuza but with slightly less finesse.
@@Majuular yes i am! i share that curiosity ^^ It's even got the a Mass Effect-ish left trigger/right trigger "morality system"
its a good start of the weekend when there's a majuular vid
Man you have no idea how amazing the serotonin release in my brain felt when I read the title.
24:03 I step away from an RLM vid (one I've seen countless times no doubt) only to hear that serenading laughter I'm all too familiar with.
Thank you for these Riches, Mr. Majuular.
Majuular i have something i must admit, i would gage that i am 1/4 of your Kings Field Retrospective views.
over the past months, youve been a narrator, sleep aid, and entertainment. thank you
We stan Mole Man.
Ok guys, I had the wildest dream today and I thought I'll share. I've dreamt that after some kind of game award ceremony I happened to come across Miyazaki and Tanimura going towards a taxi and, of course, as a fan, I asked if I can get a handshake and they agreed. Both of them got inside the car, but Tanimura lowered the window and we started talking about FromSoft, the past games and whatnot (he spoke English well, don't know how lore accurate that is). At some point the topic went towards Shadow Tower series and I started saying that it would be great to maybe see a remake, a remaster, a sequel, whatever, now that FromSoft is a company beloved by many, especially Abyss, seeing how unique it is, even now. Tanimura thought for a moment and said "Revisiting an old series like that is not a bad idea. Once we're done with Shadow of the Erdtree, we'll give it some thought". Miyazaki spent all this conversation just sitting there, didn't say a word. Soon after they drove off and I woke up. Honestly, shit was so wild. If that ends up being a prophetic dream, you've heard it here first.
I’m so glad to have found this channel
God after a whole week of checking your account, my prayers have been answered thanks for the quality content dude
GOD BLESS MAJUULAR FOR THE SHADOW TOWER CONTENT
Was just thinking yesterday how much I wanted a new vid from you, always a treat to see your stuff in my notifs man
NEW MAJUULAR YAY! AND ITS LONG AS FUCKK I can't wait to fall asleep listening to this a few nights in a row before I actually absorb it for all it is during the day xD thanks man
Amazing addition to King's Field retrospective video, thanks as always for a great work!
this that good shit, im smokin on majuularuana pack 💪
edit - that intro sentiment about keeping a record and finding your work important was so sweet 😭🫶
Don't know what it is about your content specifically
But I always want to watch it.
Peak content bro
Thanks Ian, I love to hear it.
I've watched the King's Field video around 20-30 times already (mostly while falling asleep, but I did watch it in full at least 2 times). So this video is a godsend and I'm glad it's not just Ultima this year.
Majuular is currently my favorite youtube channel by far.
Love these videos, you are so entertaining and great at getting me hyped for older games I have not played!
Majuular is the KING. Congrats on 100K Subs my guy!
EDIT: 0:00:55 LOST KINGDOMS?! I had this for my Gamecube as a kid! I had no idea it was a FS game. Today I learned!
Thanks Sea Otter! From's output was so scattershot for a while. I feel like most people who grew up with a sixth generation console came into contact with FS sooner or later.
At this point@@Majuular I think you might have to play EVERY Fromsoft game possible, Lost Kingdoms and Evergrace included.
Armored Core will be highs, and then you will have to learn the Lows in Steel Battalion for the Kinect (a game so infamously bad, it very likely killed the Kinect in totality).
You have an uncanny knack for doing hour+ long retrospectives on all my favorite weird old games that i'd stream/show to friends. While I saw the notification and was excited for Ultima IV, I think I can handle a bit of a wait with you dishing out this kind of gourmet content. Keep up the good work man!
Thank you! Ultima IV coming up next🙏
1:15:16 Nabeshima was director on the first ArmoCore and producer of the Echo Night trilogy. ‚Relative newcomer‘ is an understatement.
I love your videos and your channel. Aside from how robust and insightful your analysis is, I really appreciate the little touches of humor you chose to weave throughout. Thanks so much for making such awesome content.
Played through Shadow Tower: Abyss a while back on a whim and it's still one of my all time fav games. There's just an amazing feeling to obliterating a fantasy creature with a modern firearm
Right before my weekend starts?? You spoil me
Tbh, I listen to your videos often to go to bed and I genuinely appreciate the long form content
Great video ! King's Field IV music is so good ❤
Sweet! Just what i needed this weekend.
Lost Kingdoms video next to complete the old Fromsoft game streak?
Oh yeah. More Maj, more FromSoft. A perfect friday night ending
Majuular drops another amazing video, I am so glad I found you through your Zelda CDI video, going back through all your videos last year combined with your new stuff has made you a legit favorite. I drop everything when a new video drops keep it up.
Another really great one my man. Love it! Thanks for creating such wonderfully detailed and entertaining videos!
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES SHADOW TOWER MENTIONEEEEED 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Nothin gets me more cozy than the intro to these videos
You became one of my favorite TH-camr. Keep going your amazing work! (and what a voice, a delight to listen to)
Thank you, Majuular. Your new videos bring me joy and your analysis, love of history, story and emotional moments in games keep me watching every video with glee. I feel like these videos reach around the world for those who intimately love the medium of video games. cheers from the Netherlands.
One of my favorite things to see in my feed is a new 2 hour retrospective, thanks amigo.
Next 2 hours of work won't be so boring.😊
Nice you made it to 100k i told you it would be fast. Keep it up brother
Watching this again since I just went through Shadow Tower 1, and he says you weren't sure if you hit an enemy in the original King's Field games. I remember this confusing me before playing through the series myself last month, but now I think I get it. I seem to recall he said he was colorblind, so he doesn't notice the subtle red glowing of enemies taking damage in the original King's Field games. Wild!
the algorithm requires engagement
Indeed it does
New Majuular vid is one of the best accidental birthday presents I've received. Thank you, king, keep it up
Cheers! Happy birthday!
Love to see the recognition you’ve been getting, you really deserve it. Well researched and thoughtful commentary along with the perfect amount of internet brain rot. You’re doing great things
Incredible work, the time flew by in an instant as always with your videos.
I really need to play this some day
I love how someone looked at a first person dark fantasy rpg and went "Yeah this looks great, but you know what this needs? GUNS."
Yessssss I was clicking around on YT for like 20 minutes and then suddenly a 2+ hours Majuular video appears, heck yeah!
I've been watching your video for the past 6 months and they are always a joy.
Keep up the awesome work.
Bro thank you so much. I’ve just recently went through the kings field series and was thinking about this one next.
OMG YES FINALLY I LOVE SHADOW TOWER you're actually goated
@Majuular please do not retire your intro. It is already ingrained with your brand in a really fitting way. In my humble and honest opinion, :)
I think Japan's super industrial work ethic leaves little time for reflecting in candid videos or writings or whatever. That's my opinion. These guys had to work to keep the company afloat. Seems like they loved what they did. They must have been as immersed in their work, as I am in their games.
100%
Yessss. I was hoping these would get a video after the King's Field coverage. I really need to get back to this channel's backlog, it's all good stuff.
Let's goooooooo, I played King's field thanks to you and Ironpineapple. I tried Shadow Tower Abyss but gave up on it halfway through. I'm going to try again thanks to this video
I took too much melatonin the other night and had a "nightmare" that Anthony Bourdain became a solo videogame developer powerhouse. He made a sprawling, bizarre open world RPG that was like if a Skyrim/Elden Ring had a baby with a Silent Hill/Scorn. It was very, very unsettling.
So he was showing off gameplay at some exclusive thing with super fans and tech press... Everyone was in awe. It was the greatest game ever made by far.
But then he was like,"Now this is the good stuff.. this is what im REALLY proud of.. this is the core of the gameplay." Then the character sat down at a campfire and it went in to this super complex cooking mechanic mini game thing and he just started rambling about cooking and honestly it looked awesome and it was super complex... But it was more a cooking simulator than anything.
People atarted getting uncomfortable and he started to become incoherent, frothing at the mouth and attacking people. Finally someone found a knife and started stabbing him repeatedly.
Then I woke up. First time i told anyone about the dream.
Thanks for the new video.
Early access gang assemble!
we shall be as gods!
Ready to serve mi lord.
Hey Majuular just wanted to say this vid is great! You've quickly become one of my absolute favorite youtube channels and a big inspiration to me to get back into script writing and maybe making a youtube video of my own lol
Keep up the good work man!
I love your retro game retrospectives, this was amazingly well done and very professional.