Shadow Complex
(Xbox; approx. $15; T for mild language/violence; www.xbox.com)
To end their “Summer of Games” promotion of bite-sized downloadable games, Microsoft released “Shadow Complex” for $15, a game that could have easily sold for $40 if pressed on a DVD and sold in retail stores.
But “Shadow Complex” has a value that far outweighs a $15 price tag: it not only shows that a high-quality game experience can be had for less than the $60 retail cost that the industry has gotten used to, but it also reminds us that 2-D action/exploration is not an mechanic that was lost back in the 16-bit days of the early 90s.
“Complex” is based off of famed sci-fi author, Orson Scott Card’s “Empire” novels regarding a civil war that takes place between liberals and conservatives in the not-too-distant future. Intended as the bridge between the first “Empire” novel and the follow-up “Hidden Empire,” “Shadow Complex” tells the story of everyman, Jason Flemming, who’s girlfriend, Claire, gets captured by paramilitary thugs while on a simple day of hiking and cave exploration- talk about a bad date.
While searching the caverns for Claire, Jason quickly learns that the spelunking he intended to do that day was more than he bargained for, as the caverns are a front for a gigantic high-tech military complex that is gearing up for an attack on San Francisco after already successfully assassinating the Vice President of the United States. Jason is pulled into the role of the reluctant hero, needing to foil the plans of the Shadow Complex while rescuing Claire.
Yep. That’s a contrived plot with a whole lot of cliche video game story elements to it, all right. Let’s hope the books are better.
Where “Complex” may be a little light on story, it more than makes up for it in play mechanics, control, graphics, and overall fun. Developers, ChAIR Entertainment openly acknowledge “Complex’s” influences coming from classic 2-D action/exploration series like “Castlevania” and “Metroid.” Those two historic franchises exemplified the style of game so well that it’s garnered it’s own genre, “Metroidvania,” to which “Shadow Complex” pays homage to a tee.
“Metroidvania” game mechanics focus primarily on map exploration and acquiring equipment to explore more of the map. In this style, some areas are seen but not accessed until later in the game when the right weapon or equipment is acquired- making traversing full areas of the map a necessity in order to advance, or acquire bonus items. Though back-tracking is often frowned upon in game design, back-tracking in “Metroidvania”-styled games is meant to further the element of exploration in the game- and rewards the player for doing so.
It’s here where “Shadow Complex” succeeds so well. Each area of exploration is perfectly designed to leave the player satisfied, while still wanting to continue playing because the next reward or area is just around the corner. Pacing in “Shadow Complex” is perfect, save points are always about 15 minutes of play-time apart, new weapons or abilities every 30 minutes- it’s a perfect game to pick up and play for a short duration, or to waste several hours in.
The only minor issue that I take with “Shadow Complex” is the character design of the protagonist himself. Jason looks exactly like Nathan Drake, the protagonist of the “Uncharted” series, right down the half-tuck of his t-shirt into his jeans. To make matters worse, Nolan North, who provides the voice acting for Jason, also is the voice of Nathan Drake- making the two characters virtual carbon copies of each other.
This begs the questions- did they design Jason before securing Nolan North’s voice? Did they intend Jason to be a Drake-ripoff? And can it be a ripoff if the exact same guy plays the exact same character? Has Nolan North become the Samuel L. Jackson of videogames? Mysteries abound.
The downloadable aspect of the game makes for a short game, around 6 hours or so the first time through. But time-honored 2-D traditions of “speed-runs,” to see how quickly the game can be completed, are uploaded to an online leaderboard to see if players have got the skills to beat their friend’s best time.
Those needing a retro-revival of a long-dormant genre are wise to invest the small amount of money it takes to download “Shadow Complex.” For that matter, I’d rather download “Complex” four times rather than play some of the junk that is passed off as a $60 title. We can only hope that the sequel to the game comes quickly, and is as well received as “Super Metroid” was to “Metroid” back in the day.