SHADOWS: AWAKENING

The fact that Slovak game developers from the Games Farm are able to make good-quality games, probably no one doubts. Their way in the game business is, however, quite tortuous, and they do not place obstacles in it. When the action-packed RPG Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms was released in 2014, she had her own weaknesses, but she was quite impressed. After Book One, there were a lot of players waiting to finish the story, but everything seemed to be lost due to the insolvency of BitComposer Games, then Shadows: Awakening is actually what the Heretic Kingdoms had to be full of content, and since there have been several years, the creators have not only dabbled graphics but also some game mechanics.

I admit, although some of the elements in Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms addressed me, after a few hours, my interest in the game began to fall and the stereotype began. In fact, I was not particularly fond of memory and it was just another Diablo clone, who had good ideas, but not so convincing gameplay. Awakening is a real awakening and pleasant surprise. Many things have been preserved from the past and just copied into the "new" game, but there have also been changes that have contributed to a significantly better experience. Some may not even realize it but are there and are beneficial, others will keep you in the eye and show the game in totally different light.

At the beginning of the game, you become acquainted (or re-married) with the devour Devom - the soul-lover and the mysterious man in the hood that caused this creature to co-operate. What it is all about, and who the bastard is, you will discover during a really extensive journey. You take over the role of the demon and right away at the beginning you choose your first puppet - one of the three poor heroes you control in the physical world, while with the demon you move in the parallel world of shadows. Later, you accumulate a dozen other fighters, and you can include three of them in the active game, but only one of them is materialized and can be rotated.

The demon and the heroes are easily switched and the environment and its inhabitants are automatically changed. Sites are the same, but their appearance is distinctly different, and in its shadowy form there are aggressive demons around you that you do not usually see. In addition, there are transitions that are not in the material world, so you will not go to the hero in your skin, but in the role of a soul lover in his natural environment yes.

Creators did not use this element for the various puzzles that are constantly appearing throughout the game. For example, the demon sees the light symbols to help the hero properly set up some mechanisms to get into the enclosed spaces. Otherwise, you just need to use levers with platforms that you can use to push the trigger ball on the activation button. Puzzles are a pleasant addition to countless fights, but it's a shame they do not repeat themselves. Like labyrinths with teleports that are a little annoying. And we might even have to go back to some places, although enemies are no longer coming back and returning to previous zones is speeding up activated portals.

The demon and all the heroes you've collected get levels (all of a sudden), individual abilities, permanent bonuses, and attribute enhancement points. Each character has only one set of capabilities with eight options and a third level upgrade, which is relatively low, plus only three of the active slots. But they are more imaginative than in the past. In addition, in the field, you can quickly switch heroes and combine their attacks and spells, and it is then a really decent arsenal. Interestingly, if you create, for example, a shield that has one hero, it remains active for the second character after switching.

If your daemon is done, you will be rebooted and uploaded to a manually or automatically stored position. If the hero fits, you still have two others left and at least one of them lives, you do not have to worry. Characters slowly regenerate automatically and do not count with any drug vials this time. But you do not have to worry, the wounds heal without problems in two effective ways. In the world of shadows, shrines often appear around which there is a green zone. When the demon enters it, everyone in the party quickly heals. At the same time, after entering the sanctuary, you can revive fallen heroes or replace them with others who have not joined the active part. Heart stones also serve well for healing. These are special bonus items, you choose only one of them in the inventory, but each has a number of essentials. You will use the essence to draw or regenerate many active characters. Stones recharge the souls of fallen enemies, or buy them at a shadow merchant. It's like a classic vendor, but in the world of shadows where it communicates with your demon.

In the fight, you will encounter a variety of opponents, from humans and animals, to various monsters. And there are no bosses missing the most expensive pieces of equipment. With some enemies you fight in one world, with others in the other, but there are also those you fight with in both. For example, you will encounter shield-protected wolves. Your heroes will not break the shield, you have to do it using the demon and then return to the physical form of the warrior and you chop into the alive.

The hero and the demon shuffle weapons, pieces of armor, necklace, and rings that you receive as a reward or a prey from fallen enemies. New inventory is solved by clicking on a slot to show a list of things that fit in - such as belts. And you can sniff out the option to show only the compatible equipment that a character can use. It's pretty good when looking for better equipment, but selling surpluses to traders is a bit less practical and you're getting enough money. Even a demon gathers prey in his environment, but not parts of gear but essences. You can use up to four essentials to improve standard parts of the armament and the effect depends on the type of equipment. You will add a fire, electric or poisonous attack, increase the chance of critical intervention, or improve your defense. And you can do it anytime in your inventory.

The task in the game is not an emergency, but rather unsymmetrical. They are divided into chapters with main and sub-assignments, and if you did not choose oldschool mode at the start of the game, you have a location on the terrain as well. It's odd that the game already offers you high-level tasks, even if they are challenging you. You can do it later, but it's a bit confusing, especially when you skip from one chapter to the next. In addition, some of these tasks marked as major do not have to be fulfilled in order to complete the game. And after the final is a definitive end and you can not even finish them.

When you compare the original and new content of the game, the first and second books, you may notice a few things. First of all, Book 2 has less content. While it is still enough, it represents about a third (in our case about 10 hours) of the total Shadows load (28 hours with most completed side jobs). In essence, the new content would also be perceived as a wider expansion. This is probably related to the fact that levels of heroes in new environments are growing faster so you can reach a maximum of thirty. While at the beginning these levels are jumping quite slowly, the highest you get even in a few tens of minutes, after several battles with even enemies. In addition, the second book has found more space for dialogues and discovery of new sites, which are sometimes almost empty. It's just that you just walk through the environment and almost never find anything alive or dead. You just admire architecture. On the other hand, when you fight, you will enjoy new heroes and enemies, and you will have many slits.

The story itself is not particularly interesting, and it did not change even in the second phase of the game. But you will certainly be interested in how the connection of your demon and subordinate characters will eventually be solved. The final fight is imaginative and may have an alternative, but the culmination is already lukewarm and it is a pity that at least it does not end up with some more effective animation. On the other hand, it is quite pleasant to know the backstage of each hero, with whom you can solve some of their conflicts from the past.

The graphics of the game have undergone major changes over the Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms. The user interface and the design of some menus have been modified, but especially creators have radically changed the visuals of certain elements. And so long as you go through the same environment you know from the past game, they work a little differently. And thanks to the new graphic engine. For example, the sections through which only the demon in the world of shadows will no longer look like translucent smudges, but they are also stairwells arranged in space. The game has a decent dubbing and great orchestral music, but we would also appreciate the Czech ones amongst other localizations as they are developers from our finals. But sooner or later someone will definitely come to it. Otherwise, sometimes you encounter some bugs, but it's only rare.

In the final review, the question arises as to whether Awakening will pay off, since much of the game is just recycled, although Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms. If you have not played the kingdom at all, take this title to all ten. In some aspects, it offers more than Diablo III. If you've just gone through the "first book," you should be upgraded to the original Steam game at Awakening, and then you'll be pleased to have a complete adventure with all that's involved.

Thank you very much for your support!