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Shade: Wrath of Angels
Shade: Wrath of Angels takes the genre of
survival horror gaming from the console world and delivers a sturdy 3rd
person perspective of action, horror and adventure to the safety of
desktop computers (PC). The title transforms the gamer into the role of
an unwilling hero whose younger brother calls for help after a
cataclysmic archaeological discovery. Unfortunately for our hero, his
brother is nowhere to be found but as he digs deeper into the mystery,
he soon discovers that both the forces of heaven and hell have a large
stake at his brothers disappearance. In order to rescue our intrepid
hero's brother, the player must traverse a variety of realms, timelines
and a plethora of undead and holy beings in order to reawaken four
ancient spirits to save his brother.
Shadow: Wrath of Angels is a combination of Tomb Raider meets Silent
Hill and offers the gamers a mix of traditional survival horror gameplay
and also traditional platform gaming. In addition to interacting with
basic objects and combat, you’ll be able to run, jump and climb your way
through the various realms that your character embarks on. As Shade is
viewed from a third-person perspective, the player must control the
character with both the keyboard and mouse that surprisingly goes
hand-in-hand with the gameplay.
Unfortunately, some of the platform elements of the title leave a little
to be desired such as jumps and more specifically running jumps which
interferes with the gameplay. The most noticeable problem of the title
is deciding when and how to jump which often lead to your characters
downfall... or more specifically, their instantaneous death which leads
to some excruciating gaming mechanics. Apart from this problem, you can
also perform a variety of other platform manoeuvres such as climbs,
ducks and a plethora of other action-orientated gameplay manoeuvres that
is fortunately quite easy to master when compared to the fiddle some
jump system.
The combat in Shadow: Wrath of Angels gives
the gamer access to a variety of different weaponry with your first
weapon being your trusty sword. There are approximately twenty different
types of weapons ranging from torches and staffs to more powerful swords
and axes. Enemies are quite difficult in Shade, due in large part to
their ability to block incoming attacks and deal hefty blows to your
character. Lurking in the shadows and behind doors, enemies will often
jump in front of you at unexpected moments.
You’ll soon learn, if you already haven’t
from other games in the genre, that caution is the key to survival.
Weapons don’t deal much damage, forcing you to battle enemies with a
series of carefully timed attacks and evasive tactics to avoid incoming
blows. Although blocking can be done with the right mouse button, it’s
altogether inconsistent. Circumventing enemy attacks is essential since
replenishing your health can only be done at wells of magic placed at
specific junctions within the game. By not incorporating any means of
healing through items or magic, Shade not only forces you down a
scripted path of gameplay, but even dictates when you can heal yourself.
The combat of Shade: Wrath of Angels is made easier through the use of
your demon form that gives you enhanced strength and magical powers that
can be triggered at any time. Below your health gauge sits a magic meter
that regenerates over time, determining how long you can remain in demon
form. While in demon form, you are immune to damage, although any
incoming attacks will reduce your time in form. In addition to basic
attacks, you’ll also receive the opportunity to learn magic spells. At
scripted intervals, you can purchase spells for use that appear useful,
but are ultimately wasted due to the disproportional nature of combat.
The added strength of demon form reduces combat into an unbalanced
effort to maximize time in this form. Most of your time will be spent
battling enemies as a demon, reverting back to human form, running
around to refill your magic gauge, and commencing attacks again as a
demon.
Graphically, Shade: Wrath of Angels is an extremely solid looking game,
with dark, ambient environments that lend well to the genre. The game
also features a variety of background environments that include the
Present Day (Eastern Europe), the Middle Ages, Ancient Egypt and the
Shadow Land that contains some of the nicest looking special effects to
grace the PC in a long time. The title also makes use of dynamic
lighting that looks quite stunning on high end computers, especially
with the latest and greatest graphic cards. With that said, the
characters in the game are extremely well rendered and contain a high
amount of detail for that extra realism.
The musical score of Shade matches the game
perfectly and really helps set the atmosphere of the title that
flawlessly changes as you explore the gaming environment. The sound
effects also lend to the survival horror genre of the title and the
developers have done a brilliant job at recreating the sounds of hell
beasts and their kin.
In conclusion, Shade: Wrath of Angels wins
in some places and unfortunately loses in other parts because it didn't
quite achieve the gaming level of other survival horror games in the
console world. Despite its technical flaws, Shade: Wrath of Angels is
still a title that can be enjoyed thanks to its stylish, atmospheric
presentation that truly make use of the PC's ability to display a wide
range of graphics.
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