In addition, the gameplay is exciting and showcases how a modern day side-scrolling shooter should play out. The comparisons to Castlevania, Metroid and Contra are warranted since, if Shadow Complex was released back in the early ‘90’s, it would’ve been included as one of the all-time greats in the genre. Releasing in 2009, it’s clear that the rest of the developers have to take note of Chair Entertainment’s unbelievably fantastic sophomore title that followed up their first XBLA title, Undertow. Starting out with just a pistol and advancing to the later stages that deck out Jason with a high-tech military suit that is equipped with super speed and a jet that performs double-jumping, Shadow Complex retains all the quirks of the genre and does so with character.
Gamers will find ways to reach new heights such as, say, putting the foam gun to good use. They’ll also get a kick out of running at blazing speeds and stopping to punch an enemy to Timbuktu with the strength exerted from the military suit. On a technical level, Shadow Complex is wonderful. Sure, the game could’ve used a few new enemy types and, perhaps, a few more boss-like encounters, but for what’s provided, Shadow Complex stands at the front of the line for beautiful titles currently on the XBLA service. The animations are suave, the character models are polished, the gigantic level that the entire game takes place in – save the prologue – is amazingly detailed, and the graphical effects exceed the norm too.
The only issue that is easily noticeable is that the conclusion of the single-player campaign hits gamers out of the blue. One minute they’ll be trekking to a new area to meet the villain that was finally introduced and then the next minute the game is over. While the narrative could’ve used better pacing – and more antagonists to boot – Chair Entertainment did an overall great job at retaining the interest all throughout the storyline. It’d be a crying shame if gamers overlooked and skipped out on Shadow Complex – or any Summer of Arcade title for that matter – as it’s one of the year’s best original titles.
