Before becoming well known for their current Trine trilogy, Frozenbyte's freshman release was Shadowgrounds; a top-down sci-fi shooter originally introduced in 2005. Upon launch, the game received a range of mixed reviews but the overall consensus was a generally positive one. Shadowgrounds aimed to revive the long dead top-down shooter genre, which has nearly become a relic of the past at this point. How does this game fair seven years after its debut?

The game revolves around senior mechanic Wesley Tyler, who is initially sent out to repair the back-up generators for a facility on Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede. It doesn't take long for things to go awry, and Tyler soon finds out that he's signed up for more than he bargained for. Using a large barrage of weaponry, he must not only save himself from the hellish alien invasion, but also the soldiers, scientists, and other personnel of the IGTO corporation. There are numerous cutscenes to be enjoyed, as well as the ability to pick up PDAs and read computer screens, that further the story.

Let's face it, it's incredibly hard to find a top-down shooter that has it all; usually there's something lacking, and the gameplay becomes far too repetitive. It may be hard to believe, but Shadowgrounds actually does have it all, and then some. We'll go ahead and get it out of the way by saying that the story is indeed nothing elaborate or special, but it's enough to keep audiences engaged; the clear, to-the-point missions ensure that you always understand what your goal is and why. Not to mention, the cutscenes and voice acting are hilariously bad, which keeps a constant B-Grade quality shining through the entire experience.

What the game doesn't have in story, it makes up for with outstanding atmosphere. Dimly lit corridors, surprise attacks, areas that are only illuminated by your gunfire as you fend off dozens of enemies, and all of the blood, guts, and gore that you can handle. You will also find that none of the 11 levels are alike in any manner, the developers have done an amazing job in diversifying the experience of every location that you will visit; whether it's outside on the terrain of Ganymede with precious little lighting, within deep dark lab chambers, or a cold and isolated facility. Believe me when I say that the screenshots and video on the store page do not do this game justice.

Shadowgrounds sees to it that you have a huge availability of weaponry, and just like the different enemy types, they trickle in slowly throughout the game so that boredom does not set in. Aside from the standard pistol, rifle, and shotgun, you will also have access to a flamethrower, railgun, electricity gun, laser rifle, rocket launcher, grenade launcher, and more. Ammo conservation plays a huge role in surviving the game, as does learning which gun does the most damage on what enemy; this makes quick weapon swapping a must-have skill for survival.

Just like with the weapons, the enemies start off small and work their way up; at first it will be little spider-like creatures, and before you know it you're facing giant hell beasts wielding rocket launchers that resemble cyber demons from the Doom franchise. It's hard to predict when you may be assaulted by a foe, so it's important to keep vigilant so as not to be taken by surprise... but it will happen. The way that the developers went about introducing new enemies and guns is one of the major factors that keeps the gameplay from becoming repetitive, and the fact that there's a constant mix of foes to face which you must take down by alternating between weapons is exhillerating. There are also a couple of bosses, but you will mostly be facing up against flocks of various enemy types anytime that the game decides to throw a bigger challenge your way.

To add the icing to the cake, Shadowgrounds has one hell of an amazing soundtrack. Though the game is quiet, but with ambiance, while you're lurking through corridors, once you're faced with an onslaught of alien fiends, some heart-pumping industrial metal starts playing; it's always a different track, which is extremely welcomed in a genre where the same "combat theme" is known to repeat endlessly. I honestly wish Frozenbyte would make the soundtrack for this title available for purchase and/or download; it's that good.

I'd like to also take the time to point out that Frozenbyte went above and beyond for Shadowgrounds, in that they encouraged and taught the community how to mod the game so that it can be enjoyed above and beyond its retail limitations. As well, this game was heavily criticized for its hard and challenging difficulty, even while playing on the easier modes. While I did not find the game to be a huge trial, it does have its moments; especially on harder settings, and especially during the final fight.

There are only two major gripes to be had with this title, both of them could've been fixed easily enough. First and foremost, the weapon selection system is terrible; you must use the scroll-wheel on your mouse to select between your weapons, which can become very time consuming and difficult if you're in the middle of a massive fight with hordes of aliens on your tail. You must also take your eyes off of the battle to look into the lower right hand corner to see the gun you're selecting, and this often got me killed during the later levels. This leads to the second complaint, the last two levels of the game feature two AI characters that do nothing but stand there, and if you're attempting to move and they're there, they'll block your way and cause you to die; why couldn't Tyler just pass through them?

Despite its aforementioned flaws, Shadowgrounds stands as one of the best, if not the absolute best, top-down shooters on Steam today. The only place that its age shows is within its resolution limits, which is 720p; it's not a big deal, however, if it bothers you that much it is easily rectified through editing the games config file. Even though you'll most likely laugh through the voice acting and cutscenes, the game itself has enough blood, guts, and spine-chilling moments to appease even the most hardened of horror veterans like myself. Beyond Alien Breed, above Crimsonland, lays Shadowgrounds; the absolute best $0.77 CAD I've ever spent. Pick this one up on sale for one hell of a deal, or pay full price to tell the developers thank you for this action packed challenge.

The Horror Network Curator | Group Click for Gore

Review for Shadowgrounds - Survivor: Here

Before becoming well known for their current Trine trilogy, Frozenbyte's freshman release was Shadowgrounds; a top-down sci-fi shooter originally introduced in 2005. Upon launch, the game received a range of mixed reviews but the overall consensus was a generally positive one. Shadowgrounds aimed to revive the long dead top-down shooter genre, which has nearly become a relic of the past at this point. How does this game fair seven years after its debut? The game revolves around senior mechanic Wesley Tyler, who is initially sent out to repair the back-up generators for a facility on Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede. It doesn't take long for things to go awry, and Tyler soon finds out that he's signed up for more than he bargained for. Using a large barrage of weaponry, he must not only save himself from the hellish alien invasion, but also the soldiers, scientists, and other personnel of the IGTO corporation. There are numerous cutscenes to be enjoyed, as well as the ability to pick up PDAs and read computer screens, that further the story. Let's face it, it's incredibly hard to find a top-down shooter that has it all; usually there's something lacking, and the gameplay becomes far too repetitive. It may be hard to believe, but Shadowgrounds actually does have it all, and then some. We'll go ahead and get it out of the way by saying that the story is indeed nothing elaborate or special, but it's enough to keep audiences engaged; the clear, to-the-point missions ensure that you always understand what your goal is and why. Not to mention, the cutscenes and voice acting are hilariously bad, which keeps a constant B-Grade quality shining through the entire experience. What the game doesn't have in story, it makes up for with outstanding atmosphere. Dimly lit corridors, surprise attacks, areas that are only illuminated by your gunfire as you fend off dozens of enemies, and all of the blood, guts, and gore that you can handle. You will also find that none of the 11 levels are alike in any manner, the developers have done an amazing job in diversifying the experience of every location that you will visit; whether it's outside on the terrain of Ganymede with precious little lighting, within deep dark lab chambers, or a cold and isolated facility. Believe me when I say that the screenshots and video on the store page do not do this game justice. Shadowgrounds sees to it that you have a huge availability of weaponry, and just like the different enemy types, they trickle in slowly throughout the game so that boredom does not set in. Aside from the standard pistol, rifle, and shotgun, you will also have access to a flamethrower, railgun, electricity gun, laser rifle, rocket launcher, grenade launcher, and more. Ammo conservation plays a huge role in surviving the game, as does learning which gun does the most damage on what enemy; this makes quick weapon swapping a must-have skill for survival. Just like with the weapons, the enemies start off small and work their way up; at first it will be little spider-like creatures, and before you know it you're facing giant hell beasts wielding rocket launchers that resemble cyber demons from the Doom franchise. It's hard to predict when you may be assaulted by a foe, so it's important to keep vigilant so as not to be taken by surprise... but it will happen. The way that the developers went about introducing new enemies and guns is one of the major factors that keeps the gameplay from becoming repetitive, and the fact that there's a constant mix of foes to face which you must take down by alternating between weapons is exhillerating. There are also a couple of bosses, but you will mostly be facing up against flocks of various enemy types anytime that the game decides to throw a bigger challenge your way. To add the icing to the cake, Shadowgrounds has one hell of an amazing soundtrack. Though the game is quiet, but with ambiance, while you're lurking through corridors, once you're faced with an onslaught of alien fiends, some heart-pumping industrial metal starts playing; it's always a different track, which is extremely welcomed in a genre where the same "combat theme" is known to repeat endlessly. I honestly wish Frozenbyte would make the soundtrack for this title available for purchase and/or download; it's that good. I'd like to also take the time to point out that Frozenbyte went above and beyond for Shadowgrounds, in that they encouraged and taught the community how to mod the game so that it can be enjoyed above and beyond its retail limitations. As well, this game was heavily criticized for its hard and challenging difficulty, even while playing on the easier modes. While I did not find the game to be a huge trial, it does have its moments; especially on harder settings, and especially during the final fight. There are only two major gripes to be had with this title, both of them could've been fixed easily enough. First and foremost, the weapon selection system is terrible; you must use the scroll-wheel on your mouse to select between your weapons, which can become very time consuming and difficult if you're in the middle of a massive fight with hordes of aliens on your tail. You must also take your eyes off of the battle to look into the lower right hand corner to see the gun you're selecting, and this often got me killed during the later levels. This leads to the second complaint, the last two levels of the game feature two AI characters that do nothing but stand there, and if you're attempting to move and they're there, they'll block your way and cause you to die; why couldn't Tyler just pass through them? Despite its aforementioned flaws, Shadowgrounds stands as one of the best, if not the absolute best, top-down shooters on Steam today. The only place that its age shows is within its resolution limits, which is 720p; it's not a big deal, however, if it bothers you that much it is easily rectified through editing the games config file. Even though you'll most likely laugh through the voice acting and cutscenes, the game itself has enough blood, guts, and spine-chilling moments to appease even the most hardened of horror veterans like myself. Beyond Alien Breed, above Crimsonland, lays Shadowgrounds; the absolute best $0.77 CAD I've ever spent. Pick this one up on sale for one hell of a deal, or pay full price to tell the developers thank you for this action packed challenge. [h1]Rating: [b]5.0/5.0[/b] - An astonishing achievement, this game must be played.[/h1] The Horror Network [url=http://store.steampowered.com/curator/28221963/]Curator[/url] | [url=http://steamcommunity.com/groups/thehorrornetwork]Group[/url] Click for Gore [h1]Related Reviews:[/h1] [b]Review for Shadowgrounds - Survivor: [url=http://steamcommunity.com/id/THNEmbalmer/recommended/11200]Here[/url][/b]