We always felt a little bit sorry for 2011’s Shadows of the Damned. EA published this hellish third-person shooter, fuelled by the warped minds belonging to Goichi Suda (No More Heroes, Killer7) and Shinji Mikami (Resident Evil, God Hand), but upon playing it there were clear signs of a rushed development. At the time, EA was putting out ‘AAA’ games almost monthly, and all signs point to release dates being set in stone.
Unlike FUSE, Dante’s Inferno, Alice: Madness Returns and other games from the same era that EA has seemingly forgotten about, Shadows of the Damned is getting a second chance.
NetEase Entertainment has today announced that their recently revealed remaster is “coming soon” with digital pre-orders live on the Xbox Store and Steam. Not only this, but a playable demo will be available at PAX East 2024 next week. Merchandise will be available to win and purchase, and Suda51 himself will be present – and you can challenge him at a hand of Blackjack, should you fancy your chances.
Shadows of the Damned stars Garcia Hotspur and his skull-faced buddy Johnson. Together, they head into the underworld to save Garcia’s girlfriend Paula. To fight off hellspawn, the power of light and dark must be harnessed, with enemies drawn to dark places but susceptible to light. There’s lots of blood, swearing, and rock ‘n roll along the way.
“Regardless of being rough around the edges, if you like the sound of being told dirty jokes while shooting demons in the face then Shadows of the Damned is the game you’ve long been waiting for,” we said back in 2011.