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RETROREVIVAL
AMIGA 1990 REFLECTIONS INTERACTIVE
Shadow Of The Beast was something of a watershed moment
for me as a young gamer, as it highlighted just how incredible
videogames could look. The debate about videogames being
art will rage forever, but there’s no denying that the mid-Eighties
and the move to 16-bit visuals helped make the argument far more
relevant than it was in the earlier abstract days of computer games.
While I have fond memories of playing the original Shadow Of The Beast at
my friend’s house, it’s the sequel that I’ve always had a soft spot for. That’s not
because I think it’s necessarily a better game, but because parts of it looked
and sounded so sensational. Now I’m one of the first people who will boorishly
complain about how the videogames of today are happier to focus on aesthetics
rather than their gameplay, but I wasn’t like that in 1990, possibly because
everything still felt fresh and exciting to my 17-year-old eyes.
While Shadow Of The Beast II’s visuals didn’t impress me as much as those
of the original game (it’s colour palette is way too dark for starters), I absolutely
adored its cinematic opening which perfectly set up the game’s subsequent quest.
As impressive as that sequence of events was, the thing I most vividly remember
about Reflections’ sequel is the haunting guitar riff that accompanies the game
over screen. It was one of the few games I never minded dying in as watching your
avatar slumped on his knees with outstretched hands while that solo played was
such an impactful moment.DEATH HAS NEVER SOUNDED SO GOOD
Shadow Of
The Beast II