Shadows of the Damned is a game in which protagonist Garcia Hotspur’s gun is called a Boner, and he refers to the vine-like blockades in hell as “demon pubes.” The game confidently displays video game style on its purple leather studded sleeve, next to Joy Division’s lyrics to “Love Will Tear Us Apart” painted in thick white paint. From demonic enemies whose heads explode with collectible diamonds when shot in the head, to bosses riddled with obvious “shoot here” weaknesses, Shadow of the Damned: Hela Remastered isn’t just a reminder of its arrogant beliefs; A video game, or rather how unserious it is, it’s a window into how far and away it is. how little The video game has been around since 2011 when it was first released.
“Resident Evil” producer and creator Shinji Mikami said in an interview with GameSpot at Gamescom 2024: “[Shadows of the Damned] Know that this is a video game and it’s not trying to be something else. There are a lot of games out there these days that take themselves way too seriously.
考慮到最近動作恐怖遊戲的狀況,例如去年的《生化危機 4》重製版或《心靈殺手 2》,這兩款遊戲的戰鬥和圖像都注重細節和可信度。這兩款遊戲都具有逼真的動作,為你的動作增添了重量感,無論你是用斧頭打臉還是在敵人的頭上開槍,都能提供逼真的回饋。這兩款遊戲的圖形保真度創造了與我們自己的世界非常相似的可信世界。 《詛咒之影:海拉重製版》與《生化危機4 重製版》和《心靈殺手2》有著相似的特徵——過肩視角、抵禦敵人的怪物,甚至還有一些解謎元素——但它以更明亮的色彩來實現這一點調色板、卡通動畫,以及一種毫不在意的態度,喚起了它自己的自信。
《詛咒之影》改編了同樣由三上製作的原版《生化危機 4》的許多特徵,但實際上它在戰鬥設計方面與《心靈殺手 2》有更多共同點。 《心靈殺手 2》和《詛咒之影》都需要先清除敵人的黑暗氣息,然後才能造成傷害,並擁有專門的近戰攻擊和閃避按鈕。不同之處在於,《詛咒之影》並沒有反映我們目前所處的世界——相反,它是一個色彩繽紛、充滿活力的地獄景觀,你可以喝清酒來治愈自己,給惡魔嬰兒餵草莓來打開門。
很多遊戲,尤其是現在的規格可用,都追求這種超現實。我們並不真正關心超現實。
須田剛一“Suda51”
正是透過這個視角,我第一次意識到,在過去13 年中,動作恐怖類型在戰鬥方面實際上幾乎沒有發生什麼變化——考慮到一些玩家經常將標準遊戲設計實踐視為一種有趣的想法,這是一個有趣的想法。
「我覺得13年前,當我們製作原作時 [Shadows of the Damned]a lot of things in game development at that time were a given,” Mikimi-san explained. “‘This is how you make games, this is what games should be like. A lot of things have changed since then. There’s a lot in Shadows of the Damned that’s more casual and goofy, and it’s easy to enjoy the game It’s fun without taking the game too seriously, or the game itself taking it too seriously, so hopefully that resonates with modern gamers because it might not have been taken as seriously as it used to be, because in the past, video games were. That’s it.
Grasshopper Manufacture Goichi “Suda51” Suda, writer and developer of Shadows of the Damned, commented on the state of realism in games today, saying, “I feel like a lot of games these days are trying to achieve a sense of realism. A lot of games, especially Today’s specifications are all pursuing this kind of hyper-reality, and we don’t really care about hyper-reality.
For Grasshopper Manufacture, the idea is to present the game in “the most expressive way possible,” Suda said.
While Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered is getting a 4K overhaul for its resolution, it’s hard to tell the game’s visuals apart from the 2011 original, and it’s even better. The game’s reliance on bright colors and exaggerated character movements has helped it stand the test of time. While clever art design can have a lasting effect, game design often shows its age over time. But to my surprise, Shadow of the Damned: Hela Remastered seems to have a niche in this space as well.
In the 30 minutes I played, I saw a variety of enemy types, a variety of environmental puzzles, and a clever use of light and dark mechanics that kept me on my toes. The entire chapter is carefully paced and feels quite polished. It was a surprising surprise – something Sudha himself felt when returning to the 2011 classic.
“There’s definitely something that changed the way I look at games and what I think I see when I look at games now,” Suda-san said. “One thing about looking at the game now: I actually feel like it’s a lot more polished than it was when it was originally released.”
“We are currently working on another project,” Sudha continued. “This is a new IP, and since we’re working on it as we work on the remaster, we’ll end up doing some comparisons and contrasts. So while we’re developing this new IP, please go back and study it. [Shadows of the Damned] While remaking it, there are definitely things I learned now that I may not have learned then. Like, ‘Oh, hey, maybe this is something we can do a little better, or this is something we can change. Instead, ‘Oh, hey, maybe we can make some adjustments to accommodate the new IP.
Sudar said this is a “big problem” for Grasshopper manufacturers.
“One of the main reasons we wanted to release the remaster was to get it on as many platforms as possible. Originally it was only going to be released on PS3 and Xbox 360, and if it was only released on Origin, that would defeat the purpose because it would further Limit the number of people who can play the game.
It wasn’t until Grasshopper Manufacture partnered with its current parent company, NetEase – and after Origin ceased to be EA’s main focus for publishing – that the studio was able to reach a deal that would grant it the remaster and distribution of the game.
Until now, Shadows of the Damned has only been playable if you owned a physical copy of the game, severely limiting the possibility of new players accessing this cult classic. Thankfully, Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered is expected to release on October 31st on all modern platforms and PC.