Ereban: Shadow Legacy
As someone who has put a ton of time into games such as Dishonored and the Splinter Cell series, it is safe to say that I fully enjoy games that let me take the stealthy route. Far Cry is one of my favorite series due to the fact I can scout out the area before launching my silent assault. Ereban: Shadow Legacy leans heavily into the stealth genre and does a wonderful job of presenting the player with an exceptional skill set that interacts with the world around it.
The Story of Ereban: Shadow Legacy follows Ayana, a member of the titular race called the Ereban. After a rollercoaster of an opening, we find out that she is the last surviving member of that race and that helios, the company we are introduced to in the beginning, is actually responsible for the extinction of her race and is out to use her for her shadow powers. After escaping with a group called The Forgotten Suns, we are introduced to an rag tag band of people who are out to bring Helios down. With her shadow powers and some new found tech, Ayana is tasked with both taking down this massive threat to herself while also uncovering the mystery of what happened to her people.
Gameplay will have us navigating large open areas that are divided up into different chapters, each filled with its own obstacles to overcome and secrets to be found. As you explore each area, you will run across shadow orbs that can be used to unlock more of Ayana’s skills such as the ability to hide bodies with shadow powers and create illusions of herself to distract patrolling units. Along with these upgrades, we are also able to pick up various logs that will give us some insight into the world around us.
One thing the game wants to make apparent is the fact that Ayana is not a fighter and is not equipped to take on enemies head on. It is important that we utilize her shadow powers to navigate the land while taking out threats quietly. Utilizing the shadows around us, Ayana can merge with the darkness and move around undetected for a short period of time. This is used to get around patrols as well as navigating basic platforming puzzles. She can only remain submerged in the shadows for a short period of time so it is important to plan your route out well before heading out because getting captured will result in an instant game over. While you can outrun and out smart the guards with your shadow powers, some come equipped with an ability that can neutralize these powers and make escape that much harder.
I often found myself moving from one shadow patch to the other as quickly as possible so that I could eliminate any threats standing between me and the end of the level. At one point I was concerned about the amount of bodies that were left lying around since the guards were getting alerted to them but soon found this problem remedied by a skill that I unlocked earlier into the 3rd chapter and this was a theme that continued throughout the course of the game. Everytime I had a concern about how I would navigate the area, I was given a tool that would make things a lot easier.
There is a scoring system here that will be impacted by how many guards catch you or how many alarms are set off. For those who don’t concern themselves with these kinds of scores, no worries since it does not impact your ending but for those who enjoy getting the highest score that they can, there is no need to be worried. At the end of each level you are given a run down of how you performed and are given the opportunity to replay the level too. This gives you a chance to get any collectables that you may have missed as well as improving your score. The one thing that will impact your ending is how you approach killing the many enemies that you come across. Since the areas are open with multiple routes, you will be able to find a path with the least amount of enemies a majority of the time as well as find new paths that will keep you out of enemy paths.
Overall, I really enjoyed my time with Ereban: Shadow Legacy and cannot wait to see what else this developer has in store for us. With mechanics that are enjoyable and a story full of interesting characters, This is a title that I would definitely recommend to those who are looking for a fun adventure to run through.
