Shadow of the Orient is an old-school game with a basic mindset. Effectively, you must move from point A to B while avoiding obstacles, monsters, and other pitfalls. En route, you’ll grab gold, jewels, and keys to open treasure chests. Furthermore, there are 3 prisoners to rescue per stage and plenty of parkour moments to enjoy.
Dolores Entertainment developed and published this side-scrolling platformer. It is a single-player game that comprises 2 unique game modes. First is the adventure endeavour. Here you will tackle 3 acts and 18 worlds. The core mechanics are repetitive and familiar, and the action is a little understated by modern standards. The second mode allows speedrunning gamers to test their skills. This isn’t my forte, but it looked interesting and is sure to test the greatest of players.
Shadow of the Orient tells a heroic tale.
You control Xiaolang, a brave warrior who possesses the elemental power of fire. He harnesses this ability to overcome his foes and explore a dangerous world. However, is he strong enough to tackle the Shadow Clan, rescue the children, and bring peace back to the East? Only time will tell in this fantasy story.
The story may be a little out there, but the action is all too familiar. The simple side-scrolling approach will not blow you away. Luckily, though, the developer has incorporated some minor Metroidvania gameplay to keep you on your toes. Additionally, there are skills to unlock to help you reach otherwise unobtainable heights.
Explore, fight, and hope to survive.
Shadow of the Orient focuses on fighting, exploring, and surviving. Each stage is punctuated by handy checkpoints. The developer has kept this to a bare minimum to enhance the difficulty and to keep you thinking. As you explore the world, you may climb ladders and rock faces. What’s more, there are chasms to leap, spikes to avoid, and deadly lava to miss. If this doesn’t test you, the monsters will put you in your place.
Unfortunately, the hero has a limited arsenal of weapons at their disposal. Mighty fists and your trusty feet are the go-to tools. As the game evolves, you will unlock new weapons with the coins and gems you gather. Yet, until that happens, you will get smashed by flying creatures and beaten by everything on the ground. This was truly frustrating as the hitboxes are a little wonky, and your foes march at an ungodly pace.
Shadow of the Orient is a nice-looking indie game.
The earthy colour palette and repetitive backdrops should have disappointed me, but they didn’t. I liked the stage design and the large worlds to explore. Leaping down pits and jumping across chasms was genuinely interesting and filled with danger. What wasn’t good, though, was the number of glitches and bugs I discovered. For reasons unknown, the game would slow down to a snail’s pace when collecting gems or coins. This happened intermittently and required a full reset to overcome the issue. Alongside this, I fell inside walls more than once, and this caused me to reset the stage while I screamed with rage.
The audio is relatively straightforward and will not wow you. The sound effects are decent, but lack originality. This was a shame as the developer should of and could have made a big song and dance with their audio. Though this didn’t happen, I enjoyed the music and the basic noises.
It’s a bit sluggish.
Though the controls were easy to understand and simple to execute, the hitboxes were an issue. If you then consider the fast-moving monsters and the inability to freely hit flying creatures, things take a turn for the worse. Shadow of the Orient has a pleasant control layout, but too many minor issues prevent it from excelling.
The inclusion of 2 game modes and plenty of upgrades increases replay value and longevity. Additionally, trying to find each of the children and the treasure chests was challenging. Therefore, if you wish to find every item and unlock every perk and weapon, you will need plenty of luck and loads of patience.
Shadow of the Orient could have been better.
At its core, Shadow of the Orient is a pleasant indie game. I liked the side-scrolling approach and the secrets you find. Furthermore, the game becomes a pleasure as you unlock new gear and abilities. However, the lacklustre audio, sluggish controls, and bugs were not what I expected from a modern indie title. Accordingly, it could have been much better and more polished. Despite these issues, it is fun and I recommend buying it here! Can you fulfil your destiny and become a hero? Harness your power, save the children, and defeat every monster you encounter.
