Shadowgrounds Demo

Whenever it comes to movies or video games, aliens are not the good guys very often, specially not when they come in large numbers. Hence, they are mostly portrayed as vicious monsters that want to kill everything in sight and lack the basic diplomacy skills to approach the subject in a more civilized manner.

Shadowgrounds is a top-down shooter that tells the tale of an incoming alien threat and the people who do everything in their power to prepare against it. Your role in the story is to help raise the defenses and fight the hordes of monsters once they make their move, using a variety of powerful weapons and various other tricks to keep the invasion under control.

Since the game features a top-down perspective, it is very easy to spot the attackers and fight off multiple enemies at the same time, as well as always be aware of your surroundings. Although the missions are rather linear and predictable, you also get to battle powerful bosses and truly put your skills to the test, using everything at your disposal to bring them down.

To tackle the alien hordes and obtain the maximum amount of gore and carnage in the process, the game provides you with wide variety of exciting weapons, some of which are particularly bloody, such as the laser cutter or the rail gun. These can also be upgraded with even more powerful add-ons, depending on your budget and your ability to search the levels for hidden treasure.

Graphically, even if the title employs an isometric viewpoint, the environments are very detailed and the illumination effects are quite impressive, especially since they are an important part of the gameplay. However, the characters are very rigid an inexpressive during the cutscenes, which kind of undermines the overall atmosphere. The latter is saved by the sublime sound quality, which can really give you the creeps if you don't happen to have a light source nearby.

Despite some minor setbacks, Shadowgrounds manages to remain a somewhat original title, even if it borrows a lot of its gameplay elements from other similar games. However, the missions themselves and the overall story are worth the inconveniences, as long as you are ready for a challenge.