Shadow of the Beast Remake Is Much Bloodier and More Challenging

Shadow of the Beast is a side-scroller originally released in 1989 for the Commodore Amiga, and was considered revolutionary at the time because of all the graphics, colors, and backgrounds present. That was a little over 25 years ago, and looking at it now will probably make some players feel nostalgic. The folks over at Heavy Spectrum Entertainment decided to do you one better and remake the game for the PlayStation 4.

The original game was already pretty cool, but bringing that as it is to a new-gen console would be a disservice, given the PS4’s capabilities. What Heavy Spectrum has done is taken an old favorite and breathed new life into it, with impressive graphics and gameplay for a deceptively simple game. Heavy Spectrum Entertainment’s founder and creator, Matt Birch, says of the project: “It was really important for me to try and get across to players that experience that I had as a kid, but not necessarily the same game. Because 25 years of gaming has happened since then… and I want to make sure that it’s as fresh a game today as it was for me when I played it.”

The Shadow of the Beast remake brings back a lot of the original’s mechanics, with a number of new additions that’re set to make the game even more enjoyable. They’ve picked up the pace, put in some more aggressive enemies, and designed it to provide the experience that gamers have come to expect of new releases nowadays.

There are new mechanics being introduced in this iteration, like the new combo system and some special skills. The Blood System is also in place, and Aarbron (controlled by the player) absorbs the blood of all the enemies he kills. Once the meter fills up, it gives him the ability to pull of some seriously sweet moves. They’ve made enemies challenging enough for you to actually develop and perfect your technique instead of just running right in with an attempt to mow everyone down.

Shadow of the Beast looks set to provide an all-new player experience that brings a classic into the 21st century. No word yet on when the game will be released, but it appears to be a PlayStation 4 exclusive. Watch the gameplay demo below: