Shadow Gangs

Excellent side-scrolling action in the tradition of late 80's arcade games from companies like Sega and Data East! Shadow Gangs does a great job of replicating the look, feel and challenge of the games of that era, and with a wonderful presentation to boot. The visuals speak for themselves, but I was happy to discover that the game plays just as good as it looks; controls are tight and the combat feels really satisfying. Level designs and enemy types show an impressive amount of variety, with each of the game's levels set in a different locale, with completely unique art assets. Aside from visual variety, the level layouts themselves are more varied than I expected too! Some levels are far more vertical than others, some focus on perilous platforming, and others feature foreground/background switching similar to some of the Shinobi games. The enemy design is quite well done too, each enemy type has a distinct and predictable pattern, and none of them are usually much of a threat on their own - but if you allow them to gang up on you things get very hairy very quickly. The variety in level layouts and enemy attack patterns makes each level and even each enemy encounter a unique challenge, so the game never gets repetitive despite its simple mechanics. In other words: the game puts forth a simple set of mechanics, and through different level and enemy permutations it tests your skill and understanding of those mechanics - just like a good arcade game should. The pacing and length of the game feels just right, with each level (and boss fight) requiring a decent amount of trial and error to figure out, but once you do it feels really satisfying to blaze through them quickly! I've completed the game on the lowest difficulty setting (which the game wisely advises you to start with), and now I'm enjoying the challenge of trying to make my way through it on the higher difficulties. The game is quite approachable as far as diffiulty goes - people who aren't used to 80's arcade games will likely consider it very tough! But the easy difficulty setting provides a nice degree of leniency with some extra HP and lives, and with the Mission Select allowing you to start a new game from later levels, getting to the end is significantly easier than in most of the games that inspired this one. A 1-credit clear on the highest difficulty is a very serious challenge though, so there's definitely something here for seasoned arcade pros as well. I do have a few minor issues with the game, probably the biggest of which is the somewhat finicky behaviour of the camera. It's totally fine most of the time, but in some spots the camera is scripted to move up or down, which can obscure enemy attacks and lead to some unusually cheap deaths. The ability to manually scroll the camera up or down would be a very welcome addition! I was also annoyed a few times when the game let me advance through the level after having missed a few of the mandatory hostages, even getting checkpoints - forcing me to awkwardly backtrack. I don't mind having to rescue the hostages to clear the levels, but with a few of the more open levels it can be needlessly easy to miss places you have to go. Finally, some of the difficulty tuning also seems a little off, with some early bosses seeming more difficult than the later ones. All in all though, the few complaints I have with the game are very minor, and I had a ton of fun with it from start to finish! As a long time arcade game enthusiast it's awesome to see new games come out that embrace this style of game design, especially when done this well. If you're a fan of Shinobi, Shadow Dancer, Rolling Thunder, or any games of their ilk, I would definitely recommend checking out Shadow Gangs.

Worst than I thought, let's start with the fact the game doesn't support 21:9 ultrawide ratio... it's freaking 2021! Clunky combat, too difficult, clumsy graphics but at least the sound and ost are good. On top of all the game is way overpriced, stay away.

Devs helped me fix the game and isolate the problem with my webrooot virus software

(Way) Shortened Review of Shadow Gangs (Steam version) Shadow Gangs really hit the spot for me (a veteran Shinobi/Shadow Dancer player). I mean, I got over 50 hours of gameplay out of it, got myself in the top 10 scorers on the leaderboards and then felt the need to write a detailed 5-page review, which Steam unfortunately won’t let me post because it’s too long. It’s not a perfect experience by any means but very well executed all things considered. I had tons of fun mastering it and think that it’s an under-appreciated gem of an indie “classic tribute” – a real labor of love, with way too few Steam reviews and leaderboard entries. I am hoping that this positive review might influence some more people to buy and enjoy it, helping fund a sequel, which would be an instant purchase for me. If “Sega” was still Sega, they’d offer to produce and throw resources behind such a sequel, making in an official Shinobi game, enabling it to reach its full potential and join the ranks of the likes of “Sonic Mania” and “Streets of Rage 4”. Maybe there’s some hope of this happening? Perhaps I can post the full review in the forums?

Great to see an old school game like Shadow Gangs available today. Brings back a lot of good memories from my arcade days. The game starts off at a reasonable level but it might seem hard to beginners. You just need to persevere and you always get that bit further on your next go. I much prefer having a game like this where I need to concentrate and improve to get further than just go flying through a game I just bought and complete it in a couple of hours. Love the graphics and characters and really enjoy the music while playing. As I am progressing my reflexes are definitely getting better. Great boss fights. Overall, a worthy purchase, really enjoying it.

you have to be into oldscool retros to make the most of it just thinkin of playin arcades in blackpool good days

Ich liebe Shadow Dancer und Shinobi auf den alten Sega Konsolen. Deshalb freue ich mich riesig, dass endlich ein Entwickler darauf kam, diese Spiele als Vorlage zu nehmen. Ich, als Indie Entwickler (Dead Age 1 + 2) hätte das auch zuuuu gerne gemacht, aber es ist einfach so viel Grafik zu basteln. xD Shadow Gangs hat jedenfalls eine sehr gute und authentische Qualität, lohnt sich! :) Tipp: Wer es lieber pixeliger spielen will, soll einfach die Auflösung auf 640 runterschrauben. :)

Game Features: -Generic platform / fightin game -Controls works with keyboard or Xbox pad but better use keybord -Controls works with keyboard -Simple but nice sound effects and music Positive: -8 bit Vibe -Surprisingly addictive gameplay ;) Negative: Poor Xbox pad keybin It is really worth a try you can always refund game if will not fit your taste.

Shinobi + Freddy Mercury, impossível dar errado!!!

If you liked Shinobi on old arcade machines - you'll love this too. Graphics are mindblowing - I have no idea how did they manage to make the game look like old games, in modern resolutions. Music is oldschool (wavetable MIDI synthesis). Movements, powerups, simplicity, difficulty curve - its all there, and its replicated perfectly. Very nice bonus point is a screenful of options where you can configure the CRT shader to look exactly the way you want it to. I didn't play too much, but its a fun game, and when I have a bit more time, for sure I'll put some effort to try and finish it. One thing that I'm torn about is the price... while a true love letter to the arcade machines, when I compare this game and its price to some other titles I own... I feel its too expensive for what it offers. Probably best gotten on a 25-30% sale or similar.