Shadow Complex

The latest from epic games is a delve back into the world of side scrolling exploration, and if you ask me, they haven't done it too badly.

The in-game graphics, and i cannot stress it enough, are brilliant. It's got every shade of grey you want in a secret military installation plus a lush, vibrant forest complete with lake overhead.

The story thrusts us into this environment with the flimsy pretext of going for a hike with your would be girlfriend, and after a minute or so she disappears only to reappear a second later, being taken through a giant steel door by some armed guards. Upon following them, you find the terrorist group the Progressive Restoration, poised on the brink of unleashing nuclear weapons across America in an attempt to unite the world. The general feel for this game was inspired by Super Metroid and Castlevania:Symphony of the Night, and if you ask me, it plays a little too similar.

The game play though enjoyable can quickly become frustrating due to some slightly clumsy controls, you will often find yourself cursing as you fall down the same elevator shaft over and over again. The combat is a nice touch though, the auto aim works incredibly well and nearly every time you encounter enemies, there is an alternative to fighting them. Whether it be sneaking around them, shooting an explosive barrel nearby or detaching an electric cable to swing wildly around to dispatch your foes, you always have options. Even if some of them aren't immediately visible.

A problem encountered while trying to sneak around is the visibility. Your view is limited because of the 2D environment and often when passing through doors there will be an unseen enemy ready to raise the alarm directly on the other side.
The boss fights are pretty uninspired and consist of big machine after big machine, and can pretty much all be defeated in the same manner.

Overall this is a very nice return to the 2D platform, but i can't help but feel it's a somewhat rushed Super Metroid clone
6/10