By KEVIN HOOVER
Sometimes, a video game is so far ahead of its time that it fails to resonate with gamers upon release. Other times, it’s so off-the-charts batshit bizarre that one time around just isn’t enough to appreciate its spoils.
2011’s Shadows of the Damned easily falls into both of those categories and thanks to Grasshopper Manufacture, players can finally atone for missing the title the first time around. Revealed during this year’s Summer Game Fest, SHADOWS OF THE DAMNED: REMASTERED, will be coming home soon, although details are currently scarce.
Originally released for the Xbox 360 and PS3, SotD was a marriage of the minds between the eccentric Suda51 and Resident Evil forefather Shinji Mikami, with both creator’s influences instantly recognizable to the scant fanbase that dared give it a chance. The game thrust hot-headed demon slayer Garcia Hotspur into a dark, foreboding underworld in search of his girlfriend Paula, whose death is all but guaranteed at the hands of the Lord of Demons. With veritable Swiss Army sidekick Johnson, who doubles (triples, actually) as a sidearm, motorcycle, and torch, Garcia slays-and-sprays his way through sinister forces, all while spewing one-liners and stopping to solve a puzzle or two along the way. SotD wasn’t a commercial success, but critics found enough to enjoy to push it into the upper echelon of Top 10 lists across outlets of the time.
While Suda51’s Grasshopper Manufacture, the game’s original developer, is doing the heavy lifting with the remaster, current details are scarce as to whether or not EA will be publishing again this time around. And while there are currently no details about what systems SHADOWS OF THE DAMNED: REMASTERED will call home, an upcoming Grasshopper Direct event on June 14th promises more information.
