Shadowgate Classic
Developer : Infinite Ventures
Publisher : Nintendo
Platform : GBC
Release Year : 1999
Point and Click Memories
The point-and-click genera is one that I have limited experience with. I played the odd title here and there growing up like Monkey Island, King’s Quest, and Myst, but it was always at a friend’s house; during the height of the genera’s popularity and success, we didn’t have a PC at home. Sure, there was the odd title here and there on the home consoles, but I never really played them, at least none that I can remember. That was until I got to experience the remake of the old school PC and NES classic, Shadowgate, titled Shadowgate Classic on the good ol’ Game Boy Color. And you know what? For how limited and basic the game is, I had a lot of fun with this title back in the day. Playing it again now, over twenty years later on my Miyoo Mini+, I was surprised with how engaging and devious this game is, and even though I met the grim reaper more than I would like to admit, I still had a hell of a lot of fun explore the evil Castle Shadowgate.
Into the Castle
In Shadowgate Classic you take on the role of a nameless adventurer who has been tasked by the wizard Lakmir to enter the Castle Shadowgate to stop the evil Warlock Lord. The Warlock is trying to summon forth a beast from the abyss known as the Behemoth to destroy the world, which as you might expect, is a bad thing. It is pretty typical fantasy fair, but for an adventure game from the mid ‘80s, it is good enough. And let’s be real, the puzzle solving is the main draw when it comes to these classic point and click adventures. If you go into this adventure with that in the back of your mind, I feel that you’ll be in for a good time.
I have pretty much no experience when it comes to the point-and-click genera, but from the few titles I have played, I really do enjoy them. Now, I have heard that some titles have puzzles that are so maddeningly obtuse that you have to rely on good ol’ moon logic (as it is called, I think), accepting that normal human logic born of Mother Earth is not going to help you one bit, but I don’t feel like any of the brain teasers here in Shadowgate Classic are all that bad. Yes, I made liberal use of walkthroughs this time, but that is because I was playing mainly on my breaks at work, and if I also wasn’t so impatient and dumb in my old age, I wouldn’t have needed these guides. But guess what? Dying over and over and over gets real old real fast, and at the end of the day, I wanted to make a bit of progress, ya know? It blows my mind that I got as far as I did as a kid, but I guess that’s what happens when you have all that childhood free time: you can slam your head into a game over and over, making a bit of progress inch by inch.
I really don’t have much else to say about the gameplay, because it is what it is; you click about the screen, collect items, and then use those items to make your way through the castle…so you can collect more things to solve more puzzles. Rinse and repeat until the end. One thing I do think is really cool is that you have to keep torches lit, or else you’ll be plunged into darkness, and of course, being in the dark is bad news. This torch mechanic adds a bit of tension to the adventure, and I don’t know if it is unique to this title or not, but I really liked it.
A Visual Adventure
I am a big fan of the graphics on the old Game Boy Color, even if they are rather basic by the today’s standards. There is something so charming and nostalgic about the look of the GBC, and Shadowgate is not a terrible example of why I love this system so much. It’s a shame then that the game is mostly static screens with a few frames of animation here and there. The lack of movement makes the game feel a lot older than other games on the handheld, which I admit is to be expected given when the original was released. The music also isn’t too bad, but definitely not something you are going to be listening to for fun during the drive to work, and the sound effects are really minimal. Sure, the soundscape gets the job done and it does help to make you feel like you’re wandering around a dank and spooky castle, but there is not much more. You’re not going to be humming these tunes to yourself, that’s for sure.
There really isn’t much else to say about the audio and visual presentation here: they get the job done with minimal fanfare. I like it well enough, but I can understand that some folks are going to find it dull uninspired, despite the age. So, take it for what it is: a remake of a PC port for the NES from the ‘80s.
Something to Write Home About
Like a lot of the classic games I talk about here, I think I like Shadowgate Classic more than I should. It’s a pretty average game when I think about it, even by the standards of the GBC, yet all these years later I still had a lot of fun making my way through Castle Shadowgate.
Would I recommend this game to everyone? Nah, not really. If you’re a fan of the original, or a fan of classic point-and-click games, then maybe it would be worth your time, but aside from that I think most people aren’t missing much by skipping this title. If nothing else, this makes me want to play the Shadowgate title on the N64 and see if it is as good as I remember. I doubt it will be, but only time will tell.
I just love that I live in a time when I can have all these titles in the palm of my hand. The Miyoo Mini+ and Retroid Pocket 5 are so fuckin’ cool. Everything is terrible after all.
