Hot on the heels of the recent launch of Microsoft’s Games on Demand service – allowing the discerning gamer to download retail Xbox 360 games at their whim –comes Shadow Complex, arguably the finest example yet of the download only title. Simply put it is a 2D side-scrolling adventure game which embraces cutting edge technology (in the shape of the Unreal Engine), while also harkening back to a rich heritage of side-scrolling adventure games; most notably Nintendo’s classic Metroid series, now some 20 years old.

The hero of the piece is one Jason Fleming and by going to town onhis animations and dialogue, developer Chair Entertainment, have created an immediately likeable action hero in the style of Indiana Jones or even Vin Diesel’s ‘XXX’ character Xander Cage. Out one day for a spot of caving with his girlfriend, Fleming is soon minus said girlfriend as she suddenly disappears. A spot of exploration soon reveals her whereabouts, for having stumbled across a secret underground complex she has been abducted and taken for interrogation by the complex’s guards. Being of a heroic disposition he takes it upon himself to rescue her and it is here where the adventure really begins. Ploughing on into the complex will see him up against guards, robot sentries and gigantic bosses, all packing enough munitions to make his life expectancy plummet to mere seconds. Luckily, Fleming is himself adept in the use of weapons and a little exploration is soon rewarded with an entry level range of guns and grenades more than capable of dealing with what the enemy throws at him. Automatically applied enhancements to his strength, aim, stamina, etc, will also occur as he gains experience via battles and actions enabling him to mix it up with the game’s larger hostiles.

Exploration, as you may have gathered, is the aim of the game with the combat and gunplay only an engaging distraction. Players familiar with Nintendo’s Metroid series will immediately be at home with the ‘explore until obstruction found – find method to clear obstruction’ formula of the game. The key piece of equipment in Fleming’s arsenal is not a gun as you might expect but his torch. Shine the torch around a room and anything breakable will shine a distinct colour as the light touches it; the colour is the clue to progression as certain coloured objects can only be destroyed by certain weapons. For example, early in the game you will come across some boulders which shine green when your torchlight falls on them. The boulders bar your way but a quick search of the immediate area reveals some grenades which just so happen to be green themselves – it doesn’t take a rocket science to work out what to do next.

The game is full of these types of set-ups but it is the finding of the right tool for the job that is the fun part. Handily, Fleming is blessed with the agility of a spider monkey and can be flung about the level’s many platforms and ledges with abandon. Only by attempting to reach every nook and cranny can items be found and progress made, lucky then that a map is on hand to offer an explanation as to where you are and, more importantly, where you need to get to next. The map is also where the 2D aspect of the game becomes truly apparent for it is here where the room layout is visualised. At times Shadow Complex seems positively 3D, for instance guards can appear from the depths of a room and walk toward you, enemies in the distance can also be targeted during a fire fight. This trickery is truly engaging and makes the complex seem all the more gargantuan, only by consulting the map is the layout apparent – just be aware that the map doesn’t always show everything on offer. Chair Entertainment have placed secrets throughout and suggest that only repeated ventures will reveal every hidden treasure.

Shadow Complex is one of the first download only titles to feel like it could just as easily have been packaged up and sold on the high street. The crispness of the graphics, immediacy of the action and superb pacing, which keeps you plodding ever onwards, is well worth the 1200 MS points (just over £10) asking price. With some 10 hours to play through – assuming you’re willing to put the time in to find those hidden extras – the length of the game is more on a par with full retail games too. It is almost a shame that the game is so close to the feel of the Metroid games as imitators of its style will still be seen as Metroid clones rather than Shadow Complex clones, however the way that it brings the classic formula kicking and screaming on to a current-generation console has to be admired. A download only classic then, not quite a first but certainly one of an elite few – let us hope there are more on the horizon but for now you owe it yourself to get this.

• Bookmark on Delicious
• Digg this post
• Recommend on Facebook
• share via Reddit
• Share with Stumblers
• Tweet about it
• Subscribe to the comments on this post