The demon fears the samurai, like most other living things that are allergic to katana strikes aimed at the gut. Shadow of the Road is another unexpectedly fun RPG demo with turn-based gameplay, set in an intriguing medieval Japanese setting—local mythology and demons included. The only thing that had me confused was how the turn order worked, as it constantly shifted around during play. But I think I got the hang of it (somewhat) nearing the end of the demo.
Samurai without masters
At the beginning of the demo, you start out with two ronin (samurai without masters)—looking to restore honor in one way or another. As these things go, an opportunity soon appears, but not before some customary Japanese blood shedding and limb-cutting. This event sets them out on an odyssey through Japan, where you pick up more (outsider) heroes for your posse.
The story and writing is fascinating, setting up an interesting tale of revenge, redemption, and demon hunting. I also liked how the game dedicates a small wiki to explore the intricacies of Japanese medieval culture and mythology. All optional reading, but nonetheless appreciated if you want to learn more, adding texture to what’s happening on screen.
You also have to make decisions during the narration, which guides your characters toward the kind of person they’ll become, for example: embracing tradition or not, and the group’s relationship to each other. What this will entail down the line only the future will be able to tell—in the main game, that is.
The story and these mechanics have me engaged, curious on how it will all play out. I just hope it’s not something that will cripple you stat-wise, if you don’t min-max these things, and just go for roleplaying instead. Those that don’t become demon food will see, I guess!
Exploring and killing
Shadow of the Road (according to the demo) will be staged in two modes: exploration, which is real-time, and combat that plays out in a turn-based mode. The exploration is pretty standard, following RPG principles, with you roaming around to scavenge for loot, secrets, and quests. It might be standard, but there’s a reason for that, seeing as it’s a cozy period for downtime, allowing the player to ponder the narrative, and for the game to set up new storylines.
However, this means that it is an RPG with focus on story and scripted combat scenarios, and not something X-com-esque, while it loosely shares fighting mechanics.
The combat gameplay works like the nuXcom games, with it feeling more boardgamey than simulated (realistic), but in the case of Shadow of the Road it works really well. You even get the full and half-cover system for taking cover that has a chance of lowering your risk of getting hit. Yet, cover seems to be destructible, which is pretty cool and adds dynamics to the battlefield. This can of course be used in your favor for getting a shot in on a hiding gaijin–devil rifleman.
The different skills of the heroes are plentiful, and the characters are designed to stand out from each other. I personally loved the 150 kilo guy in full samurai armor, whose skills include a headbutt to stun and the ability to run people down—crushing them under his weight to meaty flatbreads. Now, with these characters having story significance, I doubt deaths will be allowed for your side (unless it’s scripted). But since it’s an RPG first and foremost, this is absolutely fine.
Turn-order system
The one main difference here is how the turn-order can and will get manipulated by everything that happens in combat. Sometimes from a skill directly, other times from damage inflicted, which will penalize the unit by moving their turn further back. At first, I didn’t understand it all, but things eventually became a tad clearer—however, not fully. But what it seems to come down to is avoiding damage and inflicting as much pain as you can to delay the enemy (pushing the turns).
It’s certainly an interesting mechanic that I’m sure will provide lots of interesting tactics to dominate the enemy, and make them pay for their insolence. I have to say, though, the demo overall felt a little on the easy side. It has me thinking that going for hard difficulty in the main game might be the best approach. So, a warning to all turn-based veterans! Other than that, I enjoyed the combat greatly, it felt snappy, brutal, and fun, with skills and characters providing different uses and possibilities. And not to forget, they all come with a sweet leveling system as well. Good stuff, all around!
Visuals and sound
The graphics are pretty good and very atmospheric, especially the second map that takes place during nighttime, with rain pouring down over the cursed landscape. Moody! I’m unsure what engine they are on, but I had some performance issues, dumping my FPS down from 60 to 40 occasionally, which feels iffy considering it’s a turn-based game. Hopefully, it’s something that can be improved. The voice work and sound design were also excellent, and I particularly liked that the voice-overs were in Japanese for extra authentic flavor. It must be pointed out that only certain parts were voiced, leaving most of the dialogue voiceless.
In conclusion, I very much enjoyed this demo. The combat felt snappy and fun, albeit easy, but that will probably be a setting in the full release. The story was compelling too, and the writing felt mature, far from any Marvel quirkiness (thank God). Shadow of the Road seems to contain all the yummy RPG tropes—like C&C (choice and consequences), loot and an interesting leveling system for that complete roleplaying experience. I look forward to the release, with it landing fairly high on my wishlist. Be sure to check out the demo for yourself!
Thanks for reading.
– Thomas
Tom's Gaming Vault 