Shadowgate Nintendo Review :)

[dreamcast4ever83]

The first thing I would like to say is Shadowgate isn’t going to be a game that’s going to appeal to everyone. You could pick it up, spend 30 min on it and decide it’s the most boring game you’ve ever played. Especially if your not a rpg fan are are more inclined only towards heavy action oriented games and never want to touch it again, While that’s the case, this review is written assuming that this is not your reaction to the game.

The gameplay is very slow yet still very engaging. the game is made up of a series of rooms in a castle. The story starts with a wizard sending you to the castle shadowgate to destroy an evil warlock lord and unforgivably you are the last king in the land to take on this monumental task which may determine if this land will be freed or destroyed. So needless to say you got alot of weight on your shoulders. The question is are you up to the task? In each room, there are a number of things you can interact with. You this by making an action choice from a menu, look, touch, talk, move and more.

This is done by a point and click interface so lets hope you enjoy these kind of adventures, If not run away!. your moving a cursor onto the object in the room that you wants to interact with, such as a Brick on the ground. Doing so would take's the brick from the ground and puts it into your inventory. From there, you might be able to use it later to open a secret lock to open a door. Or, of course, it might’ve just been a useless brick with no point to it. Most objects do have a use, but not all of them. It’s up to you to find everything you can, figure out what uses they might have, and to make your way through the castle solving each room and puzzle.

In general, there’s just one constant background music that plays through the entire game, although there are a few rooms where there’s a different music that plays due to certain circumstances. The main background music fits the game excellently and as you progress it gets more and more dramatic towards the final climax. Your lives are based on torches. You pick them up and keep them lit but once they go out your done for. It is very important to save at the right time to prevent yourself from being screwed in this sense.

The graphics are great as a 8bit nes title and can be very moody and help you soak up the story and the felling's of castle shadowgate. I noticed myself getting very caught up with this game and I enjoyed it very much which lead me to play shadowgate 64 It's sequel which tosses out the point and click but that will be another review.


most of Shadowgate is built on finding items, and figuring out where they are used. Some of the item uses are a bit vague requiring a bit of simple trial and error at times. Once you have gone through the game you now know all the answers to the puzzles, and there is not any extra's that will make you want to go through the game again. No sidequests or extra endings or anything along those lines. still tho it's a very fun and engaging title to play through. Also since it would be insanely hard to remember all the items and puzzles I found there is still some good reason to pick it up and play it again after a couple years or perhaps watch a friend

final thoughts

I think this game is very well made with a great story and moody atmosphere and does exactly what it is going for. I found this to be one of the more endearing NES titles and would whole hearty recommend this to almost anyone. I actually forgot about everything going on around me while I was obsessing on everything in a room And could not wait to see what was next. The next boss, The next riddle, The next hint of story progression. If your a big rpg/point and click fan and one who does not mind heavy thinking and slower gameplay I would suggest picking this title up. As a rule of thumb if you enjoy the first 30 min your in for a treat but if you find yourself bored and or annoyed this most likely is not a title for you.

[storino03]

great review. I had Shadowgate back in the NES days and had to use a walkthrough to beat it, which I did in the last 6-8 years--can't remember when exactly. Do you know if Beyond Shadowgate on the Turbo Grafx CD, part of the series?

[dreamcast4ever83]

great review. I had Shadowgate back in the NES days and had to use a walkthrough to beat it, which I did in the last 6-8 years--can't remember when exactly. Do you know if Beyond Shadowgate on the Turbo Grafx CD, part of the series?

I don't think so But i'll look into it forsure cause I now want to know

SO I looked and wow it is the sequel to the first one!! and best off it looks amazing. It like a mix between the first one and shadowgate 64. Its looks perfect its point and click but with actually people to move and beautiful artwork I reallyyyy want it but can't find a copy:(

im not sure about the story i did not get much out of it but im sure its good

[storino03]

Yeah Beyond Shadowgate is a rare TGCD game to begin with. Seems cool though.

[exonerator]

Great review! Shadowgate was one of my favorite childhood games too, not unlike the other Kemco/Seika games.

[TEKTORO]

Yeah Beyond Shadowgate is a rare TGCD game to begin with. Seems cool though.

It is part of the series (dont remember which entry exactly) and imo the best of them all, you can wander around in real time and punch the crap out of stuff. The P&C is still there and there are tons of death animations. I didnt get to complete it and actually wasnt a big fan at the time, but I would say it's definitely worth the price tag.

Nice review DC4E, glad your sharing some of your reviews!

[dreamcast4ever83]

Yeah Beyond Shadowgate is a rare TGCD game to begin with. Seems cool though.

It is part of the series (dont remember which entry exactly) and imo the best of them all, you can wander around in real time and punch the crap out of stuff. The P&C is still there and there are tons of death animations. I didnt get to complete it and actually wasnt a big fan at the time, but I would say it's definitely worth the price tag.

Nice review DC4E, glad your sharing some of your reviews!

Thabk you for all your comments I have been wanting to start doing video reviews and speed runs as well as fix-it video which i have already started. I also made a special youtube page just waiting for a video capture card so i can do it well

[Cody_D165]

I love this game! Nice review. I did one myself not long ago on my relatively new Youtube channel. I can't wait for the remake that's in development for iOS and Android. I thought it was a game I'd never see remade.

[dreamcast4ever83]

I love this game! Nice review. I did one myself not long ago on my relatively new Youtube channel. I can't wait for the remake that's in development for iOS and Android. I thought it was a game I'd never see remade.

Seriously I was pretty stoked about this remake. I wish tho it was being released on xbL or psn but I do have an 32gig Ipod so hopfully I can get it there.

I tried to show someone else that game which i introduced them to point and click via clock tower and blazeing dragons for the sega saturn (underrated game of the decade) but they found it to be boring which is quite odd to me cause shoadowgate on nes was fantastic and think top 10 rpg game's on the system.

I never got to play part 2