Shadow of the Orient – PS5 Review

I can be in the mood for a 2D platformer. Shadow of the Orient is Spacelab Games is a small Canadian developer and this is their first release. It’s been out on mobile platforms for a few years but now a console port has brought to the Playstation 5. The mobile origins are very evident but there is some craft on display.

The story is incredibly brief. Two cutscenes sandwich the whole adventure, meaning the narrative is a premise and a conclusion. A dark shadow has coated the orient, bringing with heaps of monsters and trouble for the people of the land. Xiaolang is our hero and it’s up to us to use his fists for justice.

Shadow of the Orient takes place across three acts with five levels each. Each act concludes with a boss fight which will typically have a predictable pattern. They actually contrast well against the execution-heavy platforming of the main levels. Controls are sharp, if a little limiting in combat. You’ve got a capable wall jump and a double-jump which will help you bridge most gaps.

The trickery comes from enemy placement and, despite looking resilient, Xiaolang’s health pool can be diminished quickly. There are power-ups and range weapons to discover but damage is primarily dealt with your fists and feet. This means dealing with a limited range and having to pick your moments to strike. Kicks offer something approaching distance but it usually requires a jump to really propel yourself forward.

The majority of enemies stay grounded, allowing for your basic strikes to do the talking. Even then, taking them on face-to-face can lead you trading damage. The game favours a minor degree of stealth. Approaching enemies from behind allows for free damage without any immediate retaliation. It’s an interesting idea but it does mean you can’t speed through levels if you want to keep a clean bill of health. Enemies take basic patrols which does mean waiting for windows of opportunity

Whilst most of the enemies won’t cause major problems, the various stage hazards do. It’s not masochistic. For starters, I think your movement is very precise and the dangers can provide just enough forgiveness. I’ve relied upon my memory and execution to get through. Taking damage does allow for a window of invulnerability that can help you forgo a section. Most of these traps are telegraphed, although there’s a couple of moments where a leap of faith is necessary. I don’t think anyone enjoys dropping into danger. It can be worse when a hit is accompanied by knock-back.

The levels are easy enough to read and follow. Whilst it is a short game, there are bonus objectives to complete. Children can be rescued and chests can be looted. This encourages exploration as you hunt for levers to unlock gates or find keys to open chests. There’s not a lot of waste to the level design and I do find they can be fun to traverse. There’s gems to collect which can be traded in at shops for items, although I’ve found these shops hard to discover.

One thing that bothers me is how random the loot can be. When killing an enemy, there’s no reliable drops. You could gain health, gems or even a power-up but you’re at the mercy of a number generator. I found that bothersome when I was desperate for health to even the odds. Checkpoints are at least common. Each stage has a couple that allow you to be a little more cavalier with taking damage. As the game progresses, they become further apart and I do find the final act to be something of a gauntlet.

It’s where the game turned for me. Whilst the platforming can have a fairness to it, the random drops and short-ranged combat adds frustration. I really had to focus to get to a new checkpoint and, whilst some people will relish the chance, I don’t feel I’m getting better at it. If anything, luck has a heavy hand in it.

I do like how Shadow of the Orient looks. The pixel art has a great detail to it and our hero is nicely animated. You don’t get the best feedback on hits but each area has its own motif and character. The music is solid and the little battle cries have a good energy to them. It’s a game that’s very light on options. Picking the adventure modes offers you two difficulties with easy as the default option.

Outside of that, the speedrun category surprises me. Rather than sprinting through existing levels, these are bespoke challenges with a key restriction. One hit will kill you and you have specific objects to smash whilst traversing the level. It does provide you with something else outside of the main story. Sadly, there’s only five stages available so it’s a short-lived experience.

Unfortunately, the frustration boils over in Shadow of the Orient. As reliable as the controls are, the platforming can become tricky in the final stages. Both combat and movement can rely on a level of execution which I just don’t have. It’s a slim game and, despite the solid presentation, I don’t find it charming enough to stick with it. Repetition ultimately takes the fun out of it, for me.