Shadow of the Orient (2024)

Ready to do battle with evil and save the day? Shadow of the Orient is a 2d pixel art action adventure platformer game with fully customizable touch controls, fluid movement and smooth animations. Explore vast levels filled with secrets, quests and loot. Fight your way through hordes of samurai enemies and mythological creatures using your Dao sword or fight off enemies at a distance with ranged weapons.

Platform Adventure Arcade ActionXbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Android, PC (Microsoft Windows), iOS, PlayStation 5

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Character

Plot-driven, grave, earnest and unpretentious.

character-ledplot-driven
gravecomic
earnestironic
unpretentiousprestige
classical in formformally daring

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From the critics

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Loot Level ChillSean SmithMar 20258/10
Shadow of the Orient is one that I would have happily paid for back in the day and would urge retro enthusiasts to pick up.
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ImpulsegamerNay ClarkMar 20253.6/5
Shadow of the Orient is a perfect blend of nostalgia and modern action-platforming. The difficulty might scare off casual players, but for those who love a challenge, it's an incredibly rewarding experience. Whether you're in it for the gorgeous pixel art, the tight combat, or the speedrun challenges, there's something here to keep you hooked. It's not just a game, it's a journey into a beautifully crafted world where every battle won feels earned.
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GameffineUphar DuttaApr 202577/100
Shadow of the Orient simply smashes it out of the park for being a challenging platformer, especially for the price. While having a good narrative or a well-planned progression system might not be what the game focused on, it still delivers an excellent platformer while having well-built fighting mechanics. The grind is there and is easily fixable by a patch, but until then, you’ll have to spend some time before the game can get really good.
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Analog Stick GamingJeff M YoungMar 20254.5/10
Shadows of the Orient should be right up my alley. Pixel platformers are often joyous and engaging, but here, the game felt like it was fighting me at every step. Had the dash been available from the start with a better way to climb up when you are right at a ledge, then Shadows of the Orient would be downright impressive, instead of another platformer I’ll forget about by next week.
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Hey Poor PlayerJosh SpeerApr 20252.5/5
While I honestly enjoyed some of my time Shadow of the Orient, I feel like it was the wrong genre. There’s so much effort put into making expansive levels that I feel this would have worked better as a small Metroidvania than a lackluster platformer. It’s clear Spacelab Games put a lot of time into the experience, and I strongly suspect they might have some future great game in them. As for this one, fans of retro might enjoy it, but probably not many others.
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Snippets via OpenCritic, where 14% of critics recommend it.

About the game

Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Android, PC (Microsoft Windows), iOS, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Spacelab Stud
Publisher: Dolores Entertainment, Spacelab Stud
Released: October 5, 2024
Modes: Single player
Perspective: Side view
Engine: Unity

IGDB rating 7.2/10 from 1 ratings.

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