Early Xmas gift… a free game!

Here’s something to bring joy to the world, or at least our very small corner of it in the UCHG. The new remaster of Shadow Complex is currently free to download – which you should do immediately.

Sometimes the list of 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die brings interesting coincidences and occurrences. This is one of those times.

1001 No.101: Shadow Complex (2009)

Shadow Complex has been on my list for a while – it sounded ideal, a modern 2.5D shooter which harks back to Metroid days. I would’ve played it earlier, but for one problem – accessing it was a little troublesome, being an online XBOX360 marketplace-only download from 2009. I’ve been putting off any of these type from the 1001, being reluctant to give Microsoft A) any more money, and B) any more personal information than they’ve already acquired already.

So what could be more pleasing to see than the announcement that not only has the game been remastered, but that it is now available on PC, not just XBOX, and that it is free to download until 2016? Grab it here >

It’s a simple game at heart, but is particularly glorious in its simplicity. Controls are fluid, action is constant, and it’s a joy to explore the sprawling, uh, ‘complex’ that contains the majority of the gameplay.

The narrative is silly, at best. You are ‘some guy’, who chases ‘some girl’ into a cave – but not in a Bill Cosby way or anything. What you accidentally stumble upon is perhaps the most ludicrous, implausible and essentially ill-thought out terrorist plot to take over America – which you must of course put a stop to. There is a twist at the end which particularly laughable, in that I actually laughed in its face.

But don’t let that put you off. Shadow Complex is a brilliantly executed platformer, with more than a touch of Super Metroid’s influence. The level of difficulty ramps up as you progress, making it a challenge but never a chore; and as you unlock more abilities, more of the titular complex becomes accessible to you – with each ability bringing more fun than the last.

I put a rocket in a guy’s face, then dropped kicked another off a cliff. What more do you need? It’s free. It’s fun. Go get it.