Review: Lots of Shadows, Lots of Damning

Shadows of the Damned, while no shirker of the quirky, is actually more accessible than the previous games. Unspooling much like a demented Resident Evil game, you play as Garcia Hotspur, a demon hunter journeying to Hell to save Paula, his love stolen by demon Fleming.

It’s similar to Dante’s Inferno, if Dante’s protagonist favored profanities and brought along a talking, flaming skull for company.

Front and center on display is the game’s phallic fixation.

First, there’s Johnson, the aforementioned skull, who can transform into a weapon. Principal among these is the Boner, a single-shot pistol that can be upgraded, with the bigger, badder version called things like Hot Boner and Big Boner.

Then, there’s the Teether, a machine gun that fires demon teeth; and the Monocussioner, a shotgun-like weapon.

The Teether can eventually be upgraded into the Dentist, a serious multi-victim homing weapon.

The double entendres are rampant in the game, especially in the repartee between Garcia and Johnson. Nary a level can go by without some comment with a gutter edge to it.

As demonic types and objects in the underworld are found, they are added to the Johnsonpedia and can be consulted when stuck.

For instance, there’s Christopher, a down-home demon who serves as a storefront for purchasing ammo, health and upgrades; vomiting them out when payment of white crystals are made. Another is the flying eye demon who drops a flaming pile of excrement to mark a waypoint in the game.

The game also sports a twisted sense of humor. For instance, during one conversation between Johnson and Garcia, the skull urges caution. Garcia responds with “I’m a Mexican, not a Mexi-can’t.” Also, the way to boost health is by drinking alcoholic beverages.

The easiest mode of play is Lemon Hunter instead of Demon Hunter. Of course, the easiest game mode is far from easy. The game, like all of Suda 51′s offerings, is not a cakewalk and will provoke some repeated urges to toss the controller.

Shadows of the Damned plays with the concept of light and dark. Much of the game is played in the light, with demons able to be killed. Darkness can invade, either brought on by demons or as a normal environment of some areas.

Garcia can only survive for short periods in the darkness, with demons becoming invulnerable in the darkness, except when Garcia fires light shots that can weaken demons and, in some cases, remove the darkness.

The game also pays homage to old-style video games, offering several levels of side-scrolling action. Strangely, Garcia can fly in these levels.

Why? Why not?

These levels play out much like a demonic R-Type, with Garcia inexorably moving to the right and having to deal with demons and obstacles.

Another bizarre ouch is the many gates that must be accessed. These gates are often sealed with the head of a crying baby demon who must be satiated with an object in the level. It might be a strawberry or a brain.

The music in Shadows of the Damned is noteworthy, be it the dirge-like screen loading or the off-the-wall tune that plays while Garcia moves through a dark area with a Sushi Lamp, a slug-like critter that glows.

Shadows of the Damned is demented and enjoyable.

Platform: Playstation 3, Xbox 360

Rating: Mature

Manufacturer: Electronic Arts

Rating: 8.5 willie chilies