QJ.NET reviews Shadowgrounds: Survivor

Frozenbyte‘s Shadowgrounds tickled the gaming underground’s fancies when it released almost two years ago, and now that Shadowgrounds: Survivor‘s retail pack is now up and about, there’s much hope for another coochy-coo or two. Publisher Meridian4 happily provided the game over Steam in advance, and once again we fished for extra gamepads for another co-op romp in alien-infested Ganymede. What we unearthed comes at you at the full article!

Frozenbyte‘s Shadowgrounds tickled the gaming underground’s fancies when it was released almost two years ago, and now that Shadowgrounds: Survivor‘s retail pack is up and about, there’s much hope for another coochy-coo or two. After previewing an early build of the Finnish developer’s anticipated sequel, we had a feeling that they were concocting another juicy delight for fans around the world.

So when the game finally hit Steam, this blogger knew he just had to have a taste of it. The idea of foregoing three square meals for one day was about to come a-knocking, but thanks to Canadian publisher Meridian4, that didn’t happen. Well not back then, but now it did.

Anyway, the golden opportunity to review the final build of Shadowgrounds: Survivor arrived like a comet crashing down from the cosmos, and during the apocalyptic fallout, I secretly thanked Santa, the Yuletide stocking stuffer, for thoroughly reading my Christmas wishlist through the obviously challenged penmanship.

Forever young, I want to be forever young

Why the sudden love for a top-down action shooter, you ask? Well it’s simple, really. Shadowgrounds: Survivor is fun.

And though serving suit-powered tactical nukes to energy-sucking ETs and chasing down coup-de-tat masterminds with a WWII reincarnate were also a blast on their own, we’d bet if dinosaurs still walked the earth today and played Shadowgrounds: Survivor, they’d bag just as much amusement they did hundreds of millions of years ago.

So yes, Shadowgrounds was one of very few games that re-acquainted this writer with the essence of fun and gaming and caused many a memory of childhood gaming to come to mind. Of course, through the sniffles and tear-welling flashbacks Shadowgrounds: Survivor was installing in the background, being set up for a comprehensive review like no other.

We came prepared to approach every angle, snoop every nook and cranny, empty every clip, and probably get our behinds kicked for foolishly choosing the hardest mode first. And so we did.

In a wink of an eye, the game had us. Hook. Line. Sinker.

I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore, Toto

This time around, we weren’t going to hoof it through one of Jupiter’s moons with gun-slinging greasemonkey Wesley Tyler, because Shadowgrounds: Survivor is also a spin-off to the original as it is a sequel. It wasn’t a surprise that Frozenbyte tinkered with timelines a bit for Survivor and managed to use the same plot approached from a different perspective.

You may find yourself on the same space rock at about the the same time a second wave was about to hit, but if you didn’t play the original first, you wouldn’t be penalized for not knowing why the aliens were invading in the first place. Not that anyone knows if they’re telling the truth, anyway.

Whatever reason they have for their incursion, they are still a menace to the colonies of Ganymede. Many of the thousands inhabiting the terraformed moon are either dead or dying. There’s only one mission left for those who persisted against the first devastating wave and that’s to continue surviving.

Survivor: Ganymede

Lucky for human kind, some gems in the moon’s rough managed to resist the initial attack, and players will get to watch a different story unfold through the eyes of an IGTO marine squaddie, an IGTO special operations commando, and a professional pest exterminator.

Not only do all three have their own perks, weapons, and duties, they also have their own peculiar personality to boot. All three will work together, plowing through alien-infested territories in the dreaded moon, despite their different backgrounds and attitudes.

While that may sound like a new show for the Survivor television series, Shadowgrounds: Survivor is anything but tribal votes and backstabbing. Players will guide their new-found protagonists to create a last ditch effort against a second and possibly final alien push. But first, how about an introduction?

Dutiful as he is tact, Luke Giffords is the IGTO marine who’d satisfy a fan’s nostalgic love for ol’ Ty. His abilities and military-staple arsenal make him the go-to guy for multipurpose, extreme combat action.

And that includes everything from dropping in, achieving the objective, and hopping out the hard way to doing everything previously said nerve-wrackingly faster.

Isabel is the stealthy, lithe sharpshooter with the perfect weapon for the perfect killing. Too bad Ms. Larose wasn’t counting on using her spec ops training on an army of flesh-eating extraterrestrials.

She’s an easy favorite for some, and it’s not just because of her curious mannerisms and voice, Goth look, or feminine bravado. Her unique array of weapons and abilities fork out from the usual run n’ gun you’d be used to in other top-down shooters, and you’d better think before you shoot if she’s to survive. 

Now all our mental activity bit the dust when Bruno Lastmann gulped down what could only be the contents of flamethrower fuel canister, but this napalm flame expert could be considered anything but a bull with a screw loose in the attic.

His Eastern European accent may be strange, but Lastmann brings the heaviest weapons to bear against each claw, tooth, and gruesome spit. He may not have unlimited ammo for his sidearm, but then who gets to wield a 12-gauge as his weakest backup weapon?

I see what you did there

Each of these candidates will explore regions of Ganymede that fans may have seen before, but they’ll all come in a whole new visual light. Our previous experience with Shadowgrounds: Survivor‘s heavily upgraded engine left us slipping over pools of drool, and we’re happy we washed that mop for a second cleanup.

   
The new face of Shadowgrounds is more than next-gen; it’s dead sexy.

Shadowgrounds: Survivor‘s final polish is exceptional enough to tag it as a title worthy of next-generation gaming note, even while it rests on old-school amusement to win over gamers’ hearts. In fact, it’s really safe to say that it’s sports the best graphics so far in its genre. And seeing that it doesn’t have much in the way of competition, it’s probably also safe to say it will stay the best in its genre for years to come.

Frozenbyte achieved all this without tossing high dynamic ranging or bloom effects at the player, relying on more tried-and-tested technical methods to impress. And impress they did, for the particle and environmental effects, realistic toying of lights, shadows, and illuminated hues, and addition of destructible objects turned our occasional “Wow” and “Whoa” into choir song.

We especially like how Frozenbyte actually put definition to high-definition: powerful explosions would not only rattle the landscape but uproot trees and create concussive shockwaves that shatter flimsy crate and alien brain alike. There’s much use of the integrated physics from AGEIA that opens avenues to enjoy, especially when you can have tons of crates transform a merciless ambush into a gallery shoot-out in your favor.

Rad music makes all the difference

As the action intensified, so did the mood of the game. Ari Pulkkinen’s rhythmic beats escalated the action at key areas in most levels, and thankfully so. At the difficulty we played Shadowgrounds: Survivor at, firefights were extremely hectic – sometimes almost to a breaking point, because unfortunately for us, the respawn count was down to nil.

We would have bit each other’s ears off from being on-edge longer than our doctors would allow, but Survivor‘s musical score managed to get our adrenaline pumping and properly tempered our anxiety. In the end, we turned into a more efficient alien extermination squad -a foot-tapping, head-bobbing alien extermination squad at that, too.

Each track brought its A-game to Survivor, though novel listeners of the music sub-genre may beg to differ. Our uncertainty is justified, however: the only other major demoscene music exposure we’ve soaked up from a game was through James Bunting’s METEOR and METEOR 2 – a noteworthy, freeware series in the top-down shooter market that sported works of Simon of Trideja and other iconic demo trackers.

But Shadowgrounds: Survivor‘s music is not a move away or a step down from it’s predecessor’s selection. In fact, fans who penny-pinched their lunch money to get the Shadowgrounds‘ official soundtrack CD will find some new pieces to adore – albeit somewhat tempo’ed down for a grimmer feel and with dabs of desperation and lurking evil.

Pulkkinen didn’t completely focus on serving up techno songs either. The Finnish demoscene tracker also plated a couple musical pieces using environment ambience and accents of melodious notes.

We’ve even learned he was placed in charge for the game’s full audio score, and that’s both sounds and music. Now that’s quite a surprise for many, since Survivor‘s much improved voice acting shows Pulkkinen’s abilities to improve over the original’s faults. For us, this has been a positive step for Frozenbyte’s decision making, and thus, a welcome improvement for the Shadowgrounds series.

We’re not sure if we’ve heard the game’s entire score or if we’ve heard even partial derivatives of his previous works in Shadowgrounds such as Request – a personal favorite. But even if rehashes weren’t there, the arrangement is definitely a sound addition to the series’ musical repertoire.

Can you handle all this cooperation that I have?

Now we’ve been particular about playing Shadowgrounds: Survivor with four players, only because the sheer fun of chaos was best experienced with three more sidekicks tagging along. And we should know: we’ve touched that level of cooperation in the previous game.

Even if we do agree that even trodding the moon solo is a satisfying experience in itself, you’ve got to admit that tactics and gameplay habits change when you’ve got a pal to watch your exposed behind. And thus came our decision to complete the spin-off sequel at its hardest difficulty with every player slot manned, and boy, did we have lessons to learn.

Like its predecessor, Survivor requires a command of tact when facing the initial attack of an enemy wave, with or without a buddy tailing you. You’ve got to manage and share ammo and medikits, use your available arsenal effectively without causing harm to any other member, and call out last ditch attempts to overturn a grim encounter.

    
Survivor mode co-op doesn’t have to be a clone affair

But trying to think gets a whole lot more complex when the action reaches its peak, and there’s way too many distractions moving on-screen to track effectively. Be forewarned: your first dozen trials with three mates may end up as either a group tantrum or a shuffle of fisticuffs, especially if it’s everyone’s first time to waddle around the four-player co-op pool.

Its unrelenting learning curve may have been a solid strike against the game, but it really isn’t new to the series. The original was just as frustrating with the limited respawns, only without the physics and destructible objects.

We acknowledge the fact that only veteran players would be able to adjust to Survivor‘s use of identical clones for every additional player, but at least crosshairs are differentiated visually by colors. That clears up at least one part of combat confusion: where your gun is currently trained at. Knowing where you are on-screen is but a trigger press away.

The old adage “Practice makes perfect” fits comfortably for those still new to the multiplayer aspect of Shadowgrounds, and you will also do well to reinforce your patience with the notion that death is natural in Ganymede. After all, if there were 8,000 other deaths prior to you and your buddies, what could be wrong with one more, right?

Right. In their extraterrestrial wet dreams.

We solve practical problems

Frozenbyte also seemed to have experimented a bit with what they could latch onto the Shadowgrounds bandwagon, and some of it came in the form of puzzle elements, exploration, and environment interaction. Fans of the original would welcome this change; at least now there wasn’t too much of the keycard questing.

So instead of having to overturn every pebble searching for that often sought after keycard, the developers decided to toy with exploration in other different ways. What was definitely new to the mix was the use of destructive objects to conceal ammo and medikit caches. Whoever said violence never solved anything needs to play Shadowgrounds: Survivor.

Not one hidden ammo bag failed to aid our four-man squad in heaps, though for us each was a coin-flipping affair. It was hard to call dibs on one item when there wasn’t enough for everyone. Thank goodness for pistols and unlimited ammo.

Frozenbyte then upped the ante a little more by providing some puzzle elements. They weren’t deep conundrums that burned player’s neurons. In fact, solutions came natural for many of the quizzical parts, though some (we won’t spoil anything here) may be a tad tricky for a four-player tag-team. It’s still solvable, but yes, you’re going to have to consult your brains for this one.

S marks the sweet spot

The third use of exploration and puzzle element is the incorporation of secrets, which come in the form of tokens picked up within campaign levels. With each secret found, players soon get access to memorable weapons from the first game, as well as new abilities and upgrades.

Some secrets are going to cost some of your wit to collect, because they won’t always be accessible once you spot one. It will take a little bit of snooping around to find a plausible workaround – a minor detail you’ve probably overlooked – before you could get the that little culprit into your pocket.

And then there are some that may require a little more work first before flexing your neurons. We do admit that there was one that we only stumbled on by mistake, and it occurred to us then that we had to survive an encounter before we could even pluck the secret from its dark corner. Gee whiz, huh?

Do I need a license for this?

Our early hands on with Shadowgrounds: Survivor gave us a chance to test drive the mechanized assault platform. If you remember correctly, handling the mech was a breeze for us, since the twin mini-gun monstrosity could trudge through every swarm of Aliens with relative ease.

   
The mech can go toe to toe with the toughest baddies…and win

We suppose someone from Frozenbyte was listening, because now the level is a lot different from what we’ve played through. Now there are many challenges to overcome, and some may need a gameplan from the get-go before coursing through.

A few aren’t as threatening as they are fun, however, and while the level was no longer a smooth ride, it was a blast to play. All we need now is a drivable armored APC, and the cavalry’s all here.

What we did miss in the preview was the sentry gun, but that was only due to the fact that it wasn’t there to start with. The full build treated us to how the sentry gun was used, and we were right about its effectiveness in keeping the enemy at bay.

  
The sentry gun lacks punch or mobility, but its turning rate and coverage is unrivaled

Unfortunately, it’s not as powerful, mobile, or as abundant in ammunition as the mech, and more ferocious enemies will find it easy to tear the poor stationary hardpoint apart. Perhaps that’s why there was an option to bail out anytime you wished to. It returned you to full mobility, but more importantly it gave you the chance to place your weapons to bear against craftier, swifter foes.

A race that fights together, slays together

The new Survivor mode might be something you’ve enjoyed before when you happened upon 10ton Entertainment’s Crimsonlands, but Shadowgrounds: Survivor lays the action down with flexible finesse. While it doesn’t have the pre-game preferences page we were hoping for, we managed to counter the sheer difficulty we faced with the new furnished Survivor levels provided with the game.

And we say “sheer” because the game’s new flagship mode jumps into teeth-clenching, adrenaline-guzzling blastfests before 60 seconds of real-world time could even pass, and you’ll already be fighting for your life before you can hit the one minute mark.

    
Before the tough can get going, the going gets real tough

You’ll be lucky to even reach the three-minute timeframe, but with some ingenious tactics, a couple of buddies, and competitive skills, you can extend past that 180-second barrier if only for a couple more seconds.

We’ve heard word that Frozenbyte was not abandoning the game just yet, stating that they were open to applying balancing suggestions from the playerbase. There are some Survivor maps that the developers have played through and through and even stored their scores for fans to beat (see right), and they feel confident that those maps were fair enough to the player.

But they are ready to tweak levels where players find most frustrating, and from the quick fixes they’ve already delivered over Steam, you can rest assured that their support is more than just words.

A must buy for the avid gamer guy

Shadowgrounds: Survivor is by far no disappointment at all – it’s a treasure-trove of absolutely exhilarating entertainment, especially to avid gamers of old. Hardcore gamers who’ve played their first-person shooters at difficulties no less than the hardest settings will also unearth a different challenge in Survivor – perhaps even to the delight of their addiction to extreme action.

    
Great graphics, unrelenting action, and a little suspense – what else can you ask for?

And yet while it arguably isn’t a direct sequel of the original Shadowgrounds, Survivor manages to be both a technical successor and several folds in the right direction for the series. Frozenbyte’s dedication to deliver a better experience in more ways than one shows a lot of promise for the next Shadowgrounds titles to come.

And the fanbase is probably looking forward to the next, because many hope the third iteration would feature full-fledged Internet and LAN-based play and break the series free from single machine multiplayer.

Perhaps Frozenbyte doesn’t even need to drop the single computer, single screen co-op when a proper network multiplayer gets implemented. It could follow the flow of some games, such as Recreational War, to create a viable uber-multiplayer action platform on the PC. Imagine computer hotseat play over LAN and Internet for 32 players over eight computers. Yahtzee!

For just US$ 20.00 over online distribution services and over retail, Shadowgrounds: Survivor, put simply, is not a game to pass up. While the campaign is relatively short and the game’s Survivor maps may not be as plentiful as you would have anticipated, the added mod creation system and an easy-to-use editor can extend Shadowgrounds: Survivor‘s playability until the next sequel.

And with a slowly growing community, there’s a hope that experienced modders and new modders alike will be able to expand the game’s current gameplay experience very soon. In that light, Shadowgrounds: Survivor comes highly recommended – from an avid gamer to other fun-hungry avid gamers out there.