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This is releasing on April 15th.
Shadow Man: Remastered is out today, so enjoy this weird launch trailer
I don’t know what’s going on in this video, but I’m definitely curious.
Shadow Man was originally released in 1999 for the Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Dreamcast, and PC. I didn't play it back then, and the excited reaction to last year's PC Gaming Show announcement that Nightdive is bringing it back caught me a little by surprise. But after watching today's Shadow Man: Remastered launch trailer, I am intrigued.
Shadow Man—the man, not the game—is Michael LeRoi, the latest in a long line of possessed voodoo warriors who protect the world of the living from threats crossing over from the land of the dead. That means exploring crime scenes in Louisiana swamplands, a New York tenement building, a prison in Texas, and other locations in the worlds of the living and the dead, using both guns and supernatural powers to send evil back to the darkness from whence it came.
Of course, it won’t be quite that simple—especially after a voodoo priestess shares a prophetic dream of the apocalypse, driven by the five Dark Souls (no, not that one) and a man named Legion.
The remastered edition includes technological updates such as support for 4K resolution, improved lighting, anti-aliasing and ambient occlusion options, and improved AI. It will also feature content cut from the original release, along with bonus material including free digital comic books, the soundtrack, a map, and a 162-page digital strategy guide.
But my favorite thing about it is that it's so damn weird. "As a god, I step forth upon the writhing, suppurating surface of the Deadside Serpent," our narrator, the titular Shadow Man, intones. "What sleep is here, what dreams there are in the unctuous coilings of the snake's mortal shuffling. Weapon in my hand—my hand, the arcing deathblow at the end of all things. The horror. The horror. I embrace it."
OK, what?
"Shadow Man is the perfect franchise for the remaster team at Nightdive Studios," Nightdive CEO Stephen Kick said. "It has a dark, unique setting and is a cult-classic with a significant fan base. We’re extremely pleased with how the remaster turned out and can’t wait for players to jump back into the world of Michael LeRoi, joining his fight to keep Deadside at bay—this time in glorious 4K."
Shadow Man: Remastered is available now on Steam, GOG and the Epic Games Store at a launch-week discount of 25 percent off its regular $20 price.
and it still looks like a 20 years old game. what's the point?
New Audio (from the original games composer, Tim Haywood):
- Remastered music and SFX
- New music and SFX for the restored levels
- Restored cut/unused voice dialog in levels
Nightdive Studios CEO on Shadow Man & Remastering N64 games
We spoke with the CEO of Nightdive Studios to learn more about the studio's upcoming projects.
Nightdive Studios has become known for its revitalization of defunct game properties. One of its upcoming projects is Shadow Man, a remaster of the 1999 Nintendo 64 game. We spoke with the CEO of Nightdive Studios about Shadow Man, as well as the studio’s work breathing new life into older franchises.
Shacknews’ Head of Video Greg Burke caught up with Stephen Kick, the CEO of Nightdive Studios in order to learn more about the company’s work. The video can be viewed using the embed below. During the interview, the two talk about Nightdive’s latest game, Shadow Man, as well as their work as a whole reviving older gaming properties.
The first couple of Shadow Man games released in the late 90s and early 2000s to moderate success. However, the studio behind them went into bankruptcy, and the rights to the series were scattered about. The Shadow Man franchise sat dormant for roughly a decade until the team at Nightdive began reaching out in 2013 to gauge interest in a series revival.
The Shadow Man remaster is being developed using unused source code from the game’s original release. This will allow the developers to get the game to run properly on modern operating systems. There’s also new lighting and programming techniques being used in combination with the classic Shadow Man assets.
“For this particular remaster, we aren’t changing anything dramatically, so nothing is being remade from scratch.,” Kick said. Shadow Man’s upgraded textures and resolution will allow the game to run in 4K quality. Nightdive Studios has also included content that was scrapped from the game’s original release.
The full interview with Nightdive Studios CEO Stephen Kick can be found on the GamerHubtTV YouTube channel. Be sure to subscribe there and to Shacknews for more exclusive developer interviews.
It's difficult to answer. I consider it a classic, but I have also nostalgia because it was one of the first 3D games I have played. For today standards the the game looks ancient, even in its remastered version, and the gameplay is simplistic. It is also a huge time sink. But, if you like metroidvaina-like exploration and creepy Bosch-esque hellish settings, it's worth a try. The soundtrack is very good (take a look: https://open.spotify.com/album/6BPnCXLL4JWX3evC6eCZxp)Has anyone bought this? I've speculatively wishlisted it, but not sure if I can really be arsed.