Shadows: Awakening Released

Shadows: Awakening, Kalypso Media and Game Farm's follow-up to 2014's Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms, has been released and you can now purchase it on Steam or GOG for $39.99 or your regional equivalent. If you're interested in an isometric single-player action-RPG with tactical real-time combat, check out the release trailer to see how it all looks in action:

Here are a few paragraphs about the game:

The wait is finally over – it’s time to begin your journey in the dark world of the Heretic Kingdoms as Kalypso Media announce the release of the new action RPG Shadows: Awakening. Available globally on PC via Steam and across the UK and export territories on PlayStation®4 and Xbox One, both boxed retail and digitally, Shadows: Awakening takes you on an epic adventure as you journey between two realms as the Devourer, an ancient demon summoned from the Shadow Realm, and his puppets – the consumed souls of deceased heroes from the mortal world. Together, you will unlock the secrets of the Heretic Kingdoms in a gripping storyline set in a world full of myths, destinies and legendary creatures.

In Shadows: Awakening, you’ll need to choose your party of heroes carefully to defeat your enemies, tactically switching between realms to unlock secrets, solve quests and combine spectacular abilities in combat. Take a look at the brand-new action-packed gameplay trailer to see what awaits you on your quest.

Shadows: Awakening is the new adventure in the Heretic Kingdoms saga. After the members of the secret council known as the Penta Nera are assassinated, their souls are consumed by the Devourers – evil demons which possess the ability to absorb the memories and personalities of the souls they acquire and materialize them as their puppets. Re-emerging into the mortal realm once again, the demonic Penta Nera continue their quest for power and immortality, but at what cost?

Shadows: Awakening is a unique, isometric single-player RPG with real-time tactical combat. You take control of a demon summoned from the Shadow Realm – the Devourer – to consume the souls of long-dead heroes and embark on an epic adventure with challenging gameplay, a gripping storyline and enchanting graphics. Do you have the focus and wits to master the world of the Heretic Kingdoms? Gather your party, control powerful heroes and use their skills to your advantage. But who is in charge… the demon, or the souls that it has devoured? It's up to you to either thwart a major threat and save the world, or to plunge it into complete disaster…

Features
  • A Tale of Two Worlds – In a parallel universe inhabited by demons and monsters; seamlessly switch between the Shadow Realm and and the mortal plane and witness a gripping storyline in a world full of myths, destinies and legendary creatures.
  • Unique Party System – multiple characters in one demon, each retaining their own personalities with internal dialogues, rivalries and communication between the characters.
  • Wide variety of Skills and Characters – Choose from 3 heroes, each with their own personal storylines, quests and dialogues. Consume the souls of 14 playable characters, each with their own unique skillsets, like Kalig the Bandit King and Evia, Daughter of Fire.
  • Tactical Real-Time Combat – Combine the skills of your various characters to maximize the effects of your devastating skills and spells.
  • Extensive Gameplay – 20+ hours for a single playthrough, but with substantial options for replayability which accumulate to 60+ hours for the full experience.
  • Challenging Puzzles – Complex puzzles are scattered throughout the game, and will take you through a vibrant set of locations, from rustic towns to the deepest and darkest of dungeons.
  • Enchanting and Looting System – Expanded crafting and looting system will let you use rewards to configure the ultimate adventurer.
  • Fully Voiced – All dialogues are fully narrated, including actors like Tom Baker

And if you're interested in some fresh impressions, you should check out this recent RPGWatch preview:

Shadows Awakening takes place in two realms. The earthly realm (or real world) and the shadows realm. You can switch constantly at any time from one to the other, the character you have in the real world and your shadow demon in the shadows realm. Combat in Shadows Awakening is real-time. Enemies that are in the real world exist also in the shadows realm. However you cannot harm them in the shadows realm, but you can cast spells on them. These spells will not harm them, but the effect will persist in the real world. So if you would cast a spell that stuns an enemy in the shadows realm and switch back that enemy would be stunned in the real world as well and you can easily attack it there. It works also the other way around. If you are caught in a web in the real world, you can switch to the shadows realm and move to a different location there, after which you can switch back to the real world and find yourself moved to that same location in the real world. Similarly, when a path is blocked in the real world, you might find a passage in the shadows realm.