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Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered Review

Casey ScheldOctober 25, 2024

Overall - 70%

70%

Official Score

Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered is not for everyone. While its over-the-shoulder action and moody vibes previously established the original as a cult classic, its overly edgy style, poor optimization, and derivative gameplay make this version feel more like a dark shadow compared to the industry greats.

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Originally released a good two console generations ago, Grasshopper Manufacture and NetEase’s Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered is gearing up to take players on a first-class ticket to hell this Halloween.

Featuring big names and an even bigger boner (we’ll explain), should players jet off on this otherworldly road trip?

Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered Review

A tale as old as time, Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered tasks players with saving their kidnapped main squeeze from evil.

Don’t mistake Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered for a feel-good lovey-dovey tale; the protagonist Garcia “Fucking” Hotspur is far too crass for that. As he hits the Underworld with his trusty skelly bro Johnson, they both have a bone to pick with Fleming.

The original Shadows of the Damned established itself as a cult classic with its grungy style, haunting tunes, and third-person over-the-shoulder action that mirrors that of fellow horror haunt Resident Evil 4 (another Shinji Mikami title). Think headshots, upgrades (via gems), and melee attacks galore – it all flows well, even if it feels like you’ve seen it before.

It’s just a shame the game doesn’t respect the player – objectives are zoomed in at any opportunity, the dreaded yellow paint is here as a yellow glow that is used gratuitously, and there are even giant red weakspots on bosses.

For those that grew up with Grind house flicks, Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered makes an attempt to channel this same energy – even if it can get a little too childish for its own good.

While we admittedly enjoyed the PS360 title more than a decade ago, the humor ended up feeling more of what an edgy teenage would enjoy when revisiting this adventure in 2024. We hate to say it, but its vulgar language, “Boner” weaponry (including the “Big Boner” after a saucy phone call), pissing and crapping demons, and pube doors felt more cringe than cool – and we’re far from prudes.

Gameplay-wise, players will quickly become acquainted with the powers of light and darkness throughout its five chapters and approximately seven hour tale. One can use the almighty Light Shot to stun foes and do a brutal finisher, but the all-consuming darkness takes away health and serves as armor for foes.

Breaking things up are side-scrolling segments; while we could take them or leave them, we do appreciate their inclusion nonetheless.

Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered changes things up from the original release with a number of subtle tweaks. A handful of new costumes appear, along with New Game+ and support for 4K resolutions.

Do be warned that this release is a bit buggy Using a humble yet mighty 3060ti, we encountered slowdowns, unresponsive buttons, enemies stuck in the scenery, and even crashes throughout our playthrough. However, this review was done pre-release, and your mileage may vary.

Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered Review

Reviewed On: PC (A digital code was provided by NetEase and Grasshopper Manufacture)
Release Date: October 31, 2024
MSRP: $24.99
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Developer: Grasshopper Manufacture
Publisher: Grasshopper Manufacture
Alternative Reviews: Gamereactor UK, PCGamesN, Game Rant
Aggregate Scores: Metacritic, OpenCritic

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