Wait... E3 impressions?
You read that correctly. If you remember, back at E3 Hudson invited me to take a look at some of their upcoming titles behind the scenes. The thing was, for the most part, these new titles were very unlike what you'd expect from them, especially considering the games they've become known for in recent years. One of the other titles shown privately at E3 was recently announced, Calling *note, and is a prime example of this new direction Hudson is looking to explore.
While Calling may be one of the first suspense games to ever pique my interest—a feat in and of itself, it was Lost in Shadow that stole my heart and keeps me yearning to this day; 2010 can't come soon enough. That they've been pushing back the embargo little by little that I can gush about it hasn't helped, but the day has come when I can actually talk about what I was quick to choose as my Game of E3 2009.
Check out the Gamescom '09 trailer for "Tower of Shadow"
Game of the show?? Maybe it doesn't qualify, but aside from the more obvious public choices from the show floor such as Muramasa, it's the game that most surprised and amazed me, along with having left that nagging feeling of anticipation that only another trailer, screenshot, or hands-on will cure. But enough of my rhetoric and hype...
Previously known as Tower of Shadow and changed just days ago to Lost in Shadow (likely due to a conflict with a very unrelated PSone game from the late '90s)—a welcome alteration, considering some of my only feedback from the initial showing was that the working name was pretty generic and uninspired for such a creative title, though it's still not quite as creative or avant garde as, say Chiaroscuro, which I timidly suggested—this is one of those high-concept, stylish games that is as brilliant as it is difficult to describe.
To look at still images or even the trailer, the game may appear to be a typical platformer, but the twist is that unlike simply manoeuvring a main character through a level, you are both directly and indirectly in control of a main figure plus the environment, which becomes a character of its own, making it more of an action-puzzle platformer. What? Exactly. In this game, you control the shadow of a boy as he climbs a mysterious tower, and as a being of the darkness, he can only interact with the shadows of things from the real world and foreground; such as jumping from the shadow of one ledge to another. That's the simple part. But by making the light sources a living part of the game that you can manipulate with the help of a winged sylph/navi/cursor you instantly add another dimension of game play and some very non-traditional characters to the mix. As we all know, light can sometimes cast some tricky illusions.
Click to enlarge images
In one scene from my private demo that hasn't been shown in any trailer or screen shot that I've seen released, was a small city-type plaza with a number of street lampposts scattered around that each cast shadows in a different direction, similar to people sitting around a camp fire and each person's darkness points outward at a unique angle. By manipulating the light source(s), the playable landscape changed dramatically in real time. I'm all about games that take a new look at everyday concepts, so the possibilities immediately tickled me in places only shadows could find.
Visually, the game looks both surreal and whimsical, yet rustic in a medieval sort of way. My very first thought was to compare it to Ico (PS2) and its sequel because of its heavy use of ancient, abandoned stone masonry and grand architecture that evokes a certain emotional response that tries to connect with whatever civilisation left it behind...plus a touch more steampunk. Even the name subtly alludes to Colossus. At least Lost adds in some ethereal punch in the colour department with its appealing gradient hues; something lacking in its spiritual siblings on the PS2.
But while there's something in the air that seems to connect Team Ico's games to Lost in Shadow by sight and tone, they're vastly different games, and in fact Lost in Shadow seems to have just as much in common with something like the Oddworld series or Zack & Wiki when it comes to actual gameplay: puzzles, platforming and non-traditional character usage. However, because Ico is on a very short list of games that to me are all-time masterpieces—pinnacles of the medium—to draw any comparisons really tugs on my heartstrings, which fills me both with hope and scepticism; enough so that it was my only other feedback to Hudson: pleeeeease take your time to polish this into the gem I know it can be.
* Speaking of Calling, I did get an answer regarding what is probably the most controversial debate surrounding the game: rails or free-roaming? Those details are still embargoed, but I can say that some people will be happy. Stay tuned.
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