Shadowed: The Demon Castle of Ooe

Blending elements both old and new Shadowed the Demon Castle of Ooe is a unique medieval Japanese take on the tradition of games like Angband and Nethack The basics of Shadowed are simple but the resource management build decisions and brutal status effects are not With unique enemies and costly abilities Shadowed aims to provide a tactical experience rather than one based purely on game knowledge
Exiled from the Japanese imperial city your character is on a one-way trip to scout a demonic castle The legendary demon Shuten-Doji surely must have died centuries ago and yet somehow the Ooe mountain once again runs red with blood Go forth to the castle and wash clean your dishonor with death No matter your prowess a lowborn warrior such as you could never actually hope to prevail Or so the imperial court thinks
Shadowed the Demon Castle of Ooe features
Long-term decision making Everything you do ticks up your fatigue which you can only wash away after defeating bosses on certain levels Every character has access to unique and powerful weapon techniques and class spells but use them too liberally and you may not last
Interesting levels With over4 groundbreaking level generation algorithms unique roguelite-style events with choices and special features like optional one-way teleports and center vaults exploration in Shadowed is always varied and rewarding Stairs are placed in roughly the opposite side of where you spawn so you always have a rough idea of where to go or what to avoid if you wish to explore everything with minimal backtracking
Deadly enemies Large emphasis has been placed on giving enemies unique abilities strengths weaknesses and counterplay Prepare resistances for some debilitate others with statuses avoid melee combat or ranged fights Almost every enemy in Shadowed is a special creature based on Japanese myth and many have devastating tricks up their sleeves
Builds and upgrades Shadowed has a unique stat system with five stats Strength Agility Precision Spirit and Cunning that all have some usefulness for every class With over240 perks many synergies are possible with things like stealth kills weapon techniques status effects class mechanics summons and much more
Symmetrical status effects Shadowed has five elements and many impactful statuses ranging from poison to immolation to berserk to charm Both the player and enemies can be affected by all of them enemies often have crippling elemental weaknesses and many can be permanently charmed to the player s side and controlled as allies
Stealth gameplay Sneaking past enemies can give more EXP than defeating them but you won t get their loot Stealth has many features like stealth stats sound investigation vision cones sneak attacks predictable movement patterns and you can always see which direction an enemy is facing as well as where they will face next
No gotchas RNG is always a factor in roguelikes but in Shadowed you may examine an enemy to see what it is capable of any time you like You always know exactly how far away bosses rests are and the level exits are always placed in a consistent pattern
Preparation systems Shadowed has an item preparation system that lets you prepare items to use instantly but punishes you for using them from the bag Scout well be prepared for most situations in general or run the risk of fumbling for what you need most
Strong class fantasy Ninjas can sneak attack hide use weapon poisons shuriken kunai bombs special ninpo spells and more The Ronin is a juggernaut capable of unleashing huge attacks as he builds up his ki through fighting The Onmyoji prepares spells to be used between levels relying on knowledge divination and elemental fury to survive Shadowed exists to be a more flavorful and in-depth exploration of oriental classes rather than them being a tacked-on afterthought
Immersion Sound music graphics and event descriptions all come together to create a very immersive experience for those with a little imagination
Note Ooe is pronounced Oh-eh Shadowed is available in both English and coming soon Japanese