Shadowgrounds (fun budget overhead/isometric action game)

geo

New member
It's certainly not Crusader (one of my favorite action games ever :)), but I've been fond of a Finland-developed action game called Shadowgrounds. It's technically a "top down" shooter (some reviews compare it to Smash TV or Robotron even), but in "free camera" view it reminds me of Crusader on some ways. :)

The game has its faults (you get 5 "spawns" per mission in lieu of a real save system; and there's no Internet or LAN multiplayer, just co-op at the same computer), but the customizable weapons and destructible environments are a lot of fun, and have me occasionlly flashing back to crusader. There's a 3-level demo available, and Valve is going to sell the game (Shadowgrounds, not Crusader  ;D) on Steam starting May 8 I think.

Official site:
http://www.shadowgroundsgame.com

I learned about Echo Sector when I was looking up some Crusader info for a post I made at the forums. There's a sequence in Shadowgrounds where you have to battle a malfunctioning mech.  8) It reminded me of some Crusader moments.

Here's the thread where I was babbling about Crusader :):
http://www.shadowgroundsgame.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2332#2332

This is the first game from a tiny Finnish developer called Frozenbyte. I was just excited to find a fun action game that wasn't an FPS or third person over the shoulder game. :)

Long live Crusader!
 
Here's my Mech moment. I was stuck on this in the game, but finally stumbled on some "minigun" ammo and was able to blast it from behind. In Crusader, I would've used an EMP rifle first and then blasted it with rockets.  8)

shadowMech1.jpg
 
Looks cool. I haven't bought any games from Steam yet. I just might for this one!

I didn't like the guy that posted under your message saying that it's just like Shadowgrounds..... Makes me mad. :)
 
I think that guy was being sarcastic.  ;D Either that, or he was some overexcited Finnish guy. :)

I'd take it as a compliment. Like I said, the world could've been filled with Crusader clones (it was a top 10 sales game in its day) and better yet sequels, but Doom, Duke Nukem 3D etc. took over the world instead.  :p

If Shadowgrounds interests you, visit the site for demo download links. There's a 3-level demo that gives a pretty good idea of how the game plays. Be sure to try the "free camera" mode, which gives something closer to a Crusader feel (but uses the mouse for aiming, not keys).
 
There was going to be about four more Crusader games from what I've learned doing research, they were called:

No Mercy
No Survivors
No Quarter
Crusader 2
 
I only knew for sure about No Mercy because my No Regret strategy guide had some concept art for No Mercy in it. :)

In retrospect, it's a shame Zurovec followed Chris Roberts and then ended up doing nothing (Loose Cannon never came out). If only he'd stayed with Origin....

I have a few Shadowgrounds gameplay movies at Putfile. You need a codec installed in Windows Media Player capable of playing MPEG-2 stuff (most people have one via a DVD software player or something).

My Putfile gameplay movies page
http://www.putfile.com/metalmandroid\

i belatedly realized most people can't play MPEG-2 movies as streaming stuff (it usually requires a non-free add on or DVD player software on your computer). So I added a couple MPEG1 format Shadowgrounds movies that should work for everybody. They're at the top of the page above with "MPEG1" in the title.
 
Back
Top