Fun but short
Pros:
-fun gameplay
-good boss battles
-reward for headshots(more white gems rewarded)
Cons:
-outdated graphics
-short
-character looks Japanese but has a Mexican accent
-comedy horror so no creepy atmosphere
-uninteresting 2d side scrolling similar to Alice Madness Returns
You are Garcia Hotspur on a quest to rescue your hot girlfriend who has been abducted by a demon named Fleming and taken to hell. Naturally, you will do everything in your power to save her and fortunately you are an adept demon assassin who is up for the challenge. Accompanying you on you quest is your good and loyal friend named Johnson. Johnson is a demon in a shape of a skeleton head that can transform into a weapon for you to use. He can transform into a pistol, shotgun, and machinegun in which all can be upgraded by using a red gem that can be found within levels and also bought from Christopher who is a merchant who loves white gems. White gems are the game's currency and can be attained by killing enemies. Killing enemies is quite satisfying especially with a headshot which will slow down time and see the head explode into pieces. Who does not like seeing headshots in slowmotion? Enemies are your typical zombie like creatures that either walk or run to you and they can be stunned by one of Johnson's weapon feature to slow them down so you can line up your headshot. There are also crawling creatures that like to put out the light so it's best to take them out first. Enemies are varied enough so you won't get bored facing the same enemies over and over again.
Johnson also has a lightshot which can light up the darkness of hell by shooting at goat heads which is one of the game's light source. While taking your journey through hell, you will encounter dark spots in which you will be taking damage and unable to hurt enemies so you will have to search for a goat head to light up before your health runs out. There are also puzzles involve with darkness where you will have to figure out how to light up the area. However, some boss battles will require you to be in darkness so you can hurt the boss to make the boss fight a little bit more interesting. I am sure most people won't have any trouble with this since the game's difficulty level is forgiving so you can have more fun playing and it is surprising since Japanese developers are known for making difficult games.
Weapon upgrades are your usual damage, reload, and capacity enhancement by using a red gem. However, beat a boss and you will be rewarded with a purple gem which can add a perk to your weapon like being able to target multiple enemies with your machinegun and this perk will make your journey through hell easier. Purple gem can also turn your shotgun into something like a grenade launcher for cleaning up multiple enmies all clustered into an area.
Shadows of the Damned runs on Unreal Engine 3 so you will know what to expect if you have played Gears of War. Some levels are nice but some are ugly to look at so it's kind of a mixed bag. The color on Unreal Engine 3 looks faded and washed out and I think an upgrade on this engine is needed.
Shadows of the Damned is a very good game but with small content(8-10 hrs of gameplay) and a bit outdated graphics hold it back. Also, I think this game would have been better if Grasshopper Manufacture had taken this game more seriously instead of all the sex jokes. Some are funny though when Garcia just keeps saying boner everytime he shoots his weapon. Haha! If there is a sequel, Grasshopper Manufacture should add more levels to lenghten the game, add a few more weapons, design better levels that are good to look at, and take the game more seriously so the game can have a creepy atmosphere. And get rid of the 2d side scrolling please. Take a hint from Bioshock that has well designed levels and a lengthy campaign. Lastly, maybe they can add a story in each of the boss that you face like how they ended up in hell to make the game more interesting.