Shadows of the Damned: Game to help keep the demons at bay

Formats: Xbox 360, PS3

Developer: Grasshopper Manufacture

Publisher: EA

Release date: June 24th

Age Rating: 18

Price: £49.99 RRP

Mad, disturbing, dark and just plain weird are some apt descriptions of this game, but ultimately it is a gripping, if not short spin on the survival horror genre.

Shadows of the Damned is the brainchild of Japanese gaming heavyweights Shinji Mikami, of Resident Evil fame, and Goichi Suda.

You play as Garcia, a demon hunter whose wife is damned for eternity by the demon king, somewhat oddly named Fleming, to punish him for slaying all the demons he has over the course of his life.

But, as he has a bit of a knack when it comes to killing the things, he ventures to the world of the damned to save his wife.

He is accompanied by Johnson, a demon with an English accent who takes the form of whatever Garcia needs, either a torch or one of three weapons.

When it comes to gameplay, it is clear that Mikami has taken control as it feels almost exactly like Resident Evil.

You have to fight through wave after wave of demons, but also have to contend with a black, gloopy darkness emitted by certain enemies, which engulfs your surroundings and ultimately begins to drain Garcia’s health.

However, by lighting wall torches you can rid the area of this inconvenience.

Another welcome addition, which I’ve not seen a huge amount of recently, is lengthy boss fights, again in the mould Resident Evil.

One massive change from that series though is the abundance of ammunition, which removes the challenge usually found in the genre.

Graphics-wise, the game is nothing groundbreaking in terms of realism, but it really does portray the dark, sinister atmosphere of the demon world very well.

There really is not much I can say wrong about this effort. It seems a little old fashioned in that there is no multiplayer option, which has become the norm.

But if you liked Resident Evil, I’m sure you’d like this title.