Shadows: Awakening is the latest in a long-lasting, niche series of action role-playing games that have always seemingly gone under the radar of most gamers. These titles feature the titular Shadow - a Devourer demon who consumes the souls of long-dead heroes to make them fight on its side.
This latest game, the predecessor of which was Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms, is going to deal with a political and social turmoil which arose upon the slaughter of the members of a secretive council, whose souls were then devoured by the titular demon and have since been used as puppets for its own gain. As you might've guessed, players take the role of the Devourer.
How does this relate to actual gameplay, you ask? Well, for starters, players can switch between all of the consumed souls at will, at any given moment. Shadows: Awakening, for example, will feature up to 14 playable characters, each with their own unique skills and abilities which you'll have to mix and match for best results in active combat.
Speaking of combat, Shadows: Awakening features real-time hack 'n' slash gameplay, where a particular focus is placed on the way that players mix an match the skills of the souls that they've consumed. Developers promise over 20 hours of varied gameplay per playthrough, with plenty of replayability offered for future playthroughs, all of which should combine to at least 60 hours for the full experience of what Shadows: Awakening has to offer.
If this all sounds intriguing, and you're looking for something new to pummel your way through, you can get access to the game's beta release by pre-ordering right now! By pre-ordering, you will also get three sets of legendary armour and weapons, as well as a digital artbook and a copy of the game's soundtrack. Shadows: Awakening is slated for release worldwide via Steam on 31st of August, with retail editions going on sale in North America starting 4th of September.
