Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered – Review

Hola cabrones, Garcia motherf**king Hotspur is back. 

Back in 2011, developer Grasshopper Manufacture and publisher Electronic Arts, gave us the gem that was Shadows of the Damned, which despite not selling terribly well, became an instant classic for its varied gameplay and stylish punk-rock aesthetic. 

13 years on, the developer, along with publisher NetEase Games, are breathing new life into the title with Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered, and although what’s on offer here is nothing more than a simple port and visual upscaling, it still provides a hell of a good time, with certain caveats, that is.

As a by-the-books, straight-up remaster, everything remains the same as before, with players taking on the role of Garcia “G” Hotspur, our Mexican demon hunter extraordinaire. After his girlfriend Paula is abducted by the Lord of the Demons, Fleming, Garcia, together with his trusted former demon sidekick, Johnson, follows them into the underworld. Defeating demons (known in the game as Hellmonkeys) of both the literal and metaphorical kinds, the duo progresses to face Fleming in his stronghold, Castle of Hassle, named after how inconvenient it is to get there.

There’s nothing too special about its storyline, but what really sets the game apart from others, for better or worse, is its unrepentantly juvenile writing. Hailing from the creative genius of Suda51 (Goichi Suda), the mind behind Killer7 and the No More Heroes franchise, the game’s script oozes his signature flair of not giving a damn about societal norms, with almost every line delivered being some form of sexual innuendo or phallic joke.

And it’s not even an exaggeration either, as the game’s perverted sense of humor is inescapable, and while writing like this most likely won’t fly in today’s era of censorship and obsession with being politically correct, the title’s humour serves as a stark reminder of how gaming used to be, an avenue for enjoyment that time has unfortunately forgotten, no subtle agenda pushing or subliminal messaging, just good, unclean fun.

That’s not to say that the game is all jokes though, as nestled deep within its asinine exterior is a surprising amount of character development. The relationship between Garcia and Johnson is a standout, presenting a genuine sense of camaraderie that balances being both humorous and heartwarming. Not much is made known about Johnson (a floating demon skull) and his past, but the game immediately establishes the fact that the pair have been through thick and thin based on the conversations they share, which is backed by strong vocal performances rarely seen in such cheesy action titles.

The game’s tongue-in-cheek humor extends to its gameplay too, which helps to freshen up its rather bog-standard third-person shooting formula, at least by today’s standards. The title presents a style of gameplay that’s firmly rooted in the era of yesteryear, with linear level designs providing limited opportunities for side exploration, essentially boiling down to a familiar pattern of killing a bunch of enemies, unlocking a door to progress, then killing some more, rinse and repeat. 

Shooting at the endless hordes of Hellmonkeys thankfully feels satisfying, albeit a tad simple, with Garcia having access to three main types of firearms that Johnson can morph into – a standard pistol (aptly named the Boner, in case you forgot what kind of game this was), a high-powered, slow-firing shotgun, and a rapid-fire submachine gun. Throughout his journey, Garcia can collect blue diamonds from defeated bosses which upgrades these weapons, providing both visual and functional changes, such as the pistol being upgraded into the Hotboner which can launch a sticky payload (yes, that’s how the game describes it) to blow up cracked walls throughout the levels.

Unfortunately, despite all its flair, the game does suffer from an imprecise aiming system. While similar shooters traditionally use crosshair-based targeting, the title opts for a laser-targeting method more in line with the Dead Space series. While this certainly helps to de-clutter the screen, the system is not implemented well, and never feels as responsive as it should, making pulling off precise headshots difficult, especially on a controller.

In between bouts of shooting, the game introduces elements to help mix up its gameplay variety, notably its play on darkness and light. With the title being set in the underworld, darkness is deadly, and prolonged exposure leads to Garcia’s health being steadily drained. To counter this, he has access to his light shot, which can be used to ignite goat head lamps attached to walls, which clears up the immediate surroundings and provides a much-needed respite. 

Darkness also enshrouds any foe within, making them invulnerable to attacks and requiring either the use of the light shot or a quick melee swing. Juggling between lighting lamps and dispelling the darkness from foes quickly becomes a challenging dance, supplementing the otherwise by-the-book firefights. Certain enemy weak spots or environmental points of interest can only be shot at while within the veil of darkness, presenting light puzzle-solving elements.

The same level of variety can be seen in the title’s level design, which although simple on a fundamental basis, features a range of otherworldly locations all wrapped in a punk aesthetic. From damp swamps to magnificent Gothic cathedrals, the game doesn’t shy away from its hellish themes, constantly providing grotesque sights like mutilated bodies and blood galore, reminding the player that they are in a realm far from their own. The dreary tone is balanced out by Garcia’s laughable interactions with objects in the environment, such as suggestively jamming Johnson into a hole to light up fireworks, which never fails to lighten up the tension.

The game also steadily introduces new features, which helps to switch things up just when they are starting to get stale, including 2D side-scrolling shoot-em-up levels, and even a few point defense sections featuring the Big Boner, an elongated pistol variant serving as a glorified artillery cannon, which Garcia deliberately wields between his legs. Levels are also littered with lore-expanding collectibles, such as storybooks excellently narrated by Johnson (with one hilariously read by Garcia, who understandably struggles with its complex language).

Having such environmental diversity undeniably helps carry the game’s overall presentation, as graphically, it clearly looks like a title released more than a decade ago, with low-resolution environmental textures that jarringly stand out against upscaled assets such as billboards, interactable objects, and Garcia’s own character model. The game also suffers from noticeable object pop-in, even from a close distance, a fitting reminder of its age. While this is understandable, since it is a remaster and not a remake, it’s still rather disappointing that more effort hasn’t been put into sprucing up such a unique world filled with unimaginable horrors.

As such, it is important to manage expectations when approaching this title, and players who dive in looking for a deep, emotionally complex plot coupled with groundbreaking gameplay and visuals will surely be left disappointed. But ultimately, that’s not the point as Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered, like the original, was clearly designed with one core principle in mind – let players kill demons while laughing at dirty jokes, and with regards to that, it thrives.

Kevin Low

Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.