Warlocks vs Shadows Preview

These days, games take things at a slower pace. We're far removed from the 80s; back then, there were no Farming Simulators or Electroplanktons – games, at home and in the arcade, were explosive, quick, and frenzied. Not to say this trend has died out – you will certainly find thrills and explosions in games, but you'll usually get to them after 45 minutes of cutscenes and storytelling. Don't get me wrong here; it's important for games to tell stories if they can, but sometimes, you just want to get right to the action. Developers Frozen District look to provide the action right from the get-go with their Early Access release Warlocks vs Shadows.

Described as an 'action RPG' by the developers, a more apt description for Warlocks vs Shadows might be 'mental'. This is an arena brawler where the action (and projectiles) fly thick and fast, as you mow down an army of enemies with your powers; which, across the different characters, may take shape as a quick dash, projectile fire, or a PK Thunder-style move that rains down Hell on your enemies. The gameplay here is time-tested; there’s nothing new to see in this game, and you're likely to be vaguely reminded of the Subspace Emissary mode from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but it's undeniable that while Warlocks vs
Shadows doesn't reinvent the wheel, it sends it racing down the road at 80 miles an hour.

The RPG element that comes into play is not as sophisticated as in other titles; it's the “RPG-lite” style of progression that has been bleeding into most games these days. It's simple; the more you play, the better your character gets – earn enough EXP, and you can level up one of your moves and your HP. Simple stuff, but again; just because it's been done before doesn't make the inclusion here bad. Adding this mechanic actually serves to make the single-player game more addictive; it encourages that 'oh, just one more level...' mentality – before long, levelling your character's skills up to maximum will become an obsession.

The skeleton of the game is simple, but this serves to make it elegant, not trite. You battle against waves of monsters known as Shadows (think Heartless from Kingdom Hearts if they existed in the World of Goo universe) in a 2D arena with randomly shaped solid objects scattered about that you can jump onto, hide behind, or use to get onto higher ground. You kill them using a range of four moves, which are activated with Z, X, C, and V – but the moves will differ across the characters – the pyromancer favours a straight shot, while the ice princess will use a spreader as their main attacks. Once you vanquish your enemies, they’ll drop health and equippable stat boosters. That's about it; this is a concise summation of this game. Everything described here might seem simple, but it just works so well. It might sound light on content; however, it's quite a fun game as it is now.

However, this only extends to single player. What begins as quite a fun game on your own becomes an absolute headache with a friend. I tried playing this game with a mate and the experience was rife with problems. 50% of the time, the online lobby screen locked up. The two-player game itself was also rife with glitches – for instance, if the host dies, the second player can play on, but everything on screen just freezes; all enemies become easy pickings, and the challenge becomes completely non-existent. Also infuriating is how the game can mistakenly report a 'game over' state when at least one character is still alive. I know the game's only in early access, but still, playing online co-op at this stage in the game is extremely disappointing.
The cast of characters featured in Warlocks vs Shadows, for a low-budget independent title, are fantastic. Sometimes, the characters in games like this tend to be afterthoughts. Here, they are well crafted, and, to my surprise, well-voiced. There are ten characters in total (five of which must be unlocked), all of whom are creative and intriguing enough to support the game and entice you to try everyone out. Of note is Jake the pyromancer who is followed around by his pet phoenix; he is easily the most charming and endearing of the lot.

What might annoy some players is the difficulty. Many players truly appreciate a deep challenge, but even they might be put off by the 'swarm'-style gameplay that is offered. In even the earliest levels of the game, enemies will come in high volume, and it is incredibly easy to be overwhelmed. You need to attack carefully, stay on the move, and make sure the shadows have no opportunity to gang up on you, otherwise it's game over. Difficult it may be – and believe me, some will not appreciate the challenge – you will never just breeze through this game.

Finally, while the art direction in this game is okay, it never truly feels special. Warlocks vs Shadows features more of the same faux-8-bit graphics that is common with inexpensive Steam releases, but it doesn't do anything colourful with this gimmick to make it stand out from the pack. The graphics and backgrounds seem to blend into one, and the music is terribly generic-sounding. The art direction, then, is fairly uninspiring, but oddly, this works in favour of the game – you'll be spending so much time blasting those damned shadows and being wrapped up in the chaos that you'll scarcely notice either of them.

While the online multiplayer definitely could use some love, Warlocks vs Shadows still has a lot of potential in its early release state: the single player gameplay is frenetic, challenging, and arcade-like, the characters are likeable, and the RPG-lite elements make the game even more compelling. My advice to Frozen District? This is a solid foundation; build on it.