Shadow of the Beast – Majou no Okite( a.k.a. Shadow of the Beast ???? ) was developed by Victor Entertainment., Released in March 27, 1992
Shadow of the Beast is a side scrolling action/adventure game developed by DMA Design and published by Victor Interactive Software. The hero rather normal life is turned upside-down when he finds himself turned into a monstrous beast. During a dark and stormy night, a mysterious horseman known as a beast-mage leaps out of the forest and curses the inhabitant of a modest cottage house. The owner suddenly wakes up and soon realizes his horrible fate – he is now an horrific looking beast and he embarks on a journey of personal and mad revenge, in a desperate attempt to regain his stolen human form. The consequence of his misadventure has one unexpected twist – he now has beast powers and can run farther, jump incredible highs and throw powerful punches and kicks with ease. There are also special attacks but they don’t really follow any traditional formulas, instead they only exist in the sole purpose to defeat bosses and to allow the player to move forward in his quest. As a matter of fact, they hardly qualify as special attacks as they simply disappear after fulfilling their purpose. Players can progress through the game in any way they see fit, however they will need to solve puzzles and complete tasks in a specific order – Shadow of the Beast contains many dead ends and this is where the true challenge of the game really lies.
Other Informations:
Game ID: JCCD2008
Released on March 27, 1992 in Japan for 7200 Yen.
Reviews:
[FR] June 1992 – Joypad N.9: 90/100
Shadow of the Beast was first released in 1989 for the Commodore Amiga. This port of the game has some surprising differences from the original Amiga version. It is interesting to notice that this port was developed by DMA Design, the people behind Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto. It features some enhancements not found in other versions, such as an exclusive animated introduction sequence. The storyline was also slightly changed – the original game had the beast changed into a monster-looking creature during childhood, here the main character meets his fate as an adult (the text at the back of the case even describes the original story and not the one told during the game’s introduction sequence). Controls in this version are also a little less rigid and the game is overall much easier. Finally, and not the least, the soundtrack was entirely rearranged by D.C. Productions Ltd.in beautiful CD-quality.
Creators:
Produced by Psygnosis and JVC.
Written by DMA Design.
Based on an Original Amiga Game by Refletions.
Director: Dave Jones
Project manager: Brian Watson
Programming by: Michael Dailly
Animation Player by: Russel Kay, Brian Watson
Production: Steve Hammond, John White, Martyn Chudley
Intro graphics by: Jeff Bramfitt, Mike Waterworth
End Sequence by: Jeff Bramfitt, Garvan Corbett
Animated Sequences: Jeff Bramfitt, Lee Carus, Nikki Westcott
Actors: Mike Waterworth, Garvan Corbett, Nikki Westcott, Lee Carus, Neil Thompson, Gary Burley, Dianne Walsh
Backgrounds: Mike Waterworth, Garvan Corbett, Lee Carus, Gary Burley
Miscellaneous Graphics: Steve Hammond, Mike Dailly
Music by: D.C. Productions Ltd.
Gofer: Jane Donald, Nick Burcombe
Play Testers: John White, Steven Reid, Dave Jones, Scott Traynor, Steve Hammond, Me, Tea Boy, Scott Johnston
Special Thanks to: Andrew White, Dave Halley, Garry Timmons, Jamie grant, Jill Jamieson, Mark ireland, Stacey Jamieson, The Fileserver, A Piece of Lime, Biscuit Muncher, Russel kay, Lemmings