25 years from now and still playable, not ridiculous considering the age ! A very good amiga game, as the 2 others, the Amiga's technology was excellent for this kind of arcade game.
I only had the first Shadow of the Beast game, so whenever I see the second and third I find the development and evolution of these games amazing. The first game was a tech demo with some rudimentary combat but a surprisingly enthralling world, the second game added puzzles and a bit more variety, the third game smoothed out what the second added and toned back how difficult the game was. I'd love to see all three games released in some sort of trilogy pack or with updates to fill in blanks and streamline things like the difficulty of the games.
+Gigas0101 Indeed, the games did get better gameplay-wise but I very much prefer the aesthetics and atmosphere of the first one. David Whittaker's music from the first game is just some of the best I've ever heard in a game and there's just something mesmerizing about how it works with those horror visuals.
Classic game, they so dont make anything like this sadly, it was so more than just a shoot em up, it had really tough puzzles, that would take some figuring out but the pleasure you got when you did was amazing. As was / is the music, im near 40 but this takes me back to 20. Very happy days indeed. J
This is without a doubt the pinnacle of the "Beast" titles released for the Amiga; much more elegant and balanced than its predecessors. Still one of the hardest titles out there.
OMG, there's a face in the rock at 3:28 when the guy goes into the little gold room (look to the left side of the screen a way into the wall). I never noticed that before and I used to play this a lot :)
Some riddles were a litte bizarre (melting a steel ball in order to melt an ice block and to get a gem frozen in, letting fish eat each other, flooding a room in order to get out by a swimming table... oO) but much fairer than in S.o.t.B. 2. :)
@wrestletube1 Beast 1 was David Whittaker, Beast 2 & 3 were Tim Wright (who said that Whittaker was a major influence). All awesome though. The "Shadow Of The Beast" is the fear that Maletoth holds over the land - at least that's what they said in the later games. ;) @sasfcps The sliding block puzzle tells you which fish eats which. If you know already then solving the puzzle is not necessary.
Wayyy back in 1980, the author; Piers Anthony released the first novel in the Incarnations Of Immortality series. A series that mixed fantasy with science. Then in '89 came the S.O.T.B. trilogy. Then in the 90's came Final Fantasy VI or VII (the first of the series to mix fantasy & sci-fi) and they have'nt looked back since and this could be why developers think twice about entering a territory Final Fantasy owns so well.
Wow, I did not realize that they were actually reviving the franchise. But you have to agree with me, this seems to have little in common with the Amiga games regarding background architecture and style. Reminds me more of some apocalyptic wasteland seen in more modern games.
@kinkabala The Shadow of the Beast series music was made by Cold Storage Tim Wright though. Not the other good ones from the time like Rob Hubbard nor David Whittaker and some others.
+Dan Warren More like "The Beast has finally regained his fully human form"... he used to be human in the first place, but was turned into the beast (in the first game's backstory).
Aarbron was originally a man that has been transformed and under the will of Maletoth, and controlled by Zelek. You get to be freed by the influence of them at the end of the first game. On the second, now more human, you go and kill Zelek. And in this one, now fully human, you get to defeat Maletoth once and for all to release everyone from his influence.
Yes, this is Aarbron in his regular human form. The explanation behind him using weapons in Beast 2 and 3 is that he no longer has the strength he had as the Beast Messenger.
I personally think that the storyline between the trilogy is quite good, I mean the actual storyline and not all the abstract craziness of the games. (which is unique and awesome too) If the right person got the rights to make a film trilogy of the game series it could work rather well.
The first game was about a young man, who was kidnapped from his family - when he was a child - by beast lord Maletoth. He was then transformed into that monstrous being and brainwashed, so he didn't remember his own past and served Maletoth as a warrior/messenger. Later, while witnessing the execution of his own father, he remembered about his origin and rebelled against his master.
Wow. Played this for like 15 years and always got stuck in the part where you need the rock to weigh down the platform. I NEVER ever brought the rock with me. Now I know. Off to play!
In the second game, the main hero is still partially a beast, but he retained most of his human form. He seeks to save his sister from evil beast mage Zelek, former servant to Maletoth, who kidnapped her.
too many kinds today want instant gratification from their games, with clear markers where to go what to do. games like shadow of the beast we amazing when i was a kid, you really had to use your head and survive no auto re gen hp in these games
Yeah, sadly that spirit sort of seems to be gone. It doesn't mean games have to be like a LSD trip, but I like this amalgamation of styles. I know it is not the purpose of the game but as a player I really enjoyed thinking about how a world such as this came into being, how it is that science and technology exist together, and why despite the advanced technology the world is so low tech in general. And of course the mutants and creatures.
I would love to see this style being used for an Isometric or First Person RPG but its unlikely that that would happen soon. Its a shame that this style has either fallen out of favor or has been forgotten. With fantasy and science fiction being so stale right now, we should really explore other ideas.
I had forgotten about Ace team (I played Zeno Clash 1 and 2, like you I enjoyed the world but not the fighting so much). I could see them do a remake of Shadow of the Beast if they would be interested in making it, but I doubt they would ever get the offer.
Even better: Grab Shadow of the Beast: Legacy. That's a port of all three SotB games running on natively on many modern OSes. I think it's not finished yet and still being updated but all the games are definitely already playable (not sure if beatable).
I don't think a remake of the series would work with the mindset of designers today. The original games seemed to have been a combination of medieval, magic, 20th century (planes and zeppelins), future (lasers and jetpacks) and really alien to create a real unique world that could either be an alternative Earth or an Earth far in the future in which our civilization has long passed on since. I don't think most people today would really get that, wanting it to be a single thing.
It feels a lot different when compared to the first and second. Like I can't imagine an aeroplane in either of those. I hate to say it, but Maletoth didn't seem like such a big deal.
I am not saying it would be impossible, but I think it is very improbable that developers these days would have able to channel the same mindset that the developers of the original games had when they created the series. Gaming has 'grown up' and publishers rather have developers work on stuff they understand, and that on the moment is space marines, modern wars, and muscle bound men and women with big swords or guns.
The worst of the 3 games (due to the major changes), but what weighs most in it would be the intro - just removes alot of the atmosphere (when you know the other two games that is) that they suddenly got airplanes :p
+LoW Astra IMHO is the best game of the trilogy. Counts, by far, with the better playability. Just at the time of its release, an Amiga-only release was not financial secure bet. So much more intelligent to reduce costs. At the time of SOTBIII, Amiga market was completely assaulted by piracy. Also Megadrive and SNES markets were approaching to theirs bests moments.. so release a BIG Only Amiga release then, was not profitable anymore.
I only ever played the second one - do you play as the same character in this game? Because they look totally different - you look more like a caveman type character in Beast II
That last boss is really funny lol. Then again I couldn’t take Maletoths foot as the last boss of SOTB that seriously either. Zelek looked the best, but god did SOTB2 have the most disappointing ending ever.
In the third game, hero had fully regained his human self and this time is on a quest to destroy Maletoth ultimately. How did he "move" into modern age so fast - if his bestial origin gave him so long lifespan or something - I don't know.
Never did like this one. I adored the first 2 games, but this one was so lacking in the same style and tone. This one just felt to "simplified" over the last 2 games.
Cornish Gibs Kind of a downer though, to be honest I like Shadow of the Beast for the amazing 2d visuals I have as a goal for a milestone in doing pixel-art, which is going fine.
Or even an animated cartoon. No, not 3D movie, animated cartoon. A live action could work too, but if they use CG it better not be that shitty "Oh I can tell this is fake" crap. I swear, even today, there's some CG you can tell is just...not life like at all.
+Niko Linni & Friends The problem with the "best" CG that you're referring to: If they make it *too* realistic, they hit what's called the "Uncanny Valley" and people end up not liking it because it feels creepy.
![Wii Longplay [026] Gradius ReBirth (US)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/vVDXUNx2Os8/mqdefault.jpg)
![PC Engine Longplay [062] Bouken Danshaku Don: The Lost Sunheart (JP)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/zCHwO4tG0xQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Great Game. My parents buy this game in 1993. In 1993 a i have 6 years old.
Greats from Poland, Cracov !
Miałeś oryginalną grę?
Those statues in the background are amazing. They made this game very creepy for me when I was a kid.
25 years from now and still playable, not ridiculous considering the age !
A very good amiga game, as the 2 others, the Amiga's technology was excellent for this kind of arcade game.
Ta część jest najlepsza z całej trylogii.
I only had the first Shadow of the Beast game, so whenever I see the second and third I find the development and evolution of these games amazing. The first game was a tech demo with some rudimentary combat but a surprisingly enthralling world, the second game added puzzles and a bit more variety, the third game smoothed out what the second added and toned back how difficult the game was. I'd love to see all three games released in some sort of trilogy pack or with updates to fill in blanks and streamline things like the difficulty of the games.
+Gigas0101 Indeed, the games did get better gameplay-wise but I very much prefer the aesthetics and atmosphere of the first one. David Whittaker's music from the first game is just some of the best I've ever heard in a game and there's just something mesmerizing about how it works with those horror visuals.
To jest gra arcydzieło!
Wow, that's amazing. 24 minutes to play through the entire game, yet I played this for hours, and I never got past level 3 lol. :D
Amazing what they did with a limited palette back then with shadows and stuff.. just like Leander.. thanks for the upload
Gra ma SUPER klimat!
Classic game, they so dont make anything like this sadly, it was so more than just a shoot em up, it had really tough puzzles, that would take some figuring out but the pleasure you got when you did was amazing. As was / is the music, im near 40 but this takes me back to 20. Very happy days indeed. J
The best of the beasts imo! They really need to re-make this trilogy for the new generation consoles.
11:05 I was clicking at random moments in the video and suddenly I saw a green muscular nanny humping a barrel. What the hell, man.
+fotakatos she hulk gets lonely
Memorable music, good atmosphere and playability better than the first 2! Nevertheless the atmo in the first 2 games was deeper. I love this one :)
This is without a doubt the pinnacle of the "Beast" titles released for the Amiga; much more elegant and balanced than its predecessors. Still one of the hardest titles out there.
Music is awesome!
very well described. this surreal 80´s fantasy look. i love this :-)
I really like this game, it's a combination of action and puzzle.
Just the main menu music brings tears to my eyes!
OMG, there's a face in the rock at 3:28 when the guy goes into the little gold room (look to the left side of the screen a way into the wall). I never noticed that before and I used to play this a lot :)
The music on the first level totally reminds me of the film 'big trouble in little china' haha!!
The music tracks are frickin awesome.
Shadow of the beast 3 jest grą która miała najlepszą grafikę i muzykę w jaką grałem na amidze!
super stardust ;)
Some riddles were a litte bizarre (melting a steel ball in order to melt an ice block and to get a gem frozen in, letting fish eat each other, flooding a room in order to get out by a swimming table... oO) but much fairer than in S.o.t.B. 2. :)
best game in the series!
8:57
A headless guy as a boss?
I know, creepy.
My favorite "Shadow of the beast". Merci a Psygnosis pour c music (entre autre). C mon noel 1991 je crois. (verse une larme)
Tears.
The most important bit is at 14:14 - where to place those metal balls!
@wrestletube1 Beast 1 was David Whittaker, Beast 2 & 3 were Tim Wright (who said that Whittaker was a major influence). All awesome though. The "Shadow Of The Beast" is the fear that Maletoth holds over the land - at least that's what they said in the later games. ;)
@sasfcps The sliding block puzzle tells you which fish eats which. If you know already then solving the puzzle is not necessary.
well, this was the only really playable beast game... loved it back when I bought it. memories *sigh*
Wayyy back in 1980, the author; Piers Anthony released the first novel in the Incarnations Of Immortality series. A series that mixed fantasy with science.
Then in '89 came the S.O.T.B. trilogy.
Then in the 90's came Final Fantasy VI or VII (the first of the series to mix fantasy & sci-fi) and they have'nt looked back since and this could be why developers think twice about entering a territory Final Fantasy owns so well.
Wow, I did not realize that they were actually reviving the franchise.
But you have to agree with me, this seems to have little in common with the Amiga games regarding background architecture and style.
Reminds me more of some apocalyptic wasteland seen in more modern games.
@kinkabala The Shadow of the Beast series music was made by Cold Storage Tim Wright though. Not the other good ones from the time like Rob Hubbard nor David Whittaker and some others.
Fantastic ending. I guess it means that the Beast has evolved into a Man.
He used to be a man.
+Dan Warren More like "The Beast has finally regained his fully human form"... he used to be human in the first place, but was turned into the beast (in the first game's backstory).
Aarbron was originally a man that has been transformed and under the will of Maletoth, and controlled by Zelek. You get to be freed by the influence of them at the end of the first game. On the second, now more human, you go and kill Zelek. And in this one, now fully human, you get to defeat Maletoth once and for all to release everyone from his influence.
ScareScraper Totals of F4 23:50 Penguin Toadette
Hmm, I never noticed that the music in the 2nd level here sounds a little like Level 05 from the first Earthworm Jim game, at least the first part.
The last and the best Shadow of the Beast in my opinion.
Yes, this is Aarbron in his regular human form.
The explanation behind him using weapons in Beast 2 and 3 is that he no longer has the strength he had as the Beast Messenger.
the best shadow of the beast game!
I personally think that the storyline between the trilogy is quite good, I mean the actual storyline and not all the abstract craziness of the games. (which is unique and awesome too) If the right person got the rights to make a film trilogy of the game series it could work rather well.
looks like a much better designed game than the prequels, but I prefer the visuals of the second game to this.
The first game was about a young man, who was kidnapped from his family - when he was a child - by beast lord Maletoth. He was then transformed into that monstrous being and brainwashed, so he didn't remember his own past and served Maletoth as a warrior/messenger. Later, while witnessing the execution of his own father, he remembered about his origin and rebelled against his master.
Wow. Played this for like 15 years and always got stuck in the part where you need the rock to weigh down the platform. I NEVER ever brought the rock with me. Now I know. Off to play!
A remake has just been announced for PS4. Of the original.
@Romuluzz yes, because it takes a while to load and is nonskippable I think.
10Min mark was hilarious. it was that tough eh
Yes, the main character Aarbron is cursed with a beast form in the original game but over the span of the series regains his human form.
In the second game, the main hero is still partially a beast, but he retained most of his human form. He seeks to save his sister from evil beast mage Zelek, former servant to Maletoth, who kidnapped her.
The Music was done by Tim Wright.
I see. Nice touch!
As far as I know, the background was explained in the games' manuals.
too many kinds today want instant gratification from their games, with clear markers where to go what to do. games like shadow of the beast we amazing when i was a kid, you really had to use your head and survive no auto re gen hp in these games
lol, GREAT , i have never seen the presentation....tnx
Too true. If they at least maintain the spirit of the music, I will be satisfied.
Yeah, sadly that spirit sort of seems to be gone.
It doesn't mean games have to be like a LSD trip, but I like this amalgamation of styles.
I know it is not the purpose of the game but as a player I really enjoyed thinking about how a world such as this came into being, how it is that science and technology exist together, and why despite the advanced technology the world is so low tech in general.
And of course the mutants and creatures.
I would love to see this style being used for an Isometric or First Person RPG but its unlikely that that would happen soon.
Its a shame that this style has either fallen out of favor or has been forgotten.
With fantasy and science fiction being so stale right now, we should really explore other ideas.
I had forgotten about Ace team (I played Zeno Clash 1 and 2, like you I enjoyed the world but not the fighting so much).
I could see them do a remake of Shadow of the Beast if they would be interested in making it, but I doubt they would ever get the offer.
I spent actual solid weeks just trying to beat the first 2 levels in primary school...
9:49 getting nervous by watching this :)
This was my favourite one out of the three beasts. Anyway I can get access to play this one again???
Of Course you can, just need an Emulator and the Disc Files....;-)
You can find all the old amiga games on the net...if ya need some help just ask
Even better: Grab Shadow of the Beast: Legacy. That's a port of all three SotB games running on natively on many modern OSes. I think it's not finished yet and still being updated but all the games are definitely already playable (not sure if beatable).
I don't think a remake of the series would work with the mindset of designers today.
The original games seemed to have been a combination of medieval, magic, 20th century (planes and zeppelins), future (lasers and jetpacks) and really alien to create a real unique world that could either be an alternative Earth or an Earth far in the future in which our civilization has long passed on since.
I don't think most people today would really get that, wanting it to be a single thing.
that psygnosis logo is so weird from the other ones
The guy on the loading screen creeps me out. Both of his eyes are the SAME O_O
So you didn't have to do the sliding block puzzle then? What was it there for?
Amiga 500??
It feels a lot different when compared to the first and second. Like I can't imagine an aeroplane in either of those.
I hate to say it, but Maletoth didn't seem like such a big deal.
I am not saying it would be impossible, but I think it is very improbable that developers these days would have able to channel the same mindset that the developers of the original games had when they created the series.
Gaming has 'grown up' and publishers rather have developers work on stuff they understand, and that on the moment is space marines, modern wars, and muscle bound men and women with big swords or guns.
The worst of the 3 games (due to the major changes), but what weighs most in it would be the intro - just removes alot of the atmosphere (when you know the other two games that is) that they suddenly got airplanes :p
wasn't the beast lord destroyed in the first one? i guess this sets it up for beast IV maybe on the ps3? haha
It's strange they didn't released it Big box with a Thsirt. Maybe they were not so pride of it.More arcade, less soul, something is missing.
+LoW Astra IMHO is the best game of the trilogy. Counts, by far, with the better playability.
Just at the time of its release, an Amiga-only release was not financial secure bet. So much more intelligent to reduce costs.
At the time of SOTBIII, Amiga market was completely assaulted by piracy. Also Megadrive and SNES markets were approaching to theirs bests moments.. so release a BIG Only Amiga release then, was not profitable anymore.
+xudes77 The MEga drive version was developed, but sadly cancelled before it was released, and no one has found a prototype yet.
The character looks like a poor man's Red Dead Revolver
oh yeah, haha! laughed my head of :D
You know what...
This whole series was very adult
I only ever played the second one - do you play as the same character in this game? Because they look totally different - you look more like a caveman type character in Beast II
That last boss is really funny lol. Then again I couldn’t take Maletoths foot as the last boss of SOTB that seriously either. Zelek looked the best, but god did SOTB2 have the most disappointing ending ever.
In the third game, hero had fully regained his human self and this time is on a quest to destroy Maletoth ultimately.
How did he "move" into modern age so fast - if his bestial origin gave him so long lifespan or something - I don't know.
These puzzles are caa-caa-koo-koo
Never did like this one.
I adored the first 2 games, but this one was so lacking in the same style and tone. This one just felt to "simplified" over the last 2 games.
it was pretty playable though
I feel the opposite. BIII felt like refinement the others lacked.
i love the game but i could never been able to finish it due to the final boss!! to hard
It's funny that they called the sequels Shadow of the Beast when you are not playing as the beast in them only the first one.
daddy draw this for me!
Heh I meant science and magic, not science and technology.
How short is this game? Wtf
you serious? Games were short back in the day. Mainly because there was no save system. You always had to start over.
+spderweb It still seems to be a lot shorter than the first two games in the series.
a true masterpiece of a game....all 3 games :D hard as f**k but great....no comparison to that junk from today
Grenades?
What?
This game is... very, very random.
Bah, I think a remake could work well if it were done right.
Interesting, I much prefer the graphics of the original.
I was always disappointed by his little hat
I prefer the first. The graphics got downgraded quite a bit.
Cornish Gibs
Kind of a downer though, to be honest I like Shadow of the Beast for the amazing 2d visuals I have as a goal for a milestone in doing pixel-art, which is going fine.
Cornish Gibs
Looks pretty... meh.
Wiki it.
Or even an animated cartoon. No, not 3D movie, animated cartoon. A live action could work too, but if they use CG it better not be that shitty "Oh I can tell this is fake" crap. I swear, even today, there's some CG you can tell is just...not life like at all.
+Niko Linni & Friends The problem with the "best" CG that you're referring to: If they make it *too* realistic, they hit what's called the "Uncanny Valley" and people end up not liking it because it feels creepy.
Is it just me or have the graphics really gotten worse with every game?
its just Mario bloody world only thing missing is collecting coins
+paul hunter, Okay I'll bite... how is this like Mario World?
The only thing they share in common is the fact that theyre both side scrollers. But then most games at the time were.