Publisher: Turbo Technologies Inc.

Developer: ICOM Simulations, Inc.

Release Date: 10/1993

Available Exclusively On

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Point-and-click adventures are already as archaic as they are. They are probably one of the least evolved video game genres and have mostly remained unchanged over the last few decades. Beyond Shadowgate was one of the first graphical adventure games that became a big deal. You move your hero around, clicking on things, talking to people, and hopefully solving some of the many obtuse puzzles in the game.

Beyond Shadowgate has a very simple story ripped straight from a text adventure or an 80’s low-budget cartoon. You are the hero, Prince Erik, who is framed for his father’s murder. You start out in the dungeons, break your way out, and off you go to beat the real murderer. The beginning of the of the dungeon is a simple version of what’s to come. You need to get out of the room, and here you need to figure out how to use your inventory, action icons, and consequences for not reacting fast enough. You will meet the Grim Reaper along with a gory animation if certain actions are done, or not done, on time, and these can be quite hilarious.

I understand that this was made back when point-and-click adventures were fairly new, but one thing I can never get past are the obtuse puzzles and lack of any hints. There is a good and bad ending, and to even get to those, you need specific items to access the final room in the game. These items are acquired by either finding them or purchasing their alternatives. Some items can be completely missed just by killing a specific creature or not talking to someone before another event is triggered. Thankfully, most of these items have multiples, so you will come across them in some form. Most of the game has Erik wandering around teasing people, and this is done by selecting the speech bubble icon and using it over something. You can see a description of something with the eye icon, and you can use items by using the hand icon. The inventory works for the limited buttons you have. There is a single column you can scroll through, and getting to the inventory requires multiple button presses.

There is a duck and punch button because these are required for combat. It doesn’t come often, but each fight gives Erik a different amount of health. He has no health bar, and it’s reset when the creatures die or you leave the screen. You can hold the punch button down, and this will lock the enemies in an animation loop of winging, and that’s your opportunity to keep up the pressure. There are a couple of tough boss fights that require patience, but this is far from a good combat mechanic, and it doesn’t need to be either. My biggest gripe is how slowly Erik walks, and there’s no run button. Backtracking a dozen screens can take forever since each screen has a black screen before it while it loads. This is one of the downsides of being a CD-based game. 

There aren’t a lot of characters to talk to, but the mood and atmosphere are well done here. The graphics are well drawn, and the music is fantastic. I think this is the best part of Shadowgate, but the voice acting is also surprisingly good as well, and there’s a fair amount of it for a game of this age. I just wish this game could be completed without a guide, but it’s nearly impossible without one. I got about 1/4 through the game and had no idea what to do. I wound up missing objects that blended in with the background, and I never would have found them without a guide. Even with a guide, I still missed items and objects that I would have had to restart the game for. At least there are three save slots, so you can go back and forth between them. 

Overall, Beyond Shadowgate is a relic of its time. Obtuse puzzles, no hints, and objects that blend into the background, as well as game-stopping walls if you miss an object, A couple will even require an entire game restart. The music and atmosphere are well done, and the death scenes are pretty gory and fun to watch. The voice acting is great, as is the music, and this is all thanks to the CD technology. However, the combat is pretty basic and cumbersome, as are the controls and inventory management. I say that with a guide, this game is well worth playing through, but just don’t expect a memorable story.