If you like puzzles, exploring the maps will be the most entertaining and will make us be attentive to our environment.

This enhanced and in terms of story completed re-release of the 2014 action RPG Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms still has some interesting ideas, but also still doesn’t manage to give Diablo 3 or Victor Vran a run for their money.

Shadow’s Awakening is very solid indeed. Fans of the genre will have a lot of fun here and should well enjoy the depth of gameplay that is on offer. The switching between worlds in a great trick and the developers use it superbly well, whilst the fully voiced cast offer an extra dimension.

Shadows: Awakening is a solid game in a genre that is easy to get lost in. The issue is that its high price point and drawbacks make it hard to recommend above something else. It just doesn’t stand enough on its own two legs to be remarkable. That doesn’t take away from the fact that I enjoyed nearly my entire time with it. Those that pick it up will likely not be disappointed; it is just getting someone to take the plunge that could cause problems. This is the kind of game that would have benefitted from being just a bit cheaper at the outset.

Shadows: Awakening feels different enough, thanks to integrating the idea of character and class swapping into the core design of both the mechanics and story. But even so the by-product of this is more micro-management and loot scrubbing duties placed on the player, that isn’t helped by an overall pace that feels too slow.

Sadly, a tedious story combined with finicky menus and dull characters means that Shadows Awakening doesn’t fully wake up to its potential. It’s a decent RPG with some new ideas, but it’s not going to set your world on fire.