Shadwen Review Summary

Forgiving time rewind and high-quality visuals make stealth appealing, but frustrating companion AI, clunky grapple mechanics, and repetitive linear levels hold it back.

Time rewind mechanic is fun and forgiving: Players consistently praise the time rewind mechanic, noting it is fun to use, encourages experimentation, and eliminates frustration from mistakes by being 100% reliable. This feature is a standout strength that makes the game more enjoyable and forgiving.

Graphics and sound are high quality: The graphics and sound are praised as beautiful and decent for this type of game, with good lighting and voice acting that enhance the overall experience. Players note the visuals are good even for a small budget game.

Stealth gameplay appeals to fans: The game is well-suited for stealth fans, offering enjoyable stealth action with good graphics and platforming elements. Players appreciate that it is accessible even for those less skilled, making it a pleasant experience for stealth enthusiasts.

Easy achievement completion: The achievements are noted as easy to complete without special hard requirements, making the game accessible for players seeking full completion. This adds to its appeal for a broader audience.

Cute dialogues enhance experience: The small dialogues during loading screens between the two girls are described as cute, adding emotional depth and charm to the game. This feature is noted as a nice touch.

Frustrating companion AI: Lily's AI is often described as stupid, inconsistent, and refusing to move, causing trial-and-error frustration and making escort sections tedious. This undermines stealth gameplay and puzzle solving.

Clunky grapple mechanics: The rope grappling hook is consistently reported as finicky, awkward, and clunky to use, with occasional bugs like getting stuck. This negatively impacts the core traversal and combat flow.

Repetitive and linear level design: Levels are criticized for being repetitive, similar-looking, linear, and lacking imagination, with the same alleys and enemies. This contributes to the feeling of monotony.

Weak and barebones story: The narrative is consistently described as weak, bland, boring, and having no depth or backstory. Multiple clusters agree it is underdeveloped and unengaging.

Repetitive and monotonous gameplay: Players find the core gameplay loop boring, dull, and repetitive after a short time, with many calling it monotonous after just a few missions. This is a major criticism of game design.

Stealth game with time control: The game is described as a stealth action title where the player can manipulate time, including rewinding and pausing, similar to Superhot. Time only advances when the player moves, allowing for strategic planning and undoing mistakes.

Lethal and non-lethal choices: Players can choose between lethal and non-lethal approaches, with pacifist and lethal playstyles supported. This affects gameplay and endings, offering moral choices in how to handle enemies.

Time rewind for undoing mistakes: The time rewind mechanic is unlimited and allows players to redo actions, undo mistakes, or rewind on detection failure. It replaces traditional saves, making it a core part of gameplay.

Companion Lily AI system: A companion named Lily must navigate levels without being seen by enemies. She reacts to player violence, such as killing or leaving bodies, and cannot be harmed, adding an escort mission element with AI constraints.

Grappling hook as core mechanic: The grappling hook is a central tool for movement, allowing players to climb, swing, and pull objects to create distractions or trigger traps. It can latch to most wooden structures, enhancing sandbox gameplay.

Performance issues reported: Multiple reviews indicate poor optimization, resulting in low FPS, stuttering, and lag on various systems, especially low-spec PCs and older GPUs like GTX 950m or RX 480.

Mixed optimization feedback: Some users report smooth performance with 60 FPS and praise optimization, while others note average or poor performance, suggesting inconsistent experiences across different hardware.

Best for stealth fans: The game is highly recommended for stealth game enthusiasts, especially those who enjoy forgiving or accessible stealth experiences. It appeals to fans of Dishonored, Styx, and similar titles.

Buy on sale only: Many reviewers recommend purchasing the game at a discounted price, not at full price. Common suggestions include waiting for sales, buying in bundles, or getting it for under $5.

Avoid full price: Multiple reviewers advise against buying the game at full price, recommending discounts or bundles instead. The value is seen as poor at full cost.

Good for beginners: The game is recommended for stealth newcomers or those who prefer a forgiving, less challenging experience. It's accessible and easy to pick up.

Not for everyone: The game is not recommended for players seeking action, variety, complex stories, or hard challenges. It may disappoint those who want tense or deep experiences.

Community fair range: $4.00 - $6.00.

Game completion: 6.0h.

Story completion: 6.0h.

Session length: 1.0h.

Endgame: 4.0h.

Shadwen's fun centers on its time-freeze and grappling hook mechanics, but an initial tutorial and crafting tedium create a barrier; after learning the controls and mastering the hook, the game becomes addictive and satisfying.

Friction: repetitive tutorial with Lily; clunky initial controls and grapple hook aiming; tedious crafting system that gates item usage; lack of early variety in tools and items.

Achievement Completionist: Methodical, uses guides and replays levels to satisfy achievement conditions. Motivation: Complete all achievements and 100% the game. Stance: sale.

Casual Stealth Enthusiast: Plays lethally for ease, often killing all guards; uses the rewind mechanic freely and appreciates the lack of strict failure. Motivation: Enjoyment of a light, entertaining stealth action without high challenge. Stance: sale.

Pacifist Challenge Seeker: Patient, observant, uses tools like grappling hook to distract guards and create clear paths for Lily; often replays levels to perfect the route. Motivation: Seeking a greater challenge and narrative satisfaction through a no-kill run. Stance: sale.

Russian localization feedback: A single mention of the game's Russian localization was noted, suggesting that the translation or language support may be an area of interest for some players.

Subtitles availability: One reviewer pointed out the presence of subtitles, which could indicate that the game's accessibility features or language options are being noticed, though no further detail was provided.

Early access on Steam: A mention was made regarding the game's early release on Steam, implying that the timing or platform of the launch may be a point of feedback or observation.

Spoiler about expanding friends: One piece of feedback contained a spoiler related to expanding friends, which may affect players who wish to avoid plot or mechanic reveals before playing.

Political dislike for royalty: A reviewer expressed political dislike towards the concept of royalty, possibly reflecting personal or ideological views rather than gameplay-related criticism.