Shadwen

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Shadwen
Shadwen Steam Banner.jpg
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Developer(s) Frozenbyte
Publisher(s) Frozenbyte
Platform(s) macOS, Linux, macOS, PlayStation 4, and Windows
Release17 May 2016
Genre(s) Stealth
Mode(s) Single-player

Shadwen is a stealth video game developed and published by Frozenbyte. The game was released for macOS, Linux, macOS, PlayStation 4, and Windows in May 2016.

Contents

Gameplay

Shadwen is a stealth video game played from a third-person view. [1]

Plot

An assassin named Shadwen embarks on a quest to kill the king and must also protect a young girl named Lily. Lily's father was taken to a quarry by kingsmen, and her mother died in the recent spring. She kept herself alive by finding food and shelter throughout the summer, but struggled to feed herself as the weeks went on. She meets Shadwen while trying to steal apples from a tree in the city graveyard. Her mother used to tell her stories where kind and gentle people came out on top. Her opinion of Shadwen can change depending on if she sees Shadwen kill people or not. Shadwen lived in the Dark Forest and was hired by the current king to kill the former king. The current king went back on his word to pay her and instead burned down the forest where she lived to try and kill her. Seeking revenge, Shadwen makes her way to his castle to either end his life or exact payment.

Development and release

Shadwen was developed by Frozenbyte. [2] The game was announced in December 2015. [2] The game was released for macOS, Linux, macOS, PlayStation 4, and Windows on 17 May 2016. [3] The PlayStation 4 version is notable for being one of the very few PlayStation 4 games not playable on the PlayStation 5 with backwards compatibility, due to a loading screen bug that cannot be fixed. [4]

Reception

Shadwen received "mixed or average" reviews from critics according to review aggregator Metacritic. [5] [6] Destructoid reviewer Joe Parlock was disappointed in the game, noting that it wasted the potential of a really cool premise. [7] Hardcore Gamer writer Jordan Helm's review was more positive in his critique, saying that the tactically-focus stealth gameplay enticed him to continue playing the game. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Helm, Jordan (18 May 2016). "Review: Shadwen". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  2. 1 2 Nunneley, Stephany (5 December 2015). "Trine-developer announces stealth-action adventure game Shadwen". VG247 . Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  3. Matulef, Jeffrey (5 May 2016). "Trine dev's stealth adventure Shadwen gets a release date". Eurogamer . Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  4. Square, Push (13 October 2020). "Why Shadwen Won't Be Backwards Compatible on PS5". Push Square. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  5. 1 2 "Shadwen for PC Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  6. 1 2 "Shadwen for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  7. 1 2 Parlock, Joe (17 May 2016). "Review: Shadwen". Destructoid . Retrieved 16 December 2017.