In my 20 years in the industry, I have never had an experience like the one working on Shadows of the Damned. First off, I spent the majority of last year living in Japan and onsite with the developer; Suda51 and Grasshopper Manufacture. It was a great experience living in Tokyo and working alongside the great team at Grasshopper Manufacture.

The concept of light and dark as a metaphor for good and evil is an old one, but the Light and Dark gameplay in Shadows of the Damned takes it to a whole new level. It is less literal, but rather metaphorical, in the pain and torment that is caused to our hero. As for gameplay, the player should not take the approach of “shoot anything that moves”. Each environment and enemy will require a thoughtful approach in order to progress. Usually, darkness is lethal to the player, but sometimes may be required in order to expose an enemy’s weakness. Each situation is different and the player must build upon the earlier concepts encountered in order to defeat the tougher enemies deeper in the game. Shadows of the Damned is the thinking man’s shooter.

With regards to the story, our hero must find the love of his life, Paula, who has been taken from him by the lord of demons in retribution for killing his minions. Garcia Hotspur is a demon hunter by trade, but must now travel through Hell in search of his beloved, the most important thing in his life.

In the traditional view of Hell, sinners suffer punishment in body and soul for eternity resulting in everlasting punishment for the damned. Conversely, Suda51’s metaphorically twisted vision is Hell is a place where suffering is more mental than physical. It is a place where our hero must endure his trials of torment and can one day leave if deemed worthy. Suda’s version of Hell envisions the player passing through several tests and in doing so, purges and refines our hero, so that someday, when he finds his true love and defeats the lord of demons, he will be allowed to return from hell. If he fails, it will consume them permanently.

There are many interesting aspects in Shadows of the Damned, and we are really excited for the game to launch so our PS3 gans can enjoy it as much as we did making it. Until then, enjoy some of these PlayStation exclusive screenshots from the game!