INTRODUCTION
What with the recent release of Rise of the Robots and Mortal Kombat 2, you'd think that it would be rather a bad time to release a beat-'em-up of your own. Gremlin Interactive have done exactly this with its latest offering, Shadow Fighter, so they must know something we don't. Gremlin believes, that its beat-'em-up, created by Italian developers, NAPS Team, will kick its competitors out of the ring and claim the spot at the top of the charts for its very own.
Some of you probably haven't heard anything about Shadow Fighter, mainly because of its low-key release and the fact that the other two contenders have been backed my massive TV advertising campaigns which have been practically force-
Shadow Fighter features everything you'd want in a beat-'em-up with its special moves, secret manoeuvres and its 16 characters, all with their own fighting styles and personalities.
So how does Gremlin Interactive's game fare up against the combined might of Mortal Kombat 2 and Rise of the Robots?
Will the big boys beat it up and toss it aside like a rag doll, or will the underdog, Shadow Fighter, put in a sterling Rocky-
STORYLINE
Kioya Mishuma is a seventeenth century Samurai held in high esteem by his Emperor and the people for his honourable and disciplined life. He is a man blessed with an agile mind and his skill with a sword was unrivalled.
Plagued by dreams, he longed for more fame and wished to become a living legend. Chronozon, keeper of the abyss and gateway to the after world, found Kioya's dreams very interesting. He dispatched his personal servant to claim his noble soul, for such a soul would be highly prized by his master.
One night, Kioya woke up with a start to find a shadow standing at the foot of his bed with a globe of light in its hand. All the dreams that had troubled him were in the globe, there for the taking Kioya has been blessed by the silent messenger.
His feats across the kingdom became legendary, and it was said that Kioya could achieve the impossible Soon his confident swagger was despised by the other Samurai. Kioya had begun to abuse his status and people saw him for the false idol he was.
Kioya rebelled against his doubters and in a rage, killed countless of his fellow Samurai. This deed did not go unnoticed. Chronozon despatched his demons to curse Kioya's now worthless and foolish soul. Cursed to become one of the walking dead, Kioya's only wish now was that of release from his torment.
Eventually he offered a tremendous award to the individual who could give him peace, someone who could overcome his formidable combat skills. Fighters from all around the world began combat, for the honour of pitting themselves against the Shadow Fighter - perhaps the greatest fighter who ever walked the earth.
SOUND
Audio have been a bit of a problem for the latest beat-'em-up releases. Brian May's guitar twiddling in Rise of the Robots is pathetic, and the so-called tunes in Mortal Kombat 2 are bog-standard coin-op compositions and I wouldn't dream of letting them damage your ear-lobes. Shadow Fighter, on the other hand or should that be ear, is superb, simply because it has an extremely strong soundtrack.
The menu music, with its fast break-beat, sounds okay, but the fun really starts when you start fighting. A range of tunes with a banging beat and some mad acid squelches really do enhance the overall atmosphere.
The sound effects aren't anything to shout about, but they do the job adequately enough, with plenty of thumps, bumps and smacks in all the right places. The simple fact that Shadow Fighter sounds better than any of its recent competitors is a good enough reason to rave on about the soundtrack, and thus it gets a big thumbs up from me.
75%GRAPHICS
The first thing that you'll notice when you pick up the Shadow Fighter box is the artwork on the front and just how good it looks. Gremlin Interactive hired Greg Staples, the highly-rated 2000AD artist responsible for the art in strips such as Slaine and ABC Warriors, to produce the cover art and provide illustrations for all sixteen characters. So, before I even loaded the game I was already impressed by the presentation of the product.
Thankfully, this style continues when you start to play. There is no fancy and mind-
The characters are superb and whichever one you choose, you won't be disappointed because each has an astounding set of moves, special or otherwise and,to be perfectly honest, they're so original it's like a breath of fresh air in the world of beat-'em-ups.
The backdrops are nicely drawn and are linked with whatever country the fighters are fighting in. The countries aren't even bog-standard ones. You can scrap your way around the world in places such as Denmark, Thailand, Pakistan, Tibet and to make things even more different, there's even a space level for you to enjoy.
For an A500/600 game, Shadow Fighter really does perform at the highest level. OK, so maybe the characters are lacking colours in places, but this isn't an AGA version and with sixteen characters you'd be hard pressed to find 32 colours that suit every fighter. A1200 owners have no need to fear though, because a super-
OPINION90%
This A500/600 version of Shadow Fighter may not look as tasty as its other two beat-'em-up rivals, but it plays a lot better. The characters are as original as anything I've seen in the genre, as are all their special moves, and there are so many nice touches I simply don't have the space to tell you about them all.
For example, the training session, where you face another character called Pupazz who is basically a stuffed training dummy, is a brilliant idea. This allows you to test all your special moves and although Pupazz looks harmless, he packs quite a few surprises.
The way the control system is set-up is well done and it won't be long before you're going through various combinations of moves with the greatest of ease.
Shadow Fighter works well as a two player, but surprisingly enough the one-player game is just as good. It's very tough and you'll need plenty of hours practice before you meet the Shadow Fighter, but at least you progress unlike Mortal Kombat 2.
As far as beat-'em-ups go on the Amiga, I've been more than pleasantly surprised by Shadow Fighter. It could go on from strength to strength after the release of the AGA version and finally take the beat-'em-up crown away from games like Body Blows and Mortal Kombat.