Game Review: Shadow Shelter

As old games go, Shadow Shelter is a real beauty.  It has some flaws, but there is a lot here to get excited about for a Vintage Goth!

Shadow Shelter is a hidden object and puzzle game. You can download it for free here.  Set in a haunted and decaying Victorian mansion, you need to collect keys to many locks, pieces to various puzzles, and run all over the house to solve them.  There is a story line which includes ghosts and demons, although it is mild enough to be suitable for younger gamers.  It’s no Silent Hill, but it’s definitely dark and spooky.

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There were only a few things I didn't love about this beautiful game.  For instance, the backstory is given in a sort of comic-book style.  It is supposed to be an old handwritten diary, but it looks a little cheesy.  Fortunately, the backstory segments are short.  In the end, I never really cared about the story as much I as would have liked. If I were quite a bit younger, I think I would have liked it much more, but it wasn’t compelling enough for me to be very interested.  I adored the main gameplay, however, which is just the right combination of creepy and beautiful.  Like a page-turner book, you can’t wait to see what’s around the next corner, or in the next room.  The animated ghosts and demons that pop up from time to time are also more cheesy than scary.  They might surprise you, but they aren't too bad. There is a small boy ghost who is supposedly a wealthy heir from the past, but wears ill-fitting clothes and a modern haircut.  Again, this is a small part of the overall game play.  One of the animations I absolutely loved was a “Thing”-like Hand that helps you in the game.  But most of the time you are left to wander the house alone, and peruse all the dusty rusty treasures and rummage through them looking for clues and pieces to the puzzles.  Some of the puzzle pieces you will collect include pieces of stained glass window, billiard balls, and old wine bottles. 

The puzzles range from easy to challenging.  With most of them, you have to visit more than one room to solve.  Always revisit rooms you think are “done”, just to be sure something new and relevant to your current puzzle hasn’t popped up.  The rooms are so interesting, you won’t mind seeing them again, even if you can’t use anything there.  If you get stuck, there’s a host of hint websites out there to move you along to the next puzzle.  Just google “Shadow Shelter” along with the room you’re working in, and you will find your hints.  I had to consult such websites twice throughout my game play, as last resorts, when I was stuck.  There is, of course, a “Hint” button in the game, but it didn’t always help me figure out what to do.  There is also a map to help you jump from room to room if you don't want to walk back through a long series of rooms, and a charming scrapbook where you keep hints and important information.  Don't forget to use these to help you along.

Just a look at these screen shots should be enough for most Vintage Goths to run over to Gametop and download a free copy.  Play mode is relaxed, and you can choose difficulty levels (such as hints or no hints).  If you want to have a gothy vintage style game to play, give it try.  I do recommend.