Step into the shadows as a lethal ninja, or go in katanas blazing. Shadowed is a traditional roguelike with a focus on stealth, combat, magic, and long-term planning. Beware, because at the bottom of the demon castle, the red-handed Shuten-doji revels, and there's no turning back to grind.
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6 user reviews - Need more user reviews to generate a score
Release Date:
Oct 12, 2024

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Early Access Game

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Note: Games in Early Access are not complete and may or may not change further. If you are not excited to play this game in its current state, then you should wait to see if the game progresses further in development. Learn more

What the developers have to say:

Why Early Access?

“Shadowed is a game with a huge amount of systems and complexity. Getting feedback on the game is a priority, and one that has been hard to accomplish through conventional means due to the game being a traditional roguelike and few testers having experience with the genre. Early access feedback can also help us find and stamp out many extra bugs that may otherwise go unnoticed.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“Planned to be around 6-12 months.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“We plan to release 3 extra unique, non-ninja classes. We want to add artwork for the event system. Certain level types are planned to have additional features added. Many more perks, spells, items, and enemies are planned to be added.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The game is fully playable and beatable, with three unique classes, over 30 in-game random events, 7 bosses, and numerous items, enemies, perks and playstyles. Some playstyles may be a little barebones and there may be some bugs, but we feel that the game's true potential can shine through even in this version.”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“The price will increase a little bit for the final release to reflect the additional content and polish.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“All feedback is immensely helpful and will be noted. We will try to monitor the steam community as well as emails, and various other places where the game may be discussed.”
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Reviews

“I honestly feel like I’ve only scratched the surface of the tactical possibilities that [the mechanics] provide, but there appears to be a significant amount of depth for players to unlock.[...] I’ve already seen first-hand how active the dev is when it comes to bug fixing and working with players to ensure they have a good experience.”
The Rogueliker

“I like it. It has a lot of good things going for it. [...] The developer is very responsive and reactive to all of the [issues] discovered.”
Grid Sage Games, developer of Cogmind

About This Game

Blending elements both old and new, Shadowed: the Demon Castle of Ooe is a unique medieval Japanese take on the tradition of games like Angband and Nethack. The control scheme of Shadowed is simple, but the resource management, build decisions, and brutal status effects are not. Shadowed aims to keep "gotcha" deaths to a minimum, and base its difficulty around strategy instead.

Exiled from the Japanese imperial city, your character is on a one-way trip to "scout" a demonic castle. The legendary demon Shuten-Doji surely must have died centuries ago, and yet somehow, the Ooe mountain once again runs red with blood. Go forth to the castle, and wash clean your dishonor with death. No matter your prowess, a lowborn warrior such as you could never actually hope to prevail... Or so the imperial court thinks.

                                                                                                                                                                   

Shadowed: the Demon Castle of Ooe features:

  • Long-term decision making: Everything you do ticks up your fatigue, which you can only wash away after defeating bosses on certain levels. Every character has access to unique and powerful weapon techniques and class spells, but use them too liberally, and you may not last.

  • Interesting levels: With over 4 groundbreaking level generation algorithms, many different types of rooms, unique roguelite-style events with choices, and special vaults and trap rooms, exploration in Shadowed is always varied and rewarding. Stairs are placed in roughly the opposite side of where you spawn, so you always have a rough idea of where to go, or what to avoid if you wish to explore everything with minimal backtracking.

  • Builds and upgrades: Shadowed has a unique stat system with five stats(Strength, Agility, Precision, Spirit, and Cunning) that all have some usefulness for every class. Not only that, but there are currently over 40 perks, all of which allow for a great variety in builds.

  • Symmetrical status effects: Shadowed has five elements and many impactful statuses, ranging from poison to immolation to berserk to charm. Both the player and enemies can be affected by all of them, enemies often have crippling elemental weaknesses, and many can be permanently charmed to the player's side and controlled as allies.

  • Deadly enemies: Large emphasis has been placed on giving enemies unique abilities, strengths, weaknesses, and counterplay. Prepare resistances for some, debilitate others with statuses, avoid melee combat or ranged fights... Almost every enemy in Shadowed is unique, and many have devastating tricks up their sleeves.

  • Stealth matters: Sneaking past enemies can give more EXP than defeating them, but you won't get their loot. And sneaking past may not be easy: Enemies can be quite perceptive and intelligent.

  • No gotchas: RNG is always a factor in roguelikes, but in Shadowed, you may examine an enemy to see what it is capable of, any time you like. You always know exactly how far away bosses/rests are, and the level exits are always placed consistently.

  • Preparation systems: Shadowed has an item preparation system that lets you prepare items to use instantly, but punishes you for using them from the bag. Scout well, be prepared for most situations in general, or run the risk of fumbling for what you need most.

  • Simple control scheme: Most items in shadowed can be used with just one simple "use" command. Extraneous commands are kept to a minimum, and the game has mouse support and tooltips for all UI elements.

  • Immersion: Sound, music, graphics, and event descriptions all come together to create a very immersive experience for those with a little imagination.

Note: "Ooe" is pronounced "Oh-eh". Shadowed is available in both English and (coming soon)Japanese.

System Requirements

    Minimum:
    • OS *: Windows 7,8,10,11
    • Processor: 2 GHz
    • Memory: 512 MB RAM
    • Graphics: Integrated graphics
    • Storage: 500 MB available space
    • Sound Card: N/A
    • VR Support: N/A
* Starting January 1st, 2024, the Steam Client will only support Windows 10 and later versions.

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