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[jshackles]

The original design (seen below) of the never-before seen point and click adventure is being brought to life after 30+ years in the vault – Beyond Shadowgate! The game is being created by the designers of the original 8-bit hit Shadowgate and a leading 8-bit adventure studio! With a story that is over four times larger than Shadowgate, Beyond Shadowgate captures the same look and feel as the 8-bit console version while including modern design sensibilities. Get ready for the ultimate Shadowgate sequel!

35 years have passed since Jair defeated the Warlock Lord in the caverns beneath the living castle, Shadowgate. In that time, the land of Kal Torlin prospered and the events of Shadowgate were forgotten. But once again evil is stirring, scheming to bring the world to ruin.

In the dungeons of Gwynenthell, the capital city of Kal Torlin, a lowly Fenling by the name of Del Thornburrow awaits his fate. No stranger to a jail cell, Del soon frees himself from the dangers of the dungeon, only to begin a journey that will push him to the edge of his limits.

Lead Del as he travels through Gwynenthell, across the Torlin Forest, over the Gatekeeper Mountains, and beyond! Uncover plots to overthrow kingdoms that threaten to plunge the land into darkness! Interact with old friends and new, while protecting Del from the traps, hazards, monsters, and every other peril that may introduce him to the ever-present Grim Reaper.

Excellent pixel art similar to the NES game
A huge number of rooms to explore and items to collect
Many, many ways to die
Multiple endings
Controller & mouse and keyboard support
A brand new Hint System
A Fast Travel System
Lethal Puzzle Quick Time Events
Day/Night Progression System
A Death Indicator
Side Quests based on Deja Vu, Uninvited, and Shadowgate VR
Steam Deck Support

Beyond Shadowgate

Overview The original design of the never-before seen point and click adventure is being

www.gog.com

Game releases September 19th, 2024

 

[EviLore]

Wow, that’s cool. The original is of course a classic. Being made by the original designers 30 years later is a rare treat. I’ll be picking it up.

 

[El Muerto]

Used to play this on NES with my brothers all the time back in the day. Still have the cartridge too. Definitely been looking forward to this. Lots of fond memories playing this game.

 

[jshackles]

Looks like tomorrow night they are doing a livestream with the lead programmer and music designer.

The night before the Beyond Shadowgate launch, the Project Lead/Lead Programmer, Jason Canam, and Music/Sound Designer, Orie Falconer want to engage with the Shadowgate / Beyond Shadowgate fans and community to answer any questions (non-spoiler) and talk about the journey of creating the next installment of the the Shadowgate series! Come hang out with us on Twitch, September 18th @ 8pm EST and GET HYPED for what is going to be a legendary sequel for one of the best NES adventure games of all time!

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

Probably too hard for me. The original is a very interesting game, but devilishly brutal. One wrong move and it’s game over. The torches add another layer of difficulty to an already merciless adventure. But it was the way games were made at the time.

I’m sure this sequel will be good. And it will make people pull their hair out in a way no Souls game ever could.

 

[ssringo]

Holy shit this I'm glad I saw this OT. I'm pretty good at keeping up with new/upcoming Steam releases (especially the smaller ones) but this one completely flew by me! The late PC ports and remakes can get fucked; I'm all in for a NEW SHADOWGATE! And it has some of the original team working on it!

Side Quests based on Deja Vu

I loved Deja Vu even more than the OG Shadowgate. Everything about this makes me super happy.

 

[_Ex_]

I had this in '90 on NES. As an 11 year old this game was legit creepy, such atmosphere. It was tough times to make progress. Ended up ordering the hint manual from the user manual. During the months (yes months) it took for that hint manual to come in, made incremental progress. Then beat the game the day the hint manual came in, still loved it. I consider the original Shadowgate on NES to be the best adventure game on the platform. This is a good pick for an October play for any retro gamers not versed yet.

An interesting bit about the NES Shadowgate is that it contains an unused music track intended for a room called "The Goblin Room." This room was present in the original PC version of the game but was ultimately cut from the NES version, but the track was left in the code. Here's said cut track:



Also the flute item in Shadowgate plays a tune that is a nod to another game in the MacVenture series, Déjà Vu. Specifically, it plays the first measure of one of the songs from that game, creating a subtle connection between these titles.

 

[jshackles]

Probably too hard for me. The original is a very interesting game, but devilishly brutal. One wrong move and it’s game over. The torches add another layer of difficulty to an already merciless adventure. But it was the way games were made at the time.

It was tough times to make progress. Ended up ordering the hint manual from the user manual. During the months (yes months) it took for that hint manual to come in, made incremental progress. Then beat the game the day the hint manual came in, still loved it.

This game has an official strategy guide that's being made by the team. It was part of the Kickstarter last year - they even had physical copies printed. Surely there will be a way to purchase the digital version when this releases.

Here's a link to the Kickstarter page, I guess I should have included that in the OP. The page also has a demo for the first area - though if you've waited this long you might as well wait a few more days til this officially releases.

 

[ssringo]

This game has an official strategy guide that's being made by the team. It was part of the Kickstarter last year - they even had physical copies printed. Surely there will be a way to purchase the digital version when this releases.

I'm kicking myself for completely writing off anything coming from Kickstarter so many years ago. I 100% would've bit hard on those physical rewards.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

This game has an official strategy guide that's being made by the team. It was part of the Kickstarter last year - they even had physical copies printed. Surely there will be a way to purchase the digital version when this releases.

Here's a link to the Kickstarter page, I guess I should have included that in the OP. The page also has a demo for the first area - though if you've waited this long you might as well wait a few more days til this officially releases.

That’s very cool! But I’ve spoiled myself too many an adventure game with guides. Recently, solving Return to Monkey Island without using a guide gave me a kind of satisfaction I rarely got as a kid, when I always ended up looking up guides and spoiling more than I should have for myself. And the Mac Venture series was on a completely different level than Lucasarts games. I’d definitely spoil more than half the game for me.

 

[jshackles]

Game is live now!

$17.99 with a 10% launch discount

There is also a deluxe edition DLC (that's for some reason not listed on the store page)

$6.99 with a 10% launch discount this includes the digital strategy guide, soundtrack, digital map, and three digital comic books.

 

[SpiceRacz]

Probably putting down Plucky Squire to play this. September has been a really solid month of games so far.

 

[ssringo]

Spent about an hour playing. They really nailed everything; the look, the sound, the writing. Superb.

Wish I could grant them more success than they'll probably get with this.

 

[jshackles]

Seeing my name in the backer's credits, priceless

 

[BennyBlanco]

I had no idea this existed. This is sick.

 

[Sethbacca]

This looks like a ton of fun. I've always thought this series would be a perfect one for a VR adaptation.

 

[El Muerto]

This looks like a ton of fun. I've always thought this series would be a perfect one for a VR adaptation.

There is a VR game, but it's not that great. I played it on my quest 2.

 

[Krathoon]

The game is like if Doctor Who upgraded your Shadowgate.

 

[Alexios]

So how do you first play the original on the same level as this rather than some remake thing? Play on NES? Or is there some faithful PC port/remaster or whatever?

 

[jshackles]

So how do you first play the original on the same level as this rather than some remake thing? Play on NES? Or is there some faithful PC port/remaster or whatever?

They have the "8 bit adventure anthology" on Steam, that's basically the (arguably) best way to play the classic game on PC. I say (arguably), because the only real advantage this has over emulating the game is that it includes some side graphics to make it widescreen, instead of just having black bars. This anthology includes Shadowgate, Deja-Vu, and Uninvited - all of which are kind of featured in the new game.

If you do decide to emulate it, I'd wholeheartedly recommend using Retro Achievements, the game's got a really fun set.

https://retroachievements.org/game/1499

EDIT: if you want to go even more "original", there is the original MacVenture series release as well.

This version is a port of the original Mac release, much more of a "point and click" adventure than the NES port. Terribad inventory management.

 

[SpiceRacz]

Played for somewhere around 90 - 120 mins. Feels faithful to the original without the confusing puzzles (feels a bit easy so far). UI is snappy and not as frustrating as I expected. I'm 34% through the game. So, it's obviously on the shorter side. Overall, really enjoying it and will see it through to the end. If you're a fan of the original, absolutely buy it.

 

[Sethbacca]

There is a VR game, but it's not that great. I played it on my quest 2.

Ahhh good to know. Well, maybe someone will do it appropriately someday

 

[jshackles]

Finally got to the end of this - anyone else play it? Strangely, one of my favorite games I've played this year so far!