Blowfish Studios has just announced its most high-profile game yet, Shadowman : Darque Legacy, a sequel to the classic originally released in the late ’90s. It’s fair to say that’s something no one expected, given that the series has been dormant for over 20 years, but this sequel has the potential to reshape the Shadow franchise years after its original launch.
The original Shadowman was a cult classic of the late 90s and early 2000s. Based on the comic book series produced by Valiant Comics, the game revolves around Michael LeRoi, a former English major student turned voodoo fighter who needs to protect the world from dark forces. While the game was successful enough to spawn a sequel for consoles a few years later, and a remastered sequel for PC in 2013, the second game underperformed and is only now forgotten.
Developer Blowfish Studios abruptly announced a new trailer for Shadowman: Darque Legacy this week. The trailer doesn’t reveal much since there’s no gameplay available yet, but it does show a table full of things that set the tone for the game. Some interesting items are displayed on the table, including a katana sword, cigarettes, some rings, alcohol, a skull and a poster titled “The Lead Belly”, starring Jack Boniface (the main character) on January 17 . At the moment, it’s not really clear whether that date means anything. The game’s release is set for 2024, and it’s coming to PC (Steam and Epic), PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, but there’s no specific release date yet.
In this sequel to the classic game, players take on the role of Shadowman Jack Boniface, who has sworn to defend humanity from the dark and undead enemies of the Deadside. During his quest, he is expected to face necromancers, cultists, demons, and dark abominations. According to the developer, the game will offer “visceral, rewarding combat with deadly supernatural weapons,” which will be punishing, as well as a compelling story. This pretty much sets it up when Shadowman meets Soullike combat.
Hopefully Shadowman: Darque Legacy will be a hit, or at least not a memorable game. Gamers haven’t been disappointed to see many sequels to older titles lately. One of the best examples is Streets of Rage 4, which came out 25 years after the last game in the series and was able to keep the spirit of the series intact while modernizing the gameplay.
Shadowman: Darque Legacy will release in 2024 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.