Shadows: Awakening on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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Shadows: Awakening is a unique, isometric single-player RPG with real-time tactical combat. You embark on an epic adventure with challenging gameplay, a gripping storyline and enchanting graphics.
Shadows: Awakening is a rpg, action and hack and slash game
developed by Games Farm
and published by Kalypso Media.
Released on August 31st 2018 is available only on Windows
in 6 languages: English, French, German, Russian, Spanish - Spain and Simplified Chinese.
It has received 2,406 reviews of which 1,810 were positive and 596 were negative resulting in a rating of 7.3 out of 10. 😊
The game is currently priced at 7.49€ on Steam with a 75% discount, but you can find it for 1.35€ on K4G.
The Steam community has classified Shadows: Awakening into these genres:
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System requirements
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Windows
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS *: Windows 7/8/10 64Bit Versions
- Processor: Intel Compatible 2.1 GHz Dual Core
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: GTX460 2GB or compatible
- Storage: 13 GB available space
Steam Price & Best Deals
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
Review for character and story players: Score: 8.0 Overview: I originally bought this game not realizing it was the same developer as Viking: Wolves of Midgard, and when I realized it was, and after such a polarizing experience prior to abandoning Vikings, I fully expected this game to fail to meet my expectations and be a quick removal from my active game list. I have to say though, this game is an upgrade in every conceivable way, and the comparison is so drastic, if I didn't know the same developer name was attached, I would never have known. If you felt Vikings was a huge turnoff, like I did, don't do yourself a disservice by dismissing this game, as the quality comparison is an unprecedented improvement over their first title, and a rare thing to experience as even with iteration over a decade of games, I've never really had a developer improve as much as this developer has - there is really no comparison regarding Vikings as this game is on an entirely different level. Characters and Story: The characters are honestly very compelling for an ARPG, and arguable very well written even compared to more narrative drive RPGs in my opinion, and they really drive attachment and appreciation for the effort put into the narrative and world as you move through each chapter. I will say it starts sort of slow and seems to meander, but the story is driving toward a climax that I anticipate will be worth the investment: I'm only in Chapter 4 at the moment. Regarding the characters, you start with the devourer and a primary puppet, each with different abilities and personalities, as well as backstories, personal questlines, and very different interactions with the main story and characters. Kalig was my primary puppet, and I really enjoyed his personality and banter with the devourer and other story based puppets and NPCs over the course of the story. The dialogue is fully voiced, and excellently done in my opinion, and really draws you in as direct dialogue and interaction is commonplace and really helps keep the journey interesting and fun. It gets even better when you get the next story puppet Zaar, as the chemistry of multiple characters increases the bantering and personal relationships to one another, and improves yet again when you get Carissa as she directly ties into the main narrative - I won't reveal any of the specific story wise, but the story really picks up once she joins. I also noted that the addition of either Darius or Falon adds an additional story based puppet, and each of the mutually exclusive hidden puppets here have voiced dialogue with the story, other characters, and more importantly, have direct history with Carissa and your primary puppet, depending on whom you choose for pairing - Jasker for example has a personal relationship with Falon, which I did not experience, but makes me think about replaying to experience as I have a feeling it is stronger than the other puppet combinations. I will note, however, that several puppets are purely for gameplay and have no dialogue or personality based on my experience, but they are still interesting from a gameplay perspective. I would wager that a NG+ with a different primary puppet will create a very different experience, based on my current playthrough, which I say with confidence as Kalig has many interactions that are not just broad strokes with an insert x character type of dialogue, though I cannot confirm this without playing through again. Experience (Gameplay, World Design, & Systems): The gameplay is also very fun. The devourer and your main puppet are always part of your party, but you can swap in any other two puppets, each with their own abilities and playstyle, and what I really like is that the gear you find is a combination of puppet exclusive or class based, but maintains a unique look for each puppet equipping it most of the time. I will say I wish there was a bit more on the loot side, through drops and through shops, as enemies do not respawn and once you buy the inventory at a vendor it never restocks, but overall the gear design and frequent visual changes kept the pacing interesting and fun, allowing you to feel like you were becoming stronger over the course of the game while the gear aligns with that perception. This was a huge upgrade over Vikings. Recommendations to Maximize your Experience: 1. Outfitting our characters: gear level is important for armor and weapons, but for accessories the abilities are much more important, but the accessories level really doesn't matter except for essence tier they come with innately. My recommendation is to stack up the accessories with your best essence, rather than the weapons and armor, as they can be used nearly the entire game without being out phased until you get access to the next higher tier of essences. There are three total tiers from what I can tell, which means accessories can last for chapters without needing replacement if you build them up well. Keep in mind, once attached, they are permanently used up and cannot be recovered. 2. Maximizing your story/character experience: I'll admit this would require you to accept mild spoilers, but I think it is worth it, as I wish I would have done this myself. Prior to your playthrough, do research on the puppets and their personal history, relative to the story based puppet mutually exclusive options, so you can optimally pair them with your main puppet to get the best experience. Jasker & Falon seem the strongest combination from what I've read, but Darius is also a good option mainly to pair with the mandatory character Carissa, but he may be better paired with the starting mage than Kalig as I am doing in my playthrough. There isn't a lot of info online to guide you here, but it is worth considering as I'm pretty confident it changes the experience. 3. Many of the gameplay puzzles can be a bit of a pain, and are not always clearly telegraphed. If you see something unusual, braziers with only some torches lit, holes in the ground, boulders and pressure plates, and so on, don't assume the game will guide you to a solution or that it will telegraph this is an optional hidden puzzle, and either try to figure it out then and there, or look up guides if needed. Youtube has most solutions if you get stumped, and while the wiki is fairly minimal, it does include area maps which also often have puzzle solutions on them. Some of the puzzles and hidden quests are challenging and very poorly telegraphed, some are also missable, so make sure to pay attention as you play! Final Words: Overall, this is a really fun game, and totally worth a playthrough if you like ARPGs. The characters are much more nuanced and enjoyable that you might expect for an ARPG, the world design and biomes are brilliantly designed and gorgeous, enemies are varied and interesting visually, and the puppets and gear really help make for an interesting experience that continues to reward exploration I think the phrase "hidden gem" or "underrated" is used a bit too often by gamers, but in this case I would say this is honestly a pretty superb game that doesn't get nearly as much attention as it deserves, likely due to the unimpressive fist outing of Vikings tarnishing people's expectations for the developer. Honestly, it's hard to believe this title is from the same developer at all! Which makes me even more disappointed to know their most recent game is a gameplay focused roguelike, rather than another compelling character and narrative focused RPG. Here's to hoping they revisit the world of Shadows again in the future!
Shadows: Awakening, developed by Games Farm and published by Kalypso Media, is an isometric action RPG that sets itself apart with an unusual premise and a mechanical twist that tries to push beyond the genre’s usual boundaries. Instead of placing the player in the role of a traditional hero, the game casts you as the Devourer, a demon capable of consuming the souls of fallen individuals and using them as vessels. This narrative framing immediately gives the experience a darker, more morally ambiguous tone, as the story unfolds through the perspective of a being that exists somewhere between manipulator and reluctant participant in a larger conflict. The defining feature of the game is its dual-realm system, which allows players to shift between the shadow world and the mortal plane at will. This mechanic is tightly integrated into both combat and exploration, requiring players to think in terms of two overlapping realities. Enemies, obstacles, and even puzzles often exist differently depending on which realm is active, creating moments where progress depends on careful observation and timing. Alongside this, the ability to control multiple “puppets”—each representing a different absorbed soul—adds a layer of tactical depth. Players can switch between characters on the fly, combining their abilities to handle different combat situations. When this system works smoothly, it gives the game a dynamic rhythm that feels more strategic than the typical hack-and-slash approach. Combat itself leans toward a slower, more deliberate pace. Rather than relying purely on reflexes, the game encourages players to think about positioning, cooldown management, and the synergy between different characters’ abilities. There is a certain satisfaction in coordinating attacks and swapping between puppets to maintain control of the battlefield. However, this pacing can also become a drawback over time. Skill cooldowns are often lengthy, which can lead to stretches where combat feels less engaging, and the reliance on basic attacks becomes more noticeable. As the game progresses, encounters can begin to feel repetitive, especially when the variety in enemy behavior does not evolve significantly. The world of Shadows: Awakening is rich in atmosphere, drawing heavily on dark fantasy themes. Environments are varied enough to maintain visual interest, with detailed locations that reflect the grim tone of the narrative. Lighting and effects contribute to a sense of depth, particularly when transitioning between the mortal and shadow realms. Despite this, there are moments where the presentation feels uneven. Character animations can be stiff, and certain interface elements appear dated, creating a contrast between the game’s more polished aspects and its rougher edges. Narratively, the game shows ambition, exploring ideas related to identity, control, and the nature of power. The concept of inhabiting different characters allows for multiple perspectives, and the dialogue often reflects the tension between the Devourer and the souls it controls. Voice acting is generally solid, helping to bring these interactions to life. However, the story struggles to maintain a consistent level of engagement throughout its length. While the premise is compelling, the pacing can cause key plot developments to feel diluted, and some characters do not receive the depth they seem to promise early on. Quest design and progression follow a familiar structure, with a mix of main objectives and side activities that guide the player through the world. While this provides a steady sense of direction, it rarely breaks away from established patterns. Puzzles are included to add variety, but they often lack creativity and can feel repetitive after extended play. The overall experience becomes one of gradual progression rather than discovery, with fewer moments of surprise than the game’s premise might suggest. Despite its shortcomings, Shadows: Awakening offers a substantial amount of content, with a lengthy campaign and additional material that extends its playtime. Its systems, while sometimes cumbersome, provide enough depth to keep dedicated players engaged. The combination of character management, skill customization, and resource handling creates a layered experience that rewards investment, even if it occasionally feels unwieldy. In the end, Shadows: Awakening is a game defined by its ideas more than its execution. It introduces creative mechanics and an intriguing narrative perspective that set it apart from more conventional action RPGs, but it is held back by uneven pacing, repetitive elements, and a lack of refinement in certain areas. It remains an enjoyable and occasionally compelling journey for those willing to engage with its systems, though it falls short of reaching the full potential suggested by its concepts. Rating: 7/10
I became interested in this game because of its predecessor, Heretic Kingdoms: The Inquisition, a good 2004 title that features interesting mechanics, beautiful environments for its time, and a narrative with many positive points. I was disappointed to realize that Shadows: Awakening makes several mistakes in narratively succeeding its predecessor, especially by using retcons or completely neglecting old conflicts and motivations—particularly those of the Order of the Veil, the mage order at the center of the franchise’s story. In the paragraphs below, I explain some of these issues. Several interesting characters were neglected or completely forgotten, such as High Magus Sollan, the former leader of the Order of the Veil, who doesn’t even appear in this game. Carissa, who in the first game is a mage and Sollan’s lover, was turned into a warrior mage who doesn’t even mention Sollan. Even Carissa’s personality is no longer the same. The important protagonist Alita from the first game is only mentioned in books and has no participation in the game, despite having been a key figure in the destruction of the God Slayer sword in the first title. Alita is now treated as if she doesn’t exist. The game’s rich world lore was not delivered in a satisfying way; some events from Heretic Kingdoms: The Inquisition do echo in this sequel’s narrative, but in very strange ways—such as the case of the Accession Wars, the conflict between humans and Taymurians. It makes no sense for this war to exist. In the first game, we help a group of Taymurian refugees be accepted into the human city of Corwenth, but in the time between the two games, the Taymurians’ Conclave of Tribes demands the refugees’ return and claims the territory for themselves for no reason other than simply wanting it. This creates a conflict between the two peoples, with consequences poorly portrayed in the second game. The worst part: this story isn’t even told during gameplay, but only through books you find—a terrible way to explore the game’s universe. Among many other narrative problems, the plot is the main one. At no point is it satisfactorily explained why demons are acting and influencing the Order of the Veil. Of course, with the destruction of the God Slayer sword in the first game and the weakening of the Dreamworld, which becomes the Shadowrealm, one might assume demons began to infiltrate the world of the Heretic Kingdoms. But how did they manage to possess Lady Mara and the other powerful members of the Penta Nera? Why are these Devourers acting to bring about the world’s destruction? Who is behind all of this? Why is Krenze opposing them? What are his real motives? None of this is contextualized in the game. Events simply happen without much explanation, several plot threads from the first game are abandoned, and the ending of this game fails to bring the narrative together in an orderly way. I truly don’t understand the reason for inserting new narrative elements into the universe, such as the Devourer and the Shadowrealm, when the original lore still had many aspects that could have been further developed. However, the narrative issue that bothered me the most was the lack of deeper exploration of each of the game’s Puppets (selectable heroes). This is the game’s highlight, since the player can choose to control various interesting characters. The aesthetic, cultural, and historical variation between them is extremely cool, but all of that remains only on the surface. It’s as if the player captures important historical figures, but none of their personal conflicts are actually explored; they serve only as hero skins in the game—except for one or another hero whose past is touched upon, but even then it’s not satisfying. Despite everything, the game is good. It’s fun and bold enough to try innovating with the mechanic of switching heroes during battle. What motivated me most in terms of gameplay was the search to discover all the heroes available to collect. The different combinations between classes, their spells, and stats also allow for good gameplay variety. As an Action RPG, the game is average. Many features were poorly implemented, such as the equipment grind, which was not done correctly. There is no randomness in item drops, for example. Also, when playing on the highest difficulty level, I noticed that legendary items were found constantly, as if they were common items. Shadows: Awakening is a game worth playing, especially if the player has already finished Heretic Kingdoms: The Inquisition. Just don’t expect too much.
Shadows: Awakening is a very unexpected product, in a way. As a Diablo-clone made by a small studio, you might expect something like Grim Dawn; tons of lore and mechanical depth and equipment and build variety, in a game that, production-wise, is fairly cheap. This is generally how it goes. Instead, you get largely the opposite; the game is quite beautiful and detailed with a ton of quality voice acting (including The Doctor himself, Tom-freaking-Baker). However, it is also fairly basic as an actual game. As I said, the game looks and sounds great. Of course it's not Red Dead Redemption 2 or anything, but for the genre, it's very detailed and vibrant, with a ton of smooth animation. The music is decent, the voice acting is great, the overall presentation is certainly better than what I expected. The game does have the occasional puzzle that, while never complex, does at least break up the "walk through hallways and kill things" gameplay loop of the sub-genre. The story is interesting, for a while. It also runs fairly well, except for surprisingly long loading times between areas. The negatives, however, come in for the core of the game. I'm still recommending the game, it's not trash even in this area, but it's surprising basic. The first thing to understand, and this is quite unique, is that it's a Diablo-clone with a party...sort of. You have up to 4 characters to play as, swapping between them in real-time as you fight and explore. Cool. However, the result is that each character is fairly restricted; they each get 8 skills and fall into basic categories--tough warriors who engage in melee combat, archers, 2 melee fighters who focus more on speed and critical attacks, and several mages (oh, and then our main character, "the demon," who is a jack of all trades). Many skills are very strange, and feel like they were meant for a game that actually was a party-based game, doing things like weakening all enemies in an area for 10 seconds or something, which is fairly difficult to capitalize on with just one character, and really isn't superior to just using another damage-dealing skill instead. Probably half the skills in the game have questionable usefulness, yet skills are the main thing differentiating, say, one warrior from another. You get 3 warriors minimum, up to 6 possible with the DLC, yet they all feel only modestly different, and there is very little room for experimentation with them on a repeat playthrough. The only real choice is to simply use different characters, but even then, the simple system doesn't really enable many differences in how the game "feels." Let's look at everything besides skills. Stats just raise the damage you deal, your health, and your mana, more or less. Simple. Talents are various boosts you can unlock, but most of them are just doing things like raising stats again, or directly raising damage done, or giving you defense against specific enemies or elements. All very samey. Gear? Gear is mostly just raising the attack/defense stat, and then if you're lucky, getting an extra boost here or there. However, these boosts are far too minimal; 5% ice resistance on your armor and 5% fire resistance on your helm is barely noticeable and hardly counts as real min/maxing. You will occasionally get something neat like reflect damage, causing attacks to bounce back against opponents, but even this tends to be in fairly modest amounts--you can't reasonably build a character around this as a base. All of these extras are just that, extras. Gear is also surprisingly sparse; it may not seem like it compared to other genres, but in a Diablo-clone, you expect to be wading through it. Yet there were long stretches where I had characters wearing white "common" gear for hours, because nothing better would drop OR show up in one of the game's few shops, which is almost unheard of. Interestingly, accessories like rings and necklaces, which in most games are where the most unique boosts are found, are almost entirely the most boring here; even at the end of the game, most of them just raised ONE thing for me, like 5 strength or 10 armor against "beast-type" enemies. I would say there should be a full order of magnitude more unique items in the game than there are at present. Speaking of characters, there is a very odd and disappointing distribution in them. You will recruit quite a few but several of them are optional or semi-optional (as in, you are forced to take SOMEONE but you do get a choice as to which one). and they are basically completely silent and do nothing but fight. Yet, the choices are odd; if you do not choose to start with a mage, then there is not a single speaking mage to recruit in the entire game, ALL the other ones are just kinda there. If you don't choose the archer, then there is only one "hunter" you MIGHT recruit who speaks. But we get several fighters. Each of your three starting characters does have unique dialogue and slight variations in quests, but it's fairly minimal as well, and they get surprisingly quiet as the game goes on and other recruitable characters sort of take center stage. In short, I wish the game had fewer actual characters, but then made them more unique, with more build variety, more ways to use them. As it is, you get alot of very repetitive recruits. And that's the biggest problem with the game; it's repetitive. This is somewhat expected with Diablo-clones but this one really drags over time. As story segments get more and more spread out, with larger and larger areas to explore and kill everything in, using the same characters and same attacks, it becomes a bore. Perhaps I could have spiced it up for myself by switching characters around more often, but even that can be hard with the limited equipment, and the differences aren't THAT pronounced. I liked the story and characters early on, but alot of stuff doesn't really get explained or it's dragged out for a LOOONG time, and by the end of the game, I was rushing to just finish the dang thing. The game is simply too long for what it offers; there is not enough story, or interesting side-quests, or fun dialogue, or unique gear, or varied builds, to fill all that time. There is a great basis here, something I would still recommend fans of the genre play and enjoy for what it does well, but it is 100% clear that the artists and level designers were given more time and budget to go wild, while the guys writing lore, dialogue, making mechanics, crafting each piece of gear, were rushed. Heck, some gear even has a description that just says "Description of long sword" or whatever--they literally didn't finish all of the flavor dialogue, and grammatical errors are still somewhat common. I really like the presentation, I like the idea of swapping between multiple characters on the fly, the lore is the start of something interesting, but this is definitely a product that floundered in delivery. It's worth playing once, but it certainly is no Grim Dawn, much less a Diablo 2.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Shadows: Awakening is currently priced at 7.49€ on Steam.
Yes, Shadows: Awakening is currently available at a 75% discount. You can purchase it for 7.49€ on Steam.
Yes, Shadows: Awakening received 1,810 positive votes out of a total of 2,406 achieving a rating of 7.28.
😊
Shadows: Awakening was developed by Games Farm and published by Kalypso Media.
Yes, Shadows: Awakening is playable and fully supported on Windows.
No, Shadows: Awakening is not playable on MacOS.
No, Shadows: Awakening is not playable on Linux.
Shadows: Awakening is a single-player game.
Yes, there are 3 DLCs available for Shadows: Awakening. Explore additional content available for Shadows: Awakening on Steam.
No, Shadows: Awakening does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
Yes, Shadows: Awakening supports Remote Play on TV. Discover more about Steam Remote Play.
Yes, Shadows: Awakening is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.
You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for Shadows: Awakening.
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Last Updates| Steam data | 27 June 2026 20:08 |
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| SteamSpy data | 27 June 2026 09:10 |
| Steam price | 30 June 2026 12:43 |
| Steam reviews | 28 June 2026 08:08 |
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- SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about Shadows: Awakening
- SteamCharts - Analysis of Shadows: Awakening concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Shadows: Awakening compatibility
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Game modes
Features
Online players
5
Developer
Games Farm
Publisher
Kalypso Media
Release
31 Aug 2018
Platforms
Remote Play
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