Hella Remastered is an uneven remaster of the cult game from Suda51 and Shinji Mikami.

In 2011, Shadows of The Damned was released on PS3 and Xbox 360 and was the result of a collaboration between two heavyweights in the sector: Shinji Mikami, creator of the Resident Evil saga, and Goichi Suda, better known as Suda51 and responsible for Killer7, No More Heroes and Lollipop Chainsaw, among other famous games.

With Mikami in production and script by Suda51, a Grasshopper Manufacture project. music by Akira Yamaoka, design by horror mangaka K Hayashida…And Electronic Arts as a publisher, too intrusive for Goichi’s taste, that He had to rewrite the game up to five times..

The result was an atypical mixture of action, horror and diverse humor in the service of a peculiar demon hunter. Despite all its flaws, the charisma and fun of Shadows of The Damned made it cult gamealthough its sales were negligible.

Now the Mexican demon hunter has a second chance on PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series adapts the original game with visual enhancements and brings the adventure to all platforms.. But how has time treated this adventure?

Analysis of Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, Switch and PC from HobbyConsolas:

This is the story and setting of Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered.

Garcia Hotspur brings down the wrath of Fleming, the demon lordwho, in revenge, captures his girlfriend Paula to mercilessly torture her in hell. Turned into a modern Orpheus, A hunter enters the demon world to find his girlfriend..

With these weaves, Suda51 constructs a story that does not shy away from clichés, such as the story of the rooster protagonist, although here taken to the nth degree. Hotspur is “very macho,” as he himself reminds us every time..

There is a sense of self-parody in tone (for example, Garcia, despite his bravado, can barely read); But too similar to Suda characters like Travis Touchdown and a bit old fashioned.. We’re not in 2011 anymore, and these characters get tired if the message isn’t clear.

It is highly likely that the entire tone of the game, filled with sexual insults and jokes, was Suda51’s answer despite so much interference from Electronic Arts; but today it is less suitable.

Where there is no possible problem is in Johnsona demon that accompanies Garcia and transforms into various weapons. He never shuts up and provides a counterpoint of sarcasm, wisdom and even fear, which makes the plot very interesting..

Even Paula, who turned into a damsel in distress, manages to deliver a surprise in the final stretch of the game to subvert our expectations. This is proof that Goichi wanted to tell something more than the typical story of heroes and villains, although the “background noise” prevents us from getting that message across.

Garcia and Paula’s difficult reunion allows us to visit a very diverse hell, full of colorful locations. It’s also full of creepy details: corpses, satanic jewelry and a lot of dark humor around every corner.

This ensemble is elevated by the music of Akira Yamaoka. Here he is more experimental, mixing his traditional ambient sound with more exotic melodies. A very noticeable work, halfway between his traditional work and the compositions he would later create in another Grasshopper game.Let it die.

Everything about the gameplay of Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered

Shinji Mikami’s hand is crucial to the gameplay. With fresh memories of Resident Evil 4, Shadows of the Damned shares with this game the shooting from behind the shoulder, searching for ammunition in boxes and barrels, targeting different parts of demons and almost identical control.

Too identical, in fact. Already in 2011 it was archaic, you have to press a button on each ledge, ladder or ledge followed by a turn animation. Aiming can also require more effort, which often leaves us “sold out” even when aiming at an enemy at arm’s length.

Thankfully, the end result is balanced by frantic pacing, enemy variety, and innovations such as the use of light, a unique mechanic that represents a great contribution.

All weapons have a light shot that serves to stop demons, remove a taint that makes them invulnerable, or illuminate a room when shooting at lamps, goat heads or singing snails (don’t ask, you’re in the world of Suda51).

Darkness is a double-edged sword: staying in it can be deadly, but Only in the dark can you shoot at door switches and the weak points of some enemies..

Among them are bosses, a magnificent catalog of demons that can reach colossal sizesand whose ingenious confrontations are one of the game’s strengths.

Even Resident Evil 4 decorations are presented in three categories: White for purchasing supplies, red for unlocking upgrades, and blue for upgrading different types of weapons with new transformations.

With progressive options and improved models, We can select a tool with one touch of the crosshair: pistol, machine gun and shotgun.. Even Johnson turns into a torch that can be used to hit enemies who are lagging behind.

All these elements give rise to “Made in Mikami” synergy that forces us to play one game after another in search of improvements or take on the challenge of the next boss. Here we can only highlight this classic gameplay and its incredible fun.

Suda51 was unable to implement his original ideas, including making Paula a fairy who lives inside Garcia’s gun. Despite this, he gave free rein to his imagination and even made his way into the game. several original filming stages with 19th century toy theater aesthetics and cutouts.

Is Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered very difficult?

Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered is also a classic in its difficulty. quite intense at normal levels, especially in the more advanced part. Those looking for a more challenging experience can choose the hard level or “take in the sights” by playing in the easy mode.

More the game itself is often responsible for providing suppliesAlcohol is especially beneficial. In Hell, you heal by drinking bottles of tequila or sake, and luckily Garcia can stock them in large quantities or even buy them from vending machines.

Special mention for Christopherthe cutest demon in the entire Underworld, who in exchange for white jewels he will offer us all kinds of items. Genius from Mikami and Suda as he encourages us to kill as many demons as possible to get more loot.

What improvements will Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered bring?

This remastering could have delivered so much more of itself.. We didn’t expect a deployment on the level of Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, but we did expect a greater effort. which primarily used the capabilities of the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Instead, Grashopper simply closed the file to the point that High-end consoles don’t even have Quality or Performance display modes.: The game is the same as it looks.

They are appreciated 60 fps and 4K resolutiontwo aspects that are especially pronounced on high-end consoles, albeit with their own “buts”. The frame rate is not always stable, and there are also stuttering errors.it’s as if we see a duplication of Garcia’s face when we turn. Errors that, although they can be corrected, mar the result.

Although most elements of the original have been adapted for high resolution, There are many assets that have not been affected. Every detail of the demons or the main character is shocking, and then you come across a low-resolution door or furniture that looks the same as on the PS3 and Xbox 360.

On the other hand, PS4, Xbox One and even Switch users can enjoy a version that, due to the aforementioned shortcomings This isn’t too far off from what the PS5 and Xbox Series offer.. In fact, the adaptations of this generation and the previous one have a very similar GB size.

Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered includes New Game+ mode, allowing you to start a new game with all weapons and upgrades unlocked.. In addition to this new item, it includes four new outfits for Garcia: Shirtless, Ocho Corazones, Demonio Garcia and Kamikaze Garcia.

How many hours of play does Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered last?

In just 10 hours you can complete this adventure. It’s not a particularly long game and it has a linear progression, but if you prefer to have fun and search for all the gems, upgrades and winks it hides, The number of hours can be almost doubled, only about 17-18..

There are no collectibles in Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered, although you can find stories in storybook formwhere the story of the main demons is revealed. The same thing happens with certain posters, including illustrations with key information about Paula.

How much does Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered cost and where can I play it?

Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered It is available digitally from October 31 and on all platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch and PC.. Moreover, it comes at a very competitive price, as it costs only 24.99 euros.

Although Hella Remastered does not have a physical version, the guys from Limited Run have prepared two disc editions for PS5, including one from a collector with a replica of Johnson’s pistol, soundtrack, Behind the Scenes book and a certificate of authenticity signed by Suda51..

The Collector’s Edition can be reserved in August. It sold out immediately as only 1,000 copies were released worldwide..

“Honest” remaster for the little gem PS3/360

Whether due to lack of time, budget or effort, the fact is that the updated Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered barely touches the pass. It could have offered a lot more, or at least not had the visual flaws that detracted from the outcome.

That being said, do we recommend the game? The answer is a resounding yes. This is one of the rare cases of collaboration between a group of geniuses and artists.and for this reason alone it deserves to be part of any “toy library”.

In addition to the excellent list of creators, Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered has very solid and enjoyable gameplay with just the right amount of incentive. to enjoy a short but intense experience.

Even its story and characters, with all the “but” more old-fashioned aspects, suggest charismatic characters, very creative designs and surprises that only the great Suda51 can come up with.

For only 24.99 euros (which will no doubt be dropped in the future), Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered the best way to rediscover this hidden gem of the PS3 and Xbox era 360.