In 2020, third-person shooter Shadows of the Damned was suddenly de-listed from the Microsoft Store. No official explanation has been given for why Shadows of the Damned was de-listed, but the game remained available to play through Xbox Game Pass thanks to the service's connection with EA Play. Unfortunately, Shadows of the Damned will soon be removed from EA Play as well, meaning gamers are running out of time to play it without having to pay for an expensive physical version online.
While an official reason for Shadows of the Damned being de-listed is not available, it's assumed that it has something to do with the publishing agreement between EA and developer Grasshopper Manufacture. It's possible that the publishing agreement between the two companies is coming to an end, and so publishing rights to the game may defer back to the developer. If that's the case, then fans may not have to wait all that long for Shadows of the Damned to return to digital storefronts, but to be on the safe side, they may want to check it out while they still can.
It's entirely possible that Shadows of the Damned will be re-released at some point down the line, but as it stands, all fans know is that Shadows of the Damned is being removed from Xbox Game Pass on February 16, and its future after that is uncertain. Physical copies of the game exist out in the wild, but they are increasing in price, and one has to imagine that the price will go up even higher after the game is removed from Xbox Game Pass.
Resident Evil 4 Style Gameplay
For those unfamiliar with Shadows of the Damned, the core gameplay is heavily inspired by Resident Evil 4. The game utilizes and over-the-shoulder camera and third-person shooting that's pulled straight from the Capcom classic, but the controls have been tweaked to allow main character Garcia Hotspur to move and shoot at the same time. Basically, imagine Resident Evil 4 with better controls, and that is a mostly accurate description of Shadows of the Damned's combat.
Shadows of the Damned has some other things in common with Resident Evil 4 as well. For example, Shadows of the Damned has a character similar to Resident Evil 4's merchant. In this game, the merchant is a horrific demon with a southern accent named Charlie, and players have to pay him by shoving white gems into his mouth. Players can use Charlie to stock up on healing supplies and ammunition, as well as purchase red gems that are in turn used to upgrade Garcia's health and weapons.
Shadows of the Damned's similarities to Resident Evil 4 are no accident. The game was produced by Resident Evil 4 director Shinji Mikami. So anyone needing something to scratch that Resident Evil 4 itch while they wait for news on the leaked remake may want to give Shadows of the Damned a shot while they still can.
Nothing Like It
Shadows of the Damned may be similar to Resident Evil 4 in terms of its gameplay, but its plot, setting, and sense of humor make it a completely unique experience. Shadows of the Damned is the story of Garcia Hotspur, a demon hunter whose girlfriend Paula is kidnapped by an evil demon named Fleming and dragged to Hell. Garcia, armed with a talking gun named Johnson (who can also transform into a motorcycle and a torch), follows Paula into Hell to save her.
Hell in Shadows of the Damned is portrayed as an especially disgusting place, with chunks of flesh mixed with medieval architecture and bizarre locations, like the literal cabin in the woods from the Evil Dead films. Besides the aforementioned demon merchant Charlie, Shadows of the Damned's Hell is populated by all kinds of grotesque beasts, many of which Garcia has to fight head-on if he wants to save Paula.
Opening some doors requires players to shove fruit in the mouths of baby-faced doorknockers, and to clear the darkness from an area, Garcia has to shoot living goat heads that hang from the walls and have candles sticking out of them. Shadows of the Damned is extremely weird, though that's not all that surprising when one discovers that Suda51 helped develop the game.
The bizarre imagery and horrific sights that Garcia Hotspur encounters in Shadows of the Damned's Hell makes it sound like it would be a horror game. But on the contrary, Shadows of the Damned is a comedy more than anything else. The game is stuffed full of inappropriate sex jokes and immature humor, with some fairly clever one liners sprinkled throughout as well. The game does not take itself seriously at all, even using the frequent torture of Hotspur's girlfriend Paula as the punchline to some jokes.
Short But Sweet
When Shadows of the Damned first launched in 2011, it earned somewhat mixed reviews from critics, especially when compared to its inspiration, Resident Evil 4, which is one of the most critically-acclaimed video games of all time. Some of the most common criticisms aimed at Shadows of the Damned revolved around its short playtime and lack of replay value, as the game, for some weird reason, does not have a proper New Game+ mode.
However, those criticisms aren't really as important when one considers how they would actually play the game nowadays. With Shadows of the Damned only playable through an EA Play/Xbox Game Pass subscription at the time of this writing (discounting those who can play it with a physical copy, of course), the game's short length isn't nearly as important. If anything, the short length is a positive since players are running out of time to play it, what with Shadows of the Damned getting removed on February 16.
Shadows of the Damned's short length and lack of replay value are two issues that can be much more easily ignored when playing the game through an Xbox Game Pass subscription, and so this is really the perfect way to experience the game. Though anyone interested needs to act fast, as the February 16 deadline is coming up in just five days time.
Possible Comeback
Assuming speculation is correct about EA losing publishing rights for Shadows of the Damned, this means that the game could potentially have a comeback through developer Grasshopper Manufacture. Maybe that will include a remastered version of the game that addresses complaints like the original's lack of New Game+ and revamps the visuals for modern audiences. Or maybe it will just mean that the original gets re-added to digital storefronts. Or it could mean nothing and Shadows of the Damned could very well remain dormant for the foreseeable future.
As it stands, Grasshopper Manufacture is currently busy developing No More Heroes 3 for the Nintendo Switch. The No More Heroes 3 release date is expected for some time later this year, so if the developer does have plans for Shadows of the Damned, perhaps those plans will be revealed at some point after the NMH3 launch.
The 2019 game Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes featured references to Shadows of the Damned, so Grasshopper Manufacture clearly hasn't forgotten about the game. Fans should keep their fingers crossed that the original makes a comeback or maybe a sequel gets commissioned, but anyone who is curious about it should make it a priority to play it now before it's removed on February 16.
Shadows of the Damned is available for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.