Shadowgate 64: Trials of the Four Towers (Nintendo 64) review "This is a point and click RPG, as you control the guy, but there is no fighting of any sorts. This is the sequel to Shadowgate for the NES/Gameboy and it lives up to it fairly well. The way the game works is that you pick up every item you come across and using multiple attempts, and also while reading through a million little books, you will discover how to use this. This is definitely a trial and error game, and that is the point. "

This is a point and click RPG, as you control the guy, but there is no fighting of any sorts. This is the sequel to Shadowgate for the NES/Gameboy and it lives up to it fairly well. The way the game works is that you pick up every item you come across and using multiple attempts, and also while reading through a million little books, you will discover how to use this. This is definitely a trial and error game, and that is the point.

STORY (14/15): You are a halfling named Del. You were waylaid by a gang of thieves and were brought to the Shadowgate castle. Here you are improsoned by an evil jailer, and next to a sorcerer. First thing you must escape from the dungeon, and travel through four different towers by orders from an old wizard. After this you will find the person most fit to face of against the DarkLords return. This is a great story, and there are fairly good surprises along the way, and the ending although short is more surprising then the most hero kills villain, I can't explain that more or it will ruin the story however.

GRAPHICS (14/15): This is a move and click ''A'' type game, and well that would sometimes lead to slow and unchaning graphics. Well it does not work that way. The graphics are wonderfully made, and very surprising for the Nintendo 64. There are cutscenes, and varoius characters who all look different. The only minor problem is there are not enough cool looking enemies, although there is a dragon.

SOUND (9/10): The gloomy music in a spooky tower. You can feel the shivers travelling down your spine. The drops of water make you feel as if it is right under you. The screech of the various enemies (the few however) will make you take a step back from the screen. It all fits the mood perfectly. There is no ingame voices, but that is not a surprise for the N64.

GAMEPLAY (41/45): Shadowgate really only uses one buttons, and the subscreen. The control stick will move Del from place to place, and the ''A'' button will examine your surroundings, or pick up an item you just came across. These items you pick up will be used for all types of puzzles throughout the long and perilous castle, and some will make fairly little to no sense. This makes the game even harder, for if you miss a thing like a little screw, you are in big trouble later on (trust me on that). That is what Shadowgate is, one EXTREMELY large puzzle, where everything interlinks. I cannot penalize them for that, because that is what Shadowgate was going for, the annoying long puzzle. However there are too few enemies living around the Shadowgate castle, unlike the old one for Gameboy/NES. The numerous scaring villains was one of the aspects of Shadowgate, and this one is missing them. However Shadowgate 64, still gets the job done in the gameplay department if you like backtracking and trying all types of combination. Sure, I don't love puzzles but with a little help from a thing called the internet, and alot of different attempts at certain puzzles, Shadowgate 64 is stilla fun game.

REPLAYABILITY (4/10): Really once you beat all of it's insane puzzles, the second time is too easy cause you already know what to do. There is nothing to do once you beat it, for you are then done with the game. Shadowgate will take awhile to beat, unless you use a walkthrough, and well, it will be significantly faster to beat the second time.

DIFFICULTY (4/5): This game is significantly difficult. I could not beat this game on my own, without the help of a walkthrough, and only truehearted gamers will have the skill to do so. However, that was what the Shadowgate makers were planning on in Shadowgate 64, so really they did the job well.

OVERALL (86/100): A well deserved rating for the most complex puzzle ever put into videogame for. If you thought those rubix cubes were hard, just try your hand at Shadowgate 64, Trial of the Four Towers. This is one puzzle you will not regret starting on.

Community review by ratking (June 25, 2002) A bio for this contributor is currently unavailable, but check back soon to see if that changes. If you are the author of this review, you can update your bio from the Settings page.