There have been many remakes/remasters in recent years some good some bad. This year alone has had more remakes and remasters than any others. Some much needed remasters like the Marvel/Capcom Fighting Collection and others that for some players probably didn’t need to be remastered like Dead Rising but it’s still good that the company acknowledges those franchises exist. Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered is not only a game most average gamers might not have played or even know about , but it is a hidden gem from 2011 that hasn’t been changed or altered outside of it’s graphics and some additions like new costumes, a new game+ mode, 60fps gameplay, and 4k resolution support. 

Developed and published by Grasshopper Manufacture alongside NetEase Games Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered is probably the best kind of remaster because it’s not just a remaster of an old popular game it’s a remaster of a game most people probably haven’t played when it first released. The story centers around a demon hunter named Garcia Hotspur traveling into the underworld to save his girlfriend Paula from the Lord of Demons Fleming who threatens Garcia with the enjoyment of killing her over and over again. Garcia along with his demon sidekick Johnson travel into the underworld after Fleming and end up in the demon realm where the darkness is lethal and the demons are as conniving as they are dangerous. Garcia is not unequipped to deal with them however as Johnson is capable of not only guiding him through his old stomping grounds, but also transforming into various demon slaying guns, a demon killing torch, and even a motorcycle.  Now Garcia plans to do everything he can possibly do in order to get Paula back from Fleming no matter who or more importantly what unfortunately gets in his way.

The gameplay of Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered is very much a fast paced run and gun arcade  shooter that is designed to make the player feel like a demon hunting badass as they fight their way through demons of various sizes and numbers. The games combat is very reminiscent of the original Resident Evil 4 with weapons and attacks being much quicker on the draw with weapons and attacks that can wipe out hordes of enemies without the complete worry of ammo preservation. It wastes little time letting the player get into the action as every area that can be explored doesn’t let the player take a break or plan out their next move for less than a few seconds before more fighting ensues. No need to worry about being overwhelmed though as with every defeated boss or as Garcia refers to them as, V.I.P (Very Important Pendejo) Garcia receives a blue gem that can be used to upgrade his arsenal with more features and secondary firing mechanics. There are also red blood diamonds that can be used to either upgrade Garcia’s health, Melee charge speed, and the rate of fire, reload speed, and ammo capacity of his weapons. However it’s not all just running and gunning as there are also segments throughout the game that are structured like different types of arcade games especially within Act 4 of the game. 

In terms of the tone of the overall game Shadows of the Damned sports a fun but chaotically crude tone with a large amount of sexual innuendo humor especially with the conversations between Garcia and Johnson. Sexual imagery is especially prevalent within Act four because it takes place largely in the lust area of hell so players will experience a full frontal assault of sexual imagery and nudity that hasn’t been very prevalent in gaming in a very long time, however since this game takes place in the underworld and this game brings back the meaning of the term rated M for mature it makes sense that imagery like that would be prevalent. How the player feels about the over the top violence, crude humor, and sex jokes between Garcia and Johnson’s conversation’s will be up to them. Elements like that can either make or break games for people especially in 2024 however, some older gamers will probably not be to badly bothered by this, however there are some jokes and dialogue scenarios that come off as very corny especially the comments and jokes regarding Garcia’s main revolver called, “The Big Boner.” Corny sex jokes aside, Shadows of the Damned does a great job of capturing the dread and horrors of being in hell especially when it comes to the graphic violence and the simple but horrific designs of the demons. 

Overall Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered reflects on a time in gaming that has been almost completely lost to time especially in the wake of massive RPG’s and narrative focused games which is the arcade style run and gun. While massive well written RPG’s and Story Driven games are fun nothing compares to the simplicity of a classic run and gun hack and slash that focuses more on fun mindless fast paced action that anyone can enjoy. 

Overall Score: 9 out of 10

Reviewed on PC