Shadow of the Road is set in Japan during the tail-end of the Edo period, around 1868.
The shogun’s army was defeated in a major confrontation with the emperor’s foreign-backed forces.
Shadow of the Road exclusively uses Japanese voice acting.
Another Angle informed us during a press event that this decision was made to deepen the player’s immersion.
Gaijin Technology
The preview begins in a ryokan (guest house).
After their master is killed in battle, the two become purposeless ronin.
Presumably, pursuing these paths grants additional dialogue options later in the game.
Combat in Shadow of the Road is wholly turn-based and uses an action point system.
The combat is relatively tactile, but there still feels like there’s some polishing to be done.
For example, there are powerful skills that trigger one turn after you set them up.
The cutscenes shown between levels are a highlight, providing plentiful exposition alongside gorgeous artwork.
Shadow of the Road features several mythological elements that borrow heavily from Japanese folklore.
There are living, dancing mushrooms and magic users.
This is where some of my bug problems began, however.
After finishing this quest, I would receive near-constant notifications about its completion.
It was mildly annoying, but the next bug I encountered was more frustrating by far.
A couple of invisible enemies assassinated Toshiro, the boy I was supposed to fetch, failing the mission.
I knew the shinobi were good but I didn’t think they were that good.
I unlocked a new dash ability for Satoru, which proved useful in the upcoming fights.
That said, the enemy variety in the preview wasn’t particularly diverse.
A major issue I had with combat was the lack of visual and auditory feedback.
There’s a general lack of sound in these fights overall, detracting from the experience.
The final boss of the preview was more interesting, at least - a floating eye demon.
The preview ends after defeating this boss, with Toshiro revealed as some sort of magic-fuelled chosen one.
Presumably, the shogun wants to leverage the boy’s powers to defeat the emperor.
However, the gameplay loop falls short.
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