Shadow of Memories - Reception and Legacy

Reception and Legacy

Shadow of Memories received generally positive reviews from English-language critics.

Reviewers praised the overall plot of Shadow of Memories as the game's strength. IGN's David Zdyrko called the story "one of the deepest and most engaging that has ever been told through a videogame." Andrew Vestal of GameSpot enjoyed the idea of the detective in a murder mystery as the intended victim. Writing for Game Revolution, Shawn Sanders liked the time-traveling aspect of the game.

The graphics of Shadow of Memories received mixed responses. Sanders found the textures of the game "clean and detailed". Zdyrko disliked the low amount of detail on the characters and some of the background, but enjoyed the "lighting and particle effects", particularly the snow and night. Vestal praised the different visual depictions of Lebensbaum, and felt that high level of detail in the backgrounds helped to somewhat counterbalance the low-resolution of the game's graphics. Critics agreed that the full motion videos were well-done, and praised the realistic character animation.

Critics commented on the general absence of action in Shadow of Memories's gameplay. Sanders considered it the game's greatest flaw and a possible source of frustration for players. The slow beginning to Shadow of Memories was remarked on by critics, who felt that the game eventually picked up after a while. Additionally, the "stiff" motion of the protagonist when running drew criticism. Reviewers noted the relatively short play time, and felt that the multiple endings enhanced Shadow of Memories's replay value.

Shadow of Memories's soundtrack was well-received. Critics wrote that it suited the mood and occasionally helped to build suspense. The voice acting also went over well, with several critics remarking on the quality of it. Zdyrko described it as "first-class" and believable, and commented that since much of Shadow of Memories consists of dialogue, flawed voice acting might have ruined the game. Vestal considered the voice acting of B-movie quality, but not flawed enough to be a major distraction.