Shadow of the Beast

Shadow of the Beast is a side-scrolling brawler created by Reflections for the Amiga and published by Psygnosis in 1989. It is often remembered as one of the most visually striking and technically ambitious games of its era. Designed by Martin Edmondson and Paul Howarth, it was an audiovisual showcase meant to push the limits of the Amiga hardware—and it succeeded.

At its core, Shadow of the Beast is a side-scrolling action platformer with elements of progressive beat-em-up. You play as Aarbron, a man transformed into a monstrous creature by the evil beast lord Maletoth. As memories of his human past begin to resurface, Aarbron sets out on a brutal journey of revenge. The story is told with minimal dialogue, relying instead on atmosphere, haunting landscapes, and otherworldly enemies to immerse the player in a dark fantasy world. You can find a few similarities with the SEGA arcade Altered Beast (not just the title).

The gameplay itself is relatively simple: you move left or right, jump, and attack enemies in close-range combat. What makes the game stand out is not its mechanics—many of which were considered unforgiving even at the time—but its presentation. The parallax scrolling across up to twelve background layers was a technical marvel on the Amiga, giving a rare sense of depth and motion. The soundtrack, composed by David Whittaker, was also groundbreaking, with layered music that matched the game’s eerie tone perfectly.

Despite its beauty, the game was heavily criticized for its punishing difficulty. Enemies appear suddenly and often in groups, requiring perfect reflexes and memorization. Health pickups are rare, and there are very few checkpoints. This made Shadow of the Beast more of a test of endurance than a fluid action experience, which limited its appeal for casual players.

Still, it became a cult classic and a key title in Amiga history. It spawned two sequels, Shadow of the Beast II and Shadow of the Beast III—and was often compared to other atmospheric games like Another World and Flashback, though its design leaned more toward arcade-style action.

The game’s legacy endures not because of deep gameplay, but because of its ambition. It demonstrated what was possible on a home computer in the late '80s and inspired countless developers to experiment with visuals and sound in new ways. For many Amiga owners, Shadow of the Beast wasn’t just a game—it was a reason to show off their system.