Shadow of the Beast: Amiga classic returns from the darkness

Step forward, beast

Come 1992, a third Beast title surfaced which took puzzle gaming elements a stage further. This Amiga-only outing saw Aarbron now transformed back to Indiana Jones-esque human form, but needing to finish off Maletoth once and for all in order to fully get his mojo back. It was undoubtedly the best title of the bunch, with more balanced, less annoying game mechanics found under the reasonably attractive visuals, though its impact on the gaming community was relatively minimal.

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Consequently, the release appeared to signal a limpish end to the Shadow of the Beast saga, with nobody really bemoaning its passing, except to ponder the fact that it should have all played so much better. Yet with the surprise announcement in 2013 that a fourth title was being planned for release on Playstation 4, many have been tearily reminded of its potted legacy.

The ingredients are all there for a title that might just do justice to the potential of the franchise. A trailer has been out for a while and some screen grabs more recently. After waiting with bated breath throughout 2014, developer Heavy Spectrum Entertainment Labs, finally showed off some PS4 gameplay at at E3 2015 and remarked that it should be ready within a year. In the meantime, you can check on the PS4 page dedicated to the title for any hints that an end may be in sight.

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Apparently, the developers have one level complete that they're happy with and now it's time for the rest. One can only hope the extra development time points to Shadow of the Beast 4 being play-tested extensively. Either that or the Amiga faithful had a tizzy-fit and banned their Beast from re-appearing on anything other than an A1200. ®