Pull out your cork boards and unravel your red string! You’re going to need it when playing Kill the Shadow by Shadowlight Sanctuary and 663 Games. We just played the demo on Steam, and you’re not going to want to miss the drama.

Curiouser and Curiouser

Kill the Shadow is a side-scrolling mystery where you play as Detective Ah’Guang. In a divided city under military occupation, you’ve quit your job as a foreman to go south in search of your fiancée. However, there’s quite a few things you need to do first as your past as a cop gets called out. While you’re investigating the death of the captain’s dog, you find that you’ve been possessed by the Shadow. It helps you investigate just out of amusement, and soon you’ve opened the doors of a conspiracy wider than you ever imagined possible.

I wasn’t kidding about the red string. As part of solving the case, you have to connect different pieces of evidence together. By putting the logic together, you unlock new dialogue and questions that you can ask. And while some early events are locked in, your choices and what you choose to do with the information you have drastically changes the game. People can die. You can leave without finishing the investigation. You can determine the fates of the people around you with one thoughtless or thoughtful action, and it’s riveting. 

Game-Changing Graphics

I should also note the unique graphics. It felt so strange to realize that all of the characters were 2D, rendered in a 3D environment, but it works. It’s a striking combination of retro and modern aesthetics. Somehow Shadowlight Sanctuary managed to find a synergy that melds the two into a fully believable world. The camera pans, and the world moves around you, feeling deep and vibrant in a way that’s difficult to capture in 2D pixel art. You can even interact with a number of objects and move them around by walking into them. 

Kill the Shadow will have a lot more in store for you on its release in late 2024. Can you unravel the mysteries plaguing the city of Darkwater and unveil the ultimate mastermind? Will you condemn them, kill them, or even kiss the mastermind in the end? That is all up to you. So wishlist Kill the Shadow on Steam now and try out the demo, to get updated when the full game goes live!

Check out the newest Gameplay Trailer!