<s>
Shadowlands	B-Application
is	O
a	O
1992	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Domark	O
for	O
DOS	B-Device
,	O
Amiga	B-Device
,	O
and	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shadowlands	B-Application
is	O
a	O
fantasy	O
role-playing	O
game	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
player	O
controls	O
four	O
characters	O
either	O
as	O
a	O
party	O
or	O
as	O
individuals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Characters	O
in	O
Shadowlands	B-Application
are	O
governed	O
by	O
four	O
statistics	O
:	O
Combat	O
,	O
Magik	O
,	O
Strength	O
,	O
and	O
Health	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Characters	O
are	O
aligned	O
to	O
one	O
of	O
four	O
roles	O
:	O
Magician	O
,	O
Warrior	B-Protocol
,	O
Orc	O
,	O
and	O
Priest	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
important	O
aspect	O
in	O
Shadowlands	B-Application
is	O
light	O
:	O
in	O
dark	O
areas	O
torches	O
are	O
needed	O
for	O
characters	O
to	O
see	O
,	O
and	O
they	O
burn	O
out	O
over	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Scorpions	B-Application
act	O
similarly	O
,	O
but	O
do	O
not	O
follow	O
the	O
player	O
and	O
instead	O
must	O
be	O
avoided	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Amiga	B-Device
version	O
of	O
Shadowlands	B-Application
began	O
development	O
in	O
November	O
1990	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
March	O
1992	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
British	O
gaming	O
magazine	O
The	O
One	O
interviewed	O
Dean	O
Lester	O
,	O
the	O
designer	O
for	O
Shadowlands	B-Application
 '	O
Amiga	B-Device
version	O
,	O
for	O
information	O
regarding	O
its	O
development	O
in	O
a	O
pre-release	O
interview	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shadowlands	B-Application
was	O
conceived	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
popularity	O
of	O
RPGs	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
with	O
Lester	O
particularly	O
citing	O
Dungeon	B-Device
Master	I-Device
's	I-Device
success	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
"	O
We	O
'd	O
all	O
played	O
and	O
enjoyed	O
Dungeon	B-Device
Master	I-Device
and	O
we	O
were	O
looking	O
forward	O
to	O
a	O
really	O
long	O
project	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
Dungeon	B-Device
Master	I-Device
's	I-Device
impact	O
on	O
the	O
16-bit	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
scene	I-Application
,	O
Lester	O
notes	O
RPGs	O
as	O
an	O
'	O
increasingly	O
important	O
element	O
of	O
the	O
gaming	O
market	O
in	O
the	O
future	O
 '	O
,	O
further	O
stating	O
that	O
"	O
Expectations	O
are	O
getting	O
higher	O
as	O
standards	O
improve	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
best	O
way	O
to	O
fufil	O
 [ sic ] 	O
those	O
expectations	O
is	O
with	O
a	O
complex	O
mouse-driven	O
strategy	O
game	O
,	O
not	O
just	O
another	O
shoot'em	O
up.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Shadowlands	B-Application
is	O
designed	O
with	O
an	O
'	O
arcade-style	O
'	O
isometric	B-Application
viewpoint	I-Application
and	O
its	O
controls	O
&	O
UI	O
are	O
'	O
simplified	O
 '	O
due	O
to	O
Lester	O
's	O
design	O
philosophy	O
that	O
"	O
if	O
a	O
game	O
system	O
is	O
relatively	O
familiar	O
to	O
games	O
players	O
,	O
it	O
has	O
more	O
chance	O
of	O
success	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shadowlands	B-Application
utilizes	O
burst	O
scrolling	O
,	O
stating	O
in	O
regards	O
to	O
this	O
design	O
decision	O
that	O
"	O
A	O
burst	O
scrolling	O
isometric	O
game	O
is	O
rare	O
:	O
flick-screen	O
RPGs	O
tend	O
to	O
be	O
room-based	O
and	O
lose	O
integrity	O
;	O
and	O
it	O
would	O
be	O
unplayable	O
if	O
the	O
screen	O
scrolled	O
every	O
time	O
a	O
character	O
moved.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Further	O
expressing	O
Dungeon	B-Device
Master	I-Device
as	O
an	O
inspiration	O
,	O
Lester	O
states	O
that	O
"	O
There	O
are	O
lots	O
of	O
things	O
we	O
liked	O
about	O
Dungeon	B-Device
Master	I-Device
but	O
we	O
wanted	O
to	O
do	O
it	O
differently	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lester	O
notes	O
his	O
belief	O
that	O
Shadowlands	B-Application
 '	O
difficulty	O
comes	O
not	O
from	O
its	O
scope	O
,	O
but	O
"	O
the	O
combination	O
of	O
puzzles	O
,	O
monsters	O
,	O
traps	O
and	O
loads	O
of	O
objects	O
to	O
find	O
and	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Poisoned	O
food	O
was	O
considered	O
as	O
an	O
addition	O
to	O
Shadowlands	B-Application
during	O
development	O
,	O
however	O
Lester	O
notes	O
his	O
hesitance	O
in	O
doing	O
so	O
,	O
expressing	O
that	O
"	O
there	O
's	O
nothing	O
more	O
annoying	O
than	O
searching	O
for	O
something	O
for	O
ages	O
,	O
and	O
then	O
eating	O
it	O
only	O
to	O
find	O
it	O
kills	O
you	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lester	O
further	O
notes	O
how	O
Shadowlands	B-Application
responds	O
to	O
different	O
playstyles	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
it	O
"	O
senses	O
how	O
good	O
you	O
are	O
:	O
if	O
you	O
're	O
particularly	O
adept	O
at	O
some	O
puzzles	O
you	O
might	O
find	O
there	O
are	O
a	O
couple	O
of	O
extra	O
monsters.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Determining	O
when	O
walls	O
should	O
appear	O
and	O
disappear	O
was	O
a	O
complication	O
in	O
Shadowlands	B-Application
 '	O
development	O
,	O
and	O
Lester	O
expresses	O
in	O
regards	O
to	O
this	O
that	O
"	O
The	O
problem	O
with	O
scrolling	O
an	O
isometric	O
game	O
is	O
that	O
you	O
want	O
to	O
leave	O
in	O
the	O
background	O
walls	O
so	O
that	O
you	O
can	O
feature	O
switches	O
and	O
objects	O
,	O
but	O
you	O
want	O
to	O
leave	O
out	O
the	O
foreground	O
walls	O
so	O
you	O
can	O
see	O
your	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Flick-screen	O
games	O
solve	O
this	O
by	O
just	O
putting	O
in	O
an	O
archway	O
and	O
omitting	O
the	O
wall	O
-	O
but	O
in	O
Shadowlands	B-Application
,	O
once	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
characters	O
walks	O
round	O
the	O
other	O
side	O
of	O
a	O
wall	O
it	O
should	O
reappear	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Light	O
is	O
an	O
important	O
gameplay	O
aspect	O
in	O
Shadowlands	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Lester	O
states	O
that	O
"	O
Light	O
is	O
more	O
than	O
a	O
graphical	O
effect	O
,	O
it	O
also	O
allows	O
you	O
to	O
use	O
objects	O
like	O
photo	O
receptors	O
to	O
activate	O
switches	O
or	O
open	O
doors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shadowlands	B-Application
 '	O
graphics	O
were	O
created	O
by	O
Mark	O
Anthony	O
,	O
and	O
were	O
drawn	O
traditionally	O
on	O
paper	O
,	O
and	O
then	O
digitized	O
into	O
16-colour	O
graphics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shadowlands	B-Application
 '	O
graphics	O
were	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
final	O
aspects	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
be	O
designed	O
;	O
according	O
to	O
The	O
One	O
,	O
"	O
graphics	O
are	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
last	O
pieces	O
of	O
the	O
jigsaw	B-Application
:	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
code	O
has	O
been	O
finished	O
and	O
much	O
of	O
the	O
design	O
is	O
complete	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
upon	O
the	O
graphics	O
 '	O
completion	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
sent	O
to	O
Shadowlands	B-Application
 '	O
publisher	O
Domark	O
for	O
playtesting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
The	O
One	O
,	O
Mark	O
Anthony	O
's	O
"	O
passion	O
for	O
Japanese-style	O
graphics	O
"	O
influenced	O
the	O
anime	O
artstyle	O
used	O
in	O
Shadowlands	B-Application
 '	O
character	O
portrait	O
generator	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shadowlands	B-Application
 '	O
playable	O
characters	O
have	O
128	O
frames	O
of	O
animation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
Amiga	B-Device
512Ks	I-Device
,	O
levels	O
load	O
in	O
separately	O
,	O
while	O
1Mb	O
Amigas	B-Device
use	O
the	O
extra	O
memory	O
as	O
a	O
RAM	B-Architecture
disc	O
,	O
and	O
have	O
reduced	O
loading	O
times	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
Gaming	O
World	O
gave	O
the	O
game	O
a	O
positive	O
review	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
"	O
Shadowlands	B-Application
....	O
does	O
n't	O
exactly	O
break	O
new	O
ground	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
does	O
have	O
an	O
approach	O
that	O
is	O
unique	O
and	O
features	O
that	O
set	O
it	O
apart	O
from	O
the	O
rest	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
One	O
gave	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
version	O
of	O
Shadowlands	B-Application
an	O
overall	O
score	O
of	O
93%	O
,	O
calling	O
it	O
"	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
dungeon-delving	O
role-playing	O
games	O
to	O
come	O
along	O
since	O
Eye	O
of	O
the	O
Beholder.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
One	O
praises	O
Shadowlands	B-Application
 '	O
design	O
and	O
gameplay	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
"	O
It	O
's	O
obvious	O
right	O
from	O
the	O
start	O
that	O
an	O
awful	O
lot	O
of	O
thought	O
has	O
gone	O
into	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
design	O
,	O
from	O
the	O
easy-to-use	O
controls	O
to	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
light	O
as	O
more	O
than	O
just	O
a	O
graphical	O
effect	O
...	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
real	O
beauty	O
of	O
Shadowlands	B-Application
is	O
that	O
combat	O
takes	O
a	O
back	O
seat	O
to	O
the	O
environment	O
,	O
but	O
still	O
manages	O
to	O
feature	O
strongly	O
enough	O
to	O
add	O
excitement	O
to	O
the	O
proceedings.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
One	O
praises	O
Shadowlands	B-Application
 '	O
uniqueness	O
,	O
expressing	O
that	O
"	O
The	O
very	O
fact	O
that	O
each	O
of	O
the	O
four	O
characters	O
can	O
be	O
controlled	O
independently	O
of	O
each	O
other	O
sets	O
it	O
apart	O
from	O
the	O
likes	O
of	O
Cadaver	B-Application
,	O
Dungeon	B-Device
Master	I-Device
,	O
et	O
al	O
,	O
and	O
allows	O
you	O
to	O
come	O
up	O
with	O
all	O
manner	O
of	O
strategies	O
in	O
fights	O
and	O
solutions	O
to	O
puzzles.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
One	O
particularly	O
praises	O
Shadowlands	B-Application
 '	O
unique	O
approach	O
to	O
items	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
"	O
Every	O
object	O
,	O
no	O
matter	O
how	O
small	O
or	O
insignificant	O
,	O
can	O
be	O
utilized	O
effectively	O
...	O
Apples	O
are	O
more	O
than	O
just	O
food	O
,	O
you	O
can	O
drain	O
them	O
of	O
their	O
'	O
psychic	O
energies	O
 '	O
,	O
use	O
them	O
to	O
set	O
off	O
hidden	O
pressure	O
plates	O
or	O
even	O
throw	O
them	O
at	O
monsters.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
One	O
however	O
criticises	O
the	O
presence	O
of	O
'	O
small	O
monsters	O
 '	O
such	O
as	O
rats	O
and	O
scorpions	B-Application
,	O
which	O
follow	O
around	O
the	O
player	O
characters	O
and	O
slowly	O
drain	O
their	O
health	O
,	O
a	O
feature	O
they	O
call	O
'	O
questionable	O
 '	O
,	O
and	O
expresses	O
that	O
they	O
find	O
the	O
need	O
to	O
eat	O
and	O
drink	O
to	O
"[detract]	O
from	O
the	O
fun	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
but	O
notes	O
the	O
latter	O
as	O
a	O
matter	O
of	O
personal	O
opinion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
One	O
calls	O
Shadowlands	B-Application
"	O
a	O
glorious	O
fantasy	O
romp	O
,	O
mixing	O
exactly	O
the	O
right	O
amount	O
of	O
action	O
with	O
thought	O
and	O
wrapping	O
it	O
all	O
up	O
with	O
a	O
completely	O
absorbing	O
atmosphere.	O
"	O
</s>
