And the gameplay... well, it all depends. If you've played
King's Field and
King's Field II, and liked them, you'll like this game. It's the same slow-moving, epic RPG that's damned near impossible at times, but good fun once you get into the swing of things. These games are definitely acquired tastes, however, and you'll want to try before you buy. You are a warrior from a distant land, come to combat the darkness that has fallen over the Holy Land of Zepter. There are seven worlds to explore, and 150 creatures to slaughter. Like the
King's Field games, gameplay consists of lots of back-and-forth movement, getting new items and using them somewhere else. A very good eye is necessary, because sometimes key items are hidden on the ground behind pillars and on the ground. There are two new 'twists' to the game -- you can have a shield that helps deflect some enemy damage, and weapons and armor deteriorate as they're used and beaten on, until they break and you need new ones.
I really like the type of gameplay that is presented in Shadow Tower, but I have friends that absolutely cannot stand it. It's slow-moving, involved, and sometimes confusing as hell when you're just wandering around trying to figure out what to do next. If this is your cuppa, you'll love Shadow Tower. If not, run away. There are some problems, though, that make Shadow Tower not as good as its predecessors. First of all, there is little coherent story at the beginning. You're dropped down in the middle of the Shadow Tower, and you start wandering around. You're going to die six or seven times before you ever even find the first save point -- I don't know if the Japanese find this sort of thing fun, but I just find it annoying. And some of the tombstone-objects (the ones with crowns are Save Points) warp you to bizarre other worlds. Eh? There's nothing that really makes sense. You can't run anymore, either, which makes movement a pain in the butt, and the combat system is even less accurate than the one in the King's Field games. It's still a decently fun game, but KF and KF2 were better.