Shadow of Destiny review (PlayStation 2)

Gamers may be mildly disappointed in the story after a single play through the game, but it's likely they've only seen a small percentage of the overall story. There are five unique endings based on possible paths and decisions made during the game, so Shadow of Destiny must be played though multiple times. Each ending and path contains important plot revelations, and gamers who take the time to explore the title's many possibilities will be rewarded with an understanding of a complex conspiracy that spans four seemingly unrelated time periods. The game's short length (eight to 10 hours the first time through; about four or five on subsequent plays), the ability to bypass any previously viewed cutscene, and the option to replay the game from the saved data of a previously finished game all suggest the developers intended every gamer to play through multiple times.

Playing through the game several times isn't boring, however, as replaying a time-travel game again differs from replaying a purely linear adventure. After all, the second time through, Eike will be armed with knowledge about his adventure and the ways he might die that will give him a distinct advantage. The savvy player can use this foreknowledge to prepare for certain deaths in advance and avoid others entirely. By doing so, new aspects of the plot and overall storyline are revealed--which can be leveraged to Eike's advantage the third time through, and so forth. Konami's designers have planned for almost every temporal contingency. By reexperiencing the day's events time and time again, Eike gradually changes from being a mere spectator buffeted by unknown forces to an active participant who takes control of his fate--and the fate of those around him.

Graphically, Shadow of Memories isn't bad--though the quality of the components can vary wildly. The low-resolution graphics are initially jarring, but the resolution is offset partially by the extremely detailed environments. Rooms in houses are packed with unique furniture and artifacts. Moreover, Konami's programmers have made sure actions performed in the past affect the look of the present. Removing a seal from a building, for example, will lead to its modern-day absence. The town of Lebensbaum is somewhat ordinary, but it's brought to life by an excellent variety of color, weather, and day and night effects for the different time periods. The 1580s are bathed in rich earth tones, for example, while 1902 is rendered in stark shades of grey. The character models are excellent, especially the facial animations and lip-synching of dialogue. Eike's running animation, however, is stiff and jerky, and the camera angles used in interior sequences are atrocious. The overall effect presented by the game is of a decently stylized (if low-resolution) title with its share of both inspired and uneven moments.

The sound fares much better. The voice acting is from the B-movie school that gamers have come to accept as the norm. Fortunately, none of the actors are bad enough to distract from the game too terribly, and several deliver their lines consistently well. The music fits each chapter and scene, setting the tone and accentuating the events in the storyline.

At times, Shadow of Destiny can seem clunky and unwieldy, especially when compared with graphical powerhouses like The Bouncer and Zone of the Enders. But while it may not tax the PS2's Emotion Engine, the game has plenty of emotion all the same. The original structure and narrative make Shadow of Destiny well worth playing, despite its minor flaws. Gamers willing to invest the time required to unravel the title's mysteries will discover one of the PS2's most enjoyable games and one of the most original adventure games to grace a console.