We had the chance to take a look at at this year’s gamecom. Here some infos for you:

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What is Shadows: Awakening?

Shadows: Awakening is a unique, isometric single-player RPG with real-time tactical combat. You take control of a demon summoned from the Shadow Realm – the Devourer – to consume the souls of long-dead heroes and embark on an epic adventure with challenging gameplay, a gripping storyline and enchanting graphics. Do you have the focus and wits to master the world of the Heretic Kingdoms? Gather your party, control powerful heroes and use their skills to your advantage.

However, who is in charge… the demon, or the souls that it has devoured? It is up to you to either thwart a major threat and save the world, or to plunge it into complete disaster…

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What are Shadows: Awakening’s main features?

• A Tale of Two Worlds – In a parallel universe inhabited by demons and monsters, seamlessly switch between the Shadow Realm and the mortal plane and witness a gripping storyline in a world full of myths, destinies and legendary creatures.
• Unique Party System – multiple characters in one demon, each retaining their own personalities with internal dialogues, rivalries and communication between the characters.
• Wide variety of Skills and Characters – Choose from 3 heroes, each with their own personal storylines, quests and dialogues. Consume the souls of 14 playable characters, each with their own unique skillsets, like Kalig the Bandit King and Evia, Daughter of Fire.
• Tactical Real-Time Combat – Combine the skills of your various characters to maximize the effects of your devastating skills and spells.
• Extensive Gameplay – 20+ hours for a single playthrough, but with substantial options for replayability which accumulate to 60+ hours for the full experience.
• Challenging Puzzles – Complex puzzles are scattered throughout the game, and will take you through a vibrant set of locations, from rustic towns to the deepest and darkest of dungeons.
• Enchanting and Looting System – Expanded enchanting and looting system will let you use rewards to configure the ultimate adventurer.
• Fully Voiced– All dialogues are fully narrated, including actors like Tom Baker.

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What platforms will Shadows: Awakening release on?

PC, Xbox One, PlayStation4 (retail + digital)

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Will there be a Mac and/or Linux version?

There are no plans for Mac and Linux versions.

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When will Shadows:Awakening be released?

31.08.2018 (digital)

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What languages will be available for Shadows: Awakening?

Currently the game is being prepared to support:

• On Steam:

English, French, German, Russian, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean, Japanese

• On GoG:

English, French, German, Spanish

• On Playstation 4:

English, French, German, Russian, Spanish, Korean, Traditional Chinese, Japanese

• On Xbox One:

English, French, German, Russian, Spanish

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What engine does Shadows:Awakening use?

Shadows uses the Unity engine.

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Will Shadows: Awakening include modding support?

There are currently no plans for modding support.

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Who is developing Shadows: Awakening?

Shadows:Awakening is being developed by Games Farm in Kosice, Slovakia, with a team of 25 people working on the game. Games Farm has released more than 10 games in recent years across several platforms.

They are mostly known for the Air Conflicts series and the highly praised Action RPG Vikings – Wolves of Midgard, as well as the original Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms.

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What separates Shadows:Awakening from other (Action) RPGs out there?

Shadows: Awakening is unique in many ways:

• Deep integration of the ‘Shadow realm’ – a parallel world that is central to the core gameplay mechanics and the story, as well as influencing equipment, combat tactics, puzzles and quests.
• Play as a soul-devouring demon.
• Unique party system where players can play as multiple characters in a single avatar, while being able to experience the full range of personal stories and characters identities.
• Tactical real-time combat using a bespoke ‘synergy’ system and cross-realm tactics.
• Synergy system to strengthen and develop the combination of characters in your party

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Will there be character creation and/or customization options?

There is no direct character customization, but the decisions you make will affect the appearance of your demonic avatar.

You can also equip your puppets with armour and equipment to achieve a unique personal look for each character, which is common for the RPG-genre, for sure.

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Is there much variety when it comes to environments?

Shadows: Awakening offers a wide range of environments, ranging from the deserts of the Outlands, sand cities, the jungles of Taymuria, the great city of Kyallisar, ice covered wastes, several other unique locations and of course plenty of deep dungeons and catacombs.

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Any word on replayability?

Shadows: Awakening features three main characters, each with different storylines, dialogues and specific solutions to some quests.

Moreover, decisions are important, and some quests will offer mutually exclusive solutions, so if you solve the quest in one way, you cannot do the other.

In addition, you cannot acquire all Puppets during a single playthrough.

Finally, Shadows: Awakening offers three different endings based on the decisions made through the game.

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Is there any benefit to collecting puppets/souls? Do they differ strongly from one to another?

Each of the puppets are unique in their visual style and have different skillsets. Many also give players the opportunity to take up different quests, too. Therefore, if the player wants to experience everything the game offers,they will need to unlock as many puppets as possible and replay the game several times.

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Will Shadows:Awakening feature a multiplayer mode?

No, Shadows: Awakening will not feature any kind of multiplayer mode.

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Is there a reason why Shadows: Awakening was developed as a purelysingleplayer game?

The unique party system and realm-switching mechanic mean that it would be quite difficult to create an enjoyable multiplayer experience. Therefore, we decided to focus all our available resources to create the best single player experience possible.

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Will there be a physical version of the game?

Yes, Shadows:Awakening will be released as a physical edition for Windows PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

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How much playtime are you aiming for?

20+ hours for a single playthrough, but with substantial options for replayability thanks to the three main characters, each of whom offer different storylines, dialogues and playstyles.

In addition, players cannot acquire all of the puppets in a single playthrough, as they will sometimes have to decide between one puppet or another in certain situations.Therefore, it is definitely worthreplaying the game in order to try new party compositions and skill synergies.

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How many different weapons are available in Shadows: Awakening?

There are more than 100 weapons and many other gear options available in Shadows: Awakening.

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How many difficulty levels are there?

There will be four difficulty levels(Easy, Normal, Hard, Extreme).

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How do you improve your character(s) and maximize damage?

You need to collect experience and get a hold of the best items available scattered and hidden across the Heretic Kingdoms.

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Will there be loot like in classical (A)RPGs?

Yes, there will be plenty of loot. You can also enchantyour own items and improve existing items using the talent system.

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Will there be a stat system, like strength, agility, stamina, speed, etc. and will there be some kind of talent tree?

Shadows: Awakening features both stat systems;a skill tree and a talent tree.

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Will there be different types of classes, like Warrior, Assassin and Mage?

In Shadows: Awakeningthere are no classes as commonly used in this genre, instead each character is unique and players can combine the skills and powers of these characters to create unique party effects.

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Will Shadows: Awakening offer an open world?

No, each location in the game is its own separate map. But, you can use the so-called Cenotaphs to travel between any previously discovered Cenotaphs in the Heretic Kingdoms.

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Will Shadows: Awakening featurea linear story?

The main storyline in the game is linear most of the time.However, there will be many optional side-quests to take on.

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Will there be any pets in the game to help you during fights?

Depending on the chosen puppet, players can also summon various powerful beings to aid in the fight and help to defeat strong foes. Like Evia, who can summon a golem to temporarily fight at her side.

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Are there plans for testing phases, betas, or even early access?

A pre-purchase Beta is already running on Steam. This Beta is only available for players who pre-purchase the game on Steam and is intended to run until the fullrelease of the gameon August 31^st 2018 (digital).

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Will there be Keyboard and mouse customization options for PC?

Yes, the game will feature fully customizable keyboard and mouse controls for the PC version.

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Will there be keyboard and mouse support for consoles?

No, there will be no keyboard and mouse support for consoles.

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Will there be “Permadeath”?

No, there will be no “Permadeath” or Hardcore mode available.

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Is there any option to zoom in or out? Can the camera be rotated?

The camera cannot be rotated. But, players can use the + and – keys on the keyboard to zoom in and out. In addition, players can review their characters in more detail in the inventory screen.

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Will the game offer 4Ksupport on PC?

Yes, the game will support 4Kresolution.

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Will the game feature 21:9support on PC?

Yes, the game will support 21:9.

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Will the game be released on the same day for PC and consoles?

Yes, this is planned.

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Will the character’s appearance change when equipping new gear?

Yes, each character’s appearance will change when equipping new gear.

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What about owners of the Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms?

Owners of the original Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms will no doubt remember that they were promised ‘Book 2’ free of charge.

Kalypso Media and Games Farm are happy to confirm that they will uphold their promise to reward these long-time fans – with all owners of the Steam and GOG versions of Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms eligible to receive Shadows: Awakening as an update to their existing game, completely free of charge.

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Is there some kind of story that took place before Shadows: Awakening? (*possible spoilers)

Shadows: Awakening is the new adventure in the Heretic Kingdoms universe. Since the death of the God of the Land, the Dreamworld of the Heretic Kingdoms has been cut off from the other dimensions, with the exception of the realm that the mages call ‘Shattered Heaven’ – a hell dimension swarming with demons. Some of these demons have been in existence for millennia, some are the twisted remnants of the servitors of the Dead God, who have since been transformed into demons. The part of the Dreamworld closest to Shattered Heaven is known as ‘Shadow’, and demons can freely move between Shadow and Shattered Heaven without need of a magical Hellgate portal.

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However, since the destruction of the Godslayer sword (the events of Kult: Heretic Kingdoms), the ethereal space between Shattered Heaven and the mortal realm has narrowed such that it is no longer possible to access any part of the Dreamworld except Shadow. A portal is now required to reach into any other part of the Dreamworld, and Shadow has replaced the Dreamworld for almost all of those able to cross the Veil.

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Krenze – once the High Sage of Penta Nera, now in exile – has used the weakened Veil to summon a Devourer – but for what purpose?

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