Relive the original MacVenture Series version of Shadowgate! Play through the Mac and Apple IIGS versions to experience where the franchise began.
Mostly Positive
51 Steam reviews
| LANGUAGE | AUDIO | SUBTITLES | INTERFACE |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | — | Y | Y |
норм
Just like the other MacVenture games, it's a fun, retro point and click game with a god awful inventory system.
If you think you can put up with that and like those kinds of games, then you'll like this.
play it
+ Style fantasy 80's
+ Important pour les joueurs archéologues
+/- La mécanique des torches qui ajoute un aspect survie
- Puzzle obtus qui demande du die and retry
- Gestion d'inventaire lourde
6/10 ENTER THE DUNGEON!
i played this game as a kid and was able to get pretty far. now, not so much. Its been such a joy to relearn and play again.
there is no music to to the shadowgate : MacVenture Series !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Shadowgate is the third game in ICOM’s MacVenture series. The ahead-of-its-time graphical interface is exactly the same as the previous two games, but the gameplay is slightly more evolved.
POSITIVES
Similar to Infocom’s Enchanter Trilogy, this game has a more traditional (D&D-style) fantasy setting and incorporates relatively simple methods of learning and casting spells (that avoid the tediousness of having to laboriously type in commands to find, take, and view scrolls, and to record, memorize, and cast spells).
NEGATIVES
The only criticism I have for this game is the lack of easier-to-notice warnings that the burning torch is about to stop burning. The single text message and screen flash are frustratingly easy to miss, and without a lit torch, the game cannot be finished. Therefore, the only reliable solution to the expiring-torch problem is to depend on an excessive number of game saves. While this particular game-save dependency isn’t as bad as the first game in the series, it’s still rather tiresome when the game has to be repeatedly restarted every single time you neglect to notice the dying-torch warnings.
RECOMMENDATIONS
If you’re wanting to explore vintage (80s) adventure games, I highly recommend the middle two games in the MacVenture series (Uninvited and Shadowgate). The graphical user interface of these early-Mac games is unlike most other adventure games of the pre-CD-ROM era.
But even if you don’t want to waste any time on old-fashioned games, you absolutely have to play the 2014 remake of Shadowgate. It’s not only a spectacular recreation of the original, it’s a truly great game in its own right.
Difficult, but very rewarding when you start to figure things out. Old school, tough-as-nails, point and click adventure game. No music unfortunately, but you can just play whatever OST you want then.
みんな大好きFC版シャドウゲイトのオリジナルバージョン
Macで発売されたADVシリーズ、MacVentureの1作品
マウス操作と相性はいいが全編英語
ざんねん！！
This series has been around for eons, so I'll keep it short and sweet.
I'm old. I loved these games growing up. I still do. I don't mind shelling out a few extra bucks for the nostalgia. The game functions. That's all I need. The end.
the dope game or something
SCORE: 3/10 - AWFUL
I got this as a freebie with Shadowgate (2014 version). I remember enjoying Shadowgate as a kid on my 8-bit Nintendo, so I was curious how the Mac version compared. Unfortunately, this game hasn't aged well at all. Furthermore, the Mac version lacks music or any audible cue when your torch is about to burn out, so I ended up with many unexpected deaths in which my torch burned out unexpectedly, inevitably causing me to stumble and break my neck in the darkness. I didn't bother completing this game.
THIS GAME IS LIKE YOU'RE EX GIRLFRIEND CAW CAW
YOU WILL FEEL DUMB ON THE FIRST SCREEN. HOW IN THE HELL DID ALMOST BEAT DEJU VU BUT NOT EVEN MAKE IT INTO THE CASTLE IN THIS GAME CAW CAW????
I'll start by saying I LOVE Shadowgate.... That being said, it is nearly impossible to overlook the general lack of appropriate functionality in this version. Very disappointing.
In my ongoing and likely futile effort to write a Steam review for every game in my library (#352 out of 612)... it's time for Shadowgate: MacVenture Series
If ever there was an argument for against the necessity of remasters instead of proper remakes, the MacVenture series is it. I can't quite call Shadowgate unplayable—it's not, not literally, but... very nearly so. It's a very, very dated game that is very, very difficult to get into—even for fans of the highly idiosyncratic point-and-click adventure genre. Simply put, it's too dated to properly enjoy without a heaping helping of nostalgia—and even then, I'm not convinced. The lack of audio remains a pretty severe detriment, but at least there's a color option with this one. And then there's the other big problem in the fact that the game's UI emulates the look of an old Apple PC, so unless you know that hardware well, you're likely to find the interface extremely clumsy and unintuitive. I love adventure games, I do, but I have to acknowledge that this is a genre that can very much be hit-or-miss, and the MacVenture games are total misses.
This was the first game I ever played... ever!! I'm so glad it's been brought back to life!
This game IS the original... even down to the janky Mac Classic scroll bars and inventory limits that were probably there to keep those old macs from bursting into flames.
Quite a nostalgia trip!
classic game, just like i remember it. if you were a fan back then, I think you will enjoy this re-release.
Shadowgate is the third, and arguably the most popular, game in the four-part MacVenture point and click series from the mid-to-late 80's. Originally released for both Macintosh (1987) and Apple IIGS systems (1989), this infamously difficult horror-fantasy title found itself ported to several other systems over the years; including Amiga, DOS, NES, Windows, Gameboy Color, and Pocket PC. Much like the two Deja Vu games that came both before and after it, Shadowgate also spawned a couple of sequels; Beyond Shadowgate for the Turbo Grafx CD in 1993, and Shadowgate 64: Trials of the Four Towers for the Nintendo 64 in 1999. However, neither of these latter entries have left their initial birthright consoles. Shadowgate did manage to become the first, and so far the only, MacVenture game to get a remake as well.
Compared to its predecessors, The Uninvited and Deja Vu, Shadowgate manages to be a little more sparse on the side of storytelling. Basically, you're a warrior who has magically been whirled away by the wizard Lakmir, to Castle Shadowgate to defeat a Behemoth that has been raised by an evil wizard. The plot is further expanded through the novel, Before Shadowgate, and also a comic book, Shadowgate Saga: Raven; good luck finding them in this day and age, though. It would've been nice if PDF copies of these stories were included in this Steam re-release, just so players can have access to the full lore in modern times. The writing style is also a far more lackluster than previous entries in the MacVenture series, and much of the deep atmosphere has been lost due to that.
Moreover, the puzzles in this release are some of the hardest and most demanding of the small franchise. The way that items must be used can be trickier, and death is an adversary that's easy to get to know well. Gone is the invisible time limit from The Uninvited, instead replaced by a somewhat more forgiving system that involves torches. Though don't take quarter-step into "more forgiving" territory too lightheartedly, there are a limited amount of torches scattered throughout the game, and each action depletes their burn time; this includes picking up and dropping items. If a torch goes out before you light another, you can inadvertently force yourself into a dead end as you will die if you click around in the dark. If you're in a room with a candle or another torch, you can use them to light a new one for yourself if you have one on hand. If you screw up and run out of torches, you'll be unable to progress.
In the end, Shadowgate feels a bit less rewarding to both play and complete when compared to the titles that came before it. This feeling is driven by the reduction in writing prowess; which has definitely taken a few leaps back in terms of quality. This title does not feel like a Choose Your Own Adventure book, nor does it have any particular atmosphere to it at all for the most part, and almost all of the charm is gone. Additionally, most of the sound effects are grating to the ears. With all of that said, there are some clear progressive steps made for the original time period when it comes to visual effects; the flashing screens when lightning is striking is an amazing touch for a game from 1987. If you're a hardcore point and click fan, this one may appeal to you, but for most gamers this one is a pass.
[h1]Rating: [b]3.0/5.0[/b] - Average, can take it or leave it.[/h1]
The Horror Network [url=http://store.steampowered.com/curator/28221963/]Curator[/url] | [url=http://steamcommunity.com/groups/thehorrornetwork]Group[/url] Click for Gore
Classic but hard as nails without cheating or looking up guides
Très décu par la version MacVenture Series. Dabord, je remarque qu'il n'y a aucune musique. Aucune commande TAKE pour prendre les objets. Alors, comment fait-on pour ramasser les trucs ? Et bien, on doit faire glisser les objets jusque dans l'inventaire minuscule. Quand j'ouvre la porte et que j'arrive dans la pièce, la torche s'éteint de façon mystérieuse sans que je comprenne pourquoi. J'avais ADORÉ la version nintendo mais celle-ci est vraiment mal conçue.
Wer keine Nostalgie-Gefühle für Shadowgate hat,
dem kann ich es nur mit Komplettlösung empfehlen,
ansonsten ist es deutlich zu frustierend, da man ein Dead-End
nachdem anderen produzieren kann ohne es zu merken.
Tags: Adventure - WC- Walk Clicker
Additional Tags: Delete Local Content & Remove from Library
TLDR: Extremely dated walk clicker dungeoncrawl hybrid. Has since been decently remastered making the original only valuable for nostalgia and archiving of iconic retro games.
While I am glad to own the license to this classic, it does not really compete well with nearly anything nowadays. I would rather play the remastered version or a half decent dungeoncrawl game like Grimrock or the remaster of the old bard tales to be honest.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/294440/Shadowgate/
Early dungeon point and click puzzler, a little "mature".
For better or worse, it was more linear than previous ICOM point and click games. Still had you walking on eggshells though. I don't believe there are any real-time, arcade battles, you defeat monsters, ghosts etc. by hitting them with the right object from your (limited)inventory, much like say King's Quest. It's interesting how you find a sword in a locked cupboard just inside the castle, but it's barely useful for anything. So it's an interesting "pick the right object, choose the right path" sort of game with some nice, atmospheric graphics and scary death scenes. And there was one particular secret path that I thought was cleverly hidden.
Like I said, you're walking on eggshells. If you forget to light another torch before your's goes out, you're dead. There are a lot of false moves resulting in death. Standard for ICOM games I suppose. It's learn by death.
I'm sure I completed the Game Boy version of this game in 2001 without help, but it took a long time. I don't really believe in making such sacrifices for games anymore. I gave up on this version maybe just over half way through, after deciding that the removing the game's obstacles relied too much on random, try anything, experimentation. It's not really a game which you can appreciate for the logic put into the puzzles. Sometimes even if it takes ages to solve a puzzle, or you have to look up the solution, you can respect the challenge and see it as worthwhile. In other games though, not necessarily in this one. If you're interested in early point and click though i.e ICOM, this game is decent enough and I think more enjoyable than the Déja Vu games.
CANT SAVE GAME VERY BAD
Shadowgate is just plain ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ and I'll tell you why. I rank this title as the least forgiving out of the whole bunch and for a couple reasons. It's picky as hell inventory and those damn torches. Shadowgate is basically MacVenture's take on a point and click fantasy title. Your goal is to defeat a rogue wizard who's abusing his powers for evil, to put it simply.
I didn't find this title as fun as I remotely did with the others. The torches are the timer in this game and there's barely a hint as to when you'll know when one of them will go out. If you're caught up solving a few puzzles at a time, it's easy to miss the message that one of your torches is flickering. You'll see the screen begin to pixelate, yes, but for all you know it could be a reaction from solving a puzzle or what have you.
Then the next thing that happens is the next few steps you make, suddenly you find yourself in darkness and that's a death. So, my recommendation is to try and keep two torches lit. At least a little shortly before you think the original torch you lit will run out. This will actually extend the amount of time you'll have but you still have to be cautious.
Then comes the next problem and that is the inventory. A common mechanic in all of these games is that they will require you to hold on to items you may need to solve particular puzzles or problems with. Once the item is done, just toss it away and some games like in Deja Vu, they'll have accessible areas where you can discard items permanently. Shadowgate has one too and that's the flame room with the oil pits. Provided you even have the time to do that but I wouldn't waste too much time.
In Shadowgate's case here, though, I've had moments where I'd be holding on to items I know I would need for later parts of the game. I reach a room where it'll give me more items I'll need for later on but I cannot have them because the inventory is stuffed. The inventory is stuffed with items I NEED and it'd be difficult having to drop a few all because this one item hogs up the weight. I've actually realized that the Cloak item seems to be a hogging item. I don't understand how a fabric draping cloth can take up so much weight in the inventory but it does because I could only manage to get maybe a couple useful small items in there, a torch and then that damn cloak.
Besides those things to worry about, the game does get really vague on you. The window to mess around is narrowed simply because of the torches. You cannot afford to wander and backtrack too much without it dying. Also, torches get wasted by clicking around too much and I've had a frustrating moment where the game wasn't letting me pick up the wand you get from the skeletal hand that pops up after you put the rod in it's place so it'd be struck by lightning. I was clicking at it and wasting torches. Very irritating but that's a thing with old computer games like these is that they require pixel-perfect precision to accomplish such a small task like taking an item!
Ugh...
I don't recommend this classic because it's, again, the least forgiving in my opinion. Not by the challenges in the game, but by the game itself in how it functions is what is unforgiving.
I'd go play the remake at least.
It is hard to play, can I have some tutorial.
I played MacVenture games on the original platform, when we had it on a pair of floppy disks. And that puts me firmly into the category of retrogamer when I buy these sorts of titles...
I find that weirdly irritating, that some of the puzzle solutions have been altered from the originals. (I mean, I know no one is never going to restore it to the original whatever, and truthfully, I'll probably never even play this beyond trotting it out to other people my age to say "hey, remember this?") But still, it's a valid gripe.
In the pre-internet world, when you got stuck in a puzzle game, you either got a text file on a floppy from someone, or you quit the game, feeling vaguely inferior for the rest of your life. I had the first 3 MacVenture games, and finished 2 of them. That mythic floppy never showed up for me, and by the time the internet showed up, I had moved on to other things.
We did finished Uninvited as a group: - once we had a party and we put the mac on the dining room table and invited the collected guests to try their hand at it - 3 guys took the challenge very seriously and finished it around 1:30 am, about a half an hour before the party broke up.
I don't know about other people, but the reason I buy retrogames is that they are sort of a novelty/museum thing. So I want them to be accurate to the original experience - the guides that have been online for 20+ years as .doc files should carry me to the conclusion, right?
In a strange way, while this is not true to the original games puzzles, it *is* true to the experience of a primordial rage quit of the game because it invalidates the internet as a puzzle solving resource.
But to me, that seems a little to *pure* of a re-creation.
Summary: Recommended, one retrogamer to another, but hesistantly.
Отличная игра в жанре классических квестов для Macintosh. Она в двух версиях, в черно-белой и цветной. Прошёл обе. Понравилось.
Very Very cheap version of Shadowgate and the controls do not work properly. Played this entire game on the old nintendo was fun but this version sux. Was not playable enough to get through the first few rooms. Very bad controls.
This is a loving port of Shadowgate. Keep in mind that this game is a bit different from the NES version. This is the original version on Mac (either the original release or the enhanced release a couple years after). The game launches in a window reminiscent of the original mac OS it was released on, using almost identical controls, graphics, and audio from its respective release. If you know your way, the game can be ran through in just twenty minutes, but if this is your first time traversing Shadowgate be ready for many hours of trial and error to figure out how to make your way through the castle.
Shadowgate is a classic adventure title, and this port is 100 percent faithful to the original release. If you like old school text adventures, or older point and click games, you need this in your game library (along with Uninvited, Deja Vu, and Deja Vu 2).
... so many memories of this game ...
I got this game through the MacVenture Series Collection during the 2016 Summer Sale (I think...) as I played Shadowgate, Uninvited and Deja Vu on my NES a good few years back (fun games) and figured I should get the original Apple versions to go alongside the Kemko ports on the NES - yeah, they're still as enjoyable as I remember on the NES.
This, like the rest of the series, is a point 'n click that's a bit unforgiving. I like just about everything in here - they've got some fairly nice art. (higher-res than the NES, espically on the Mac version) The only gripes I have are minor - first off, the plot is a bit generic (it still works though) and the other is that I miss the NES version with the music which I thought was pretty great, although if you want that you can just look it up and have fun.
I'd say the game is worth picking up if you're interested in some old point 'n clicks, and if you can then pick up the full MacVenture Collection as it's a really nice value for what you get.
I love that someone cared enough about an ancient Macintosh exclusive point and click to preserve it on steam. I am not wild about the game, but you get historian points!
O jogo em si não é ruim, porém esta versão definitivamente não vale a pena jogar. Arcaica demais, com controles terríveis, inventário intragável e sem nem mesmo trilha sonora, não chega nem perto da disponível no Nintendo 8 bits, que foi a versão que eu joguei originalmente.
Fico imaginando como alguém conseguia jogar isso em uma telinha de 12 polegadas. Aliás, nem sei como possuo este jogo, possivelmente deve ter vindo junto quando comprei o Shadowgate 2013. Este último sim é um título que vale a pena.
Enfim, se está procurando um jogo da série Shadowgate, compre o mais novo ou baixe um emulador e jogue os disponíveis para as plataformas da Nintendo, mas não perca seu tempo com este daqui. RUIM (4/10).
Exactly how I remembered
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Shadowgate is one of those must play classic series. An unforgiving point and click adventure not for the easily frustrated.
10/10, didn't make it past the front door before my torch died and I broke my neck.
I grew up knowing the NES version of this game. I remember the nightmares that it caused, and the fun that I had playing it. Though the MacVenture edition is the original, I feel the NES version is superior. It was a bit easier to play, a bit more forgiving, and it had an awesome soundtrack.
That being said, this game is still pretty awesome - consider it the NES version on Nightmare difficulty. There is no forgiveness, and your torches will burn out 10 times faster than they did in the NES version.
Remember that feeling when you slammed the floppy into the old commidore and played this game late at night. The feeling of both determination and fear wrapped in your child mind?
That feeling caused me to buy this game, unfotunatly it was just a memory.
Otherwise this game is complete tripe.
Shadowgate really takes me back. I remember spending hours playing and replaying this game, trying to find better and more efficient ways of beating the game. Playing the MacVenture series version of Shadowgate is different from the NES version, though the content seems to be the same. The controls, however are not. Not trying to knock it, it's still a good game, just takes a little getting used to the controls for those of us who grew up playing this on the NES or Gameboy Color. If you enjoy an old school RPG, pick this game up. Of course there is a rebooted version, with more modern graphics; However, I have a soft spot for the original.
Faithful emulation of the original.
Excelente Jogo!
It was amazing to find this adventure again. It was like a time machine, it took me back to 1994, when I was playing it on the Apple Classic of my sister. It was impossible then, and it is impossible now. The adventure is unforgivable and unforgiving. It doesn't help you in any way. You may burn something which is crucial to proceed later on, you may not pick up a crucial object... the game does nothing to help you. And it's as vintage as you can get. Simply great. I recommend it 100%.
By the way, I still haven't beaten the game!!! :--)
This is the worst version of one of history's best Adventure games. With no soundtrack and no indication of when the torch will go out, this version of "Shadowgate" is practically unplayable. Combine these major flaws with the weird Mac OS interface where every UI element is in a separate window (much like The GIMP open source PhotoShop clone), and the game is really just an awful experience.
I love "Shadowgate" but I hate these "MacVenture" ports. Anyone who wants to enjoy the game would be better off with the NES version or the Remastered version available here on Steam.
The original Shadowgate and the IIgs version. This game is timeless, still every bit as fun and frustrating as it always was! Really fun to go back and play this again after enjoying the 2014 version. If you are a modern gamer who expects fancy things like music, be warned. There are only sound effects. So please don't trash a great old game for no reason. I would recommend buying the package with all the Macventure games if you want some great retro point and clicks.
This unforgiving game is for hard-boiled adventure fans. I swear a lot and almost smash my screen not because puzzles are so complicate but in every room my eye misses something due to a lack of attention. I lost hours for not paying attention to an irregularity on the wall or something like that. On screen inventory is a good idea but not continued in new verison. Not a point and click adv. but very good in itself. Only downside is lack of nice music from nes version. It came free with new verison. Recommend very higly.
I must be incompetent, to not be able to get past the 2nd room without a guide. Avoid if you don't like using a guide to figure out everything in a game.
Excellent port of the original Mac version Shadowgate. Outside of the game, which remains as fun and challanging as it was when I played it 20 years ago, I was particularly entertained by the emulated operating system for which Shadowgate functions. Not only does the console bring back memories of the past through comparable menu imagery, but the functionality of the console through resizable windows makes the game remarkably easier and more fun to play than on the stamp-sized screen of the old Apple II. While I do hope that the developers acquire the appropriate licensing to place the NES music into the game as a option, it has not detracted from my overall experience as the game function and sense of adventure have remained intact.
The torches don't flicker momentarily before going out?! I suppose I could count my actions and light a torch at the appropriate time……
Having played the NES and subsequent Gameboy Color) versions, I am inclined to dislike this original MAC exclusive version of Shadowgate for two reasons:
1. The original is lacking the NES version's awesome soundtrack.
2. The original's controls are a bit clunky at best. Although by today's standards the NES version's controls would be considered clunky as well.. but it is a form of clunkiness I am very familiar with.
Nevertheless THIS IS A CLASSIC that everyone who enjoys point and click adventures SHOULD DEFINITELY add to their libraries :D
I jumped into this without knowing anything about it. Yeah I played the Mac games on an emulator and have seen them here and there and finished some on Nintendo, i'm kind of familiar with the games, I was just expecting this Steam release to be a handful of roms and some kind of emulator.
Surprisingly it isn't though.. it's a set of games built from the ground up to resemble the old versions, and it does a remarkable job at it. You've got the old Mac note windows (albeit with new fonts) and all the methods of interaction are the same, including the item management where you can just lose stuff if you don't organize it well. That's refreshing. Everything works the way you'd expect it to and it even comes with a mono and color version for picky types.
That's all great engine wise. Gamewise - you might want to consider that part. First point: these games don't care AT ALL if you ever finish them. You will die in the first room, you often won't know from what or why, and you usually will not get hints on anything. They are all completely unfair by modern standards and you can often make them entirely unwinnable no matter how often you save. Do you like challenge? Are you psychic? You may enjoy these games more than other people. If you don't care so much about that and want to ♥♥♥♥ around in glorious retro adventures for cheap this stuff will do it for you. If you owned these on a Mac way back.. well you probably already bought this i'm guessing.
Bottom line - surprisingly good port of classic adventure games with massive problems that just aren't for everybody, but at this price you can afford to take a peek.
