Shadow of the Road, the promising turn-based RPG from publisher Owlcat Games and developer Another Angle Games, has made its demo available on Steam once again, letting us sample its take on feudal Japan, which infuses steampunk and magical elements into the latter part of the era.
Available for “at least a month,” it includes a slice of the game that is, according to the developer, feature complete. Shadow of the Road’s demo introduces us to Satoru the Samurai and Akira the Ranger, its leading duo, as they navigate “a political debacle at the Ryokan Yasumi,” before traveling to the Sugiyama estate to recruit new allies to their cause.
Shadow of the Road Demo
It acts as an introduction to its story, which throws us in the midst of a brutal civil war that pits Shogun Tokugawa’s traditionalist forces against Emperor Mutsuhito’s army, which benefits from a technological advantage, courtesy of the British East Nippon Company.
The duo is employed by Tokugawa’s spymaster to protect a boy who wields “immense, uncontrollable powers.” Needless to say, the broader clash between tradition and modernity receives an unexpected spin as magical spirits and steampunk machinery enter the fray.
Shadow of the Road’s demo gives us a taste of both exploration and turn-based combat, the latter of which proves increasingly nuanced as characters unlock skills and forge relationships.
There’s no release date yet, but a month’s time – the developer plans to share the exact date when the demo will be taken down later – should be enough to give this chunk of Shadow of the Road a try and decide whether or not it earns the title a place on your wishlist.
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