Shadow of the Beast II (シャドー・オブ・ザ・ビーストII 獣神の呪縛) is a 1992 action game by Psygnosis, originally released for the Commodore Amiga before being ported to the Sega Mega Drive and Sega Mega-CD, and also the Atari ST and FM-Towns computers. It is the sequel to the original Shadow of the Beast and the second game in the Shadow of the Beast trilogy (the third game was an Amiga exclusive, though it was also going to be released for the Mega Drive).
Story
At the end of the first game, you manage to free yourself from a life of serving the Beast Lord, only to find your baby sister has been kidnapped by Zelek to take your place as a Beast Messenger. Infuriated, you set out to find your sister and destroy Zelek.
Gameplay
The controls are simple: jumps, fires, selects a weapon to fire. A flail replaces the punches from the first game. Items can be offered to certain characters by pausing the game, Gimmick sections from the first game have been removed.
The game is now even more open-worlded and non-linear. Due to this openness, limited hints and the failed puzzles not killing the player, it's possible to get stuck easily.
TODO
Versions
- Around a quarter of the screen of the Sega Mega Drive is covered by a black bar that serves no purpose. Reasons for this are unknow, although it can be assumed this is due to the Sega Mega Drive version running at a higher resolution than the Amiga original and the developers not compensation this.
- The Sega Mega-CD and Sega Mega Drive version are largely different, with the Sega Mega-CD having more content, additional weapons, optimized graphics, slightly altered gameplay, cutscenes, extra dialogue options, more characters to interact with etc. It's generally considered to be the definite version of the game.
- Compared to the Amiga original, both versions feature a different player sprite, with the Sega Mega-CD's hero being slightly armored, and the Sega Mega Drive's hero only wearing pants.
- For the Sega Mega Drive version, cutscenes and background graphics were removed.
Production credits
Mega Drive version
- Original Game: Reflections
- MegaDrive Conversion: WJS Design
- Programming: Rob Povey
- Music and Sound Effects: Tony Williams
- Graphics: Lee Carus Westcott, Nicky Carus Westcott
- Bits N Pieces: Noel Hines
- Others Involved: Wayne Smithson, John White, Mike Simpson
- Thanks To: Leo Skirenko, Philip Watts
Mega-CD version
- Amiga Original: Reflections
- Sega Conversion By: Digital Developments
- Written By: Tim Swan, Andrew Bond
- Graphics: Andrew Bond, Lee Doyle
- FM Towns Graphics: Nicky and Lee Carus Westcott
- Sound Effects: Tim Swan, Kavin Collier
- Music: Derek Austin, Jimmy Jaketh
- Guitar: Ray Deefholts
- Music Produced By: Derek Austin, Bob Butterworth
- Recorded In: Roland RSS Stereo at Boxmead Studios UK
- Character Speech By: Tim Bentinck
- Quality Control: Pat Russell, Paul Euason, Graeme Love
- Story and Documentation: Nick Wild
- Project Management: John White, Mike Simpson, Tony Parkes, Steve Cain
- Copyright 1994 Psygnosis Ltd
Magazine articles
- Main article: Shadow of the Beast II/Magazine articles.
Promotional material
Print advert in
Sega Visions (US) #16: "December/January 1993/1994" (1993-xx-xx)
Print advert in
Beep! MegaDrive (JP) #1994-09: "September 1994" (1994-08-08)
Artwork
Physical scans
Mega Drive version
Sega Retro Average
|
Publication
|
Score
|
Source
|
Computer & Video Games (UK)
|
76
|
№135, p76[5]
|
GamePro (US)
|
88
|
№44, p46[2]
|
Hobby Consolas (ES)
|
86
|
|
Joypad (FR)
|
85
|
№15
|
Joystick (FR)
|
86
|
№34, p237[10]
|
Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK)
|
60
|
№6, p28/29/30/31
|
Mega (UK)
|
70
|
№4, p56[11]
|
MegaTech (UK)
|
59
|
№13, p40/41
|
Mean Machines Sega (UK)
|
58
|
№4, p58/59[12]
|
Player One (FR)
|
82
|
№27, p94/95[13]
|
Sega Force (SE)
|
98
|
|
Sega Power (UK)
|
51
|
№39, p50
|
Sega Pro (UK)
|
78
|
№16, p53
|
Sega Pro (UK)
|
78
|
№18, p67
|
Sega Zone (UK)
|
79
|
№2, p44/45
|
Sega Force (UK)
|
68
|
№14, p78/79[14]
|
Sega Force (UK)
|
45
|
№18, p75
|
|
Mega Drive, US
|
Cover
|
Cart Manual
|
Mega Drive, EU
|
Cover
|
Cart
|
Mega-CD version
Sega Retro Average
|
Publication
|
Score
|
Source
|
Beep! MegaDrive (JP)
|
60
|
№1994-08, p20[34]
|
Consoles + (FR)
|
89
|
№31, p130/131[35]
|
Computer & Video Games (UK)
|
34
|
№153, p67[36]
|
Electronic Entertainment (US)
|
60
|
№19, p84/85
|
Electronic Gaming Monthly (US)
|
70
|
|
Famitsu (JP)
|
40
|
№294, p40
|
Game Players (US)
|
63
|
|
Mega (UK)
|
58
|
№21, p39
|
Mega Power (UK)
|
83
|
№10, p26/27/28
|
Next Generation (US)
|
20
|
№4, p94[37]
|
Player One (FR)
|
70
|
№40, p114[38]
|
Sega Magazine (UK)
|
62
|
№7, p78
|
Sega Power (UK)
|
65
|
№55, p36/37
|
Sega Pro (UK)
|
59
|
№32, p56/57
|
|
Mega-CD, US
|
Cover
|
Disc Manual
|
Mega-CD, JP
|
Cover
|
Spinecard Disc
|
Technical information
ROM dump status
System |
Hash |
Size |
Build Date |
Source |
Comments |
|
|
|
?
|
|
456,043,392
|
|
CD (EU)
|
T-113045-50
|
|
|
|
✔
|
|
606,827,760
|
|
CD (JP)
|
T-60034
|
|
|
|
References
- ↑ File:SegaVisions US 10.pdf, page 93
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 File:GamePro US 044.pdf, page 48 Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ File:MDAG UK 03.pdf, page 11
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 File:SegaZone UK 01.pdf, page 8
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 File:CVG UK 135.pdf, page 76 Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ 6.0 6.1 File:Mega UK 21.pdf, page 39 Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ File:CVG UK 155.pdf, page 82
- ↑ Game Players, "Vol. 6 No. 12 December 1993" (US; 1993-1x-xx), page 152
- ↑ GamePro, "January 1994" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 188
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 File:Joystick FR 034.pdf, page 237 Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ 11.0 11.1 File:Mega UK 04.pdf, page 56 Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ 12.0 12.1 File:MeanMachinesSega04UK.pdf, page 58 Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ File:PlayerOne FR 027.pdf, page 90
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 File:SegaForce UK 14.pdf, page 78 Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 203
- ↑ Consoles +, "Janvier 1993" (FR; 199x-xx-xx), page 74
- ↑ Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide, "" (UK; 1993-11-18), page 87
- ↑ Game Power, "Gennaio 1993" (IT; 199x-xx-xx), page 54
- ↑ Hobby Consolas, "Enero 1993" (ES; 199x-xx-xx), page 46
- ↑ Joypad, "Décembre 1992" (FR; 1992-1x-xx), page 98
- ↑ MegaTech, "January 1993" (UK; 1992-12-20), page 40
- ↑ Magazina Igrushek, "1/1996" (RU; 1996-xx-xx), page 64
- ↑ Player One, "Janvier/Février 1993" (FR; 1993-01-10), page 94
- ↑ Play Time, "6/93" (DE; 1993-05-05), page 106
- ↑ Sega Power, "February 1993" (UK; 1993-01-07), page 50
- ↑ Sega Pro, "February 1993" (UK; 1993-01-14), page 53
- ↑ Sega Pro, "April 1993" (UK; 1993-03-11), page 67
- ↑ Sega Zone, "December 1992" (UK; 1992-11-xx), page 44
- ↑ Sega Force, "2/93" (SE; 1993-03-18), page 8
- ↑ Sega Force, "June 1993" (UK; 1993-05-06), page 75
- ↑ Supersonic, "Janvier 1993" (FR; 199x-xx-xx), page 12
- ↑ Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 154
- ↑ Video Games, "2/93" (DE; 1993-01-27), page 88
- ↑ File:BeepMD_JP_1994-08.pdf, page 22
- ↑ 35.0 35.1 File:ConsolesPlus FR 031.pdf, page 130 Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ 36.0 36.1 File:CVG UK 153.pdf, page 67 Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ 37.0 37.1 File:NextGeneration US 04.pdf, page 96 Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ 38.0 38.1 File:PlayerOne FR 040.pdf, page 114 Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ Beep! MegaDrive, "August 1994" (JP; 1994-07-08), page 22
- ↑ Electronic Entertainment, "July 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 86
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "February 1995" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 34
- ↑ Famitsu, "1994-08-05" (JP; 1994-07-22), page 1
- ↑ Game Players, "Vol. 8 No. 3 March 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 56
- ↑ Joypad, "2/1994" (HU; 1994-xx-xx), page 12
- ↑ Mega Power, "May 1994" (UK; 1994-04-21), page 26
- ↑ MegaTech, "June 1994" (UK; 1994-05-19), page 62
- ↑ Sega Magazine, "July 1994" (UK; 1994-06-16), page 78
- ↑ Sega Magazine, "August 1994" (UK; 1994-07-15), page 96
- ↑ Sega Power, "June 1994" (UK; 1994-04-28), page 36
- ↑ Sega Pro, "May 1994" (UK; 1994-04-21), page 56
- ↑ Sega Zone, "May 1994" (UK; 1994-04-xx), page 48
- ↑ VideoGames, "February 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 80