Shadow Fight 2

Shadow Fight 2 is a role-playing fighting game developed by Nekki and the sequel to the 2011 Facebook fighting game Shadow Fight. The first version of the game was soft launched on October 9, 2013, with the full game being released worldwide on May 1, 2014 for both Android and iOS, as well as for Windows 8 and 8.1 on January 27, 2015. The game was later ported from Google Play to the Nintendo Switch as a downloadable Nintendo eShop title on September 13, 2018, and to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on February 14, 2019.

Shadow Fight 2
Developer(s)	Nekki
Publisher(s)	Nekki
Series	Shadow Fight
Engine	Unity 2D
Platform(s)	iOS Android Microsoft Windows Nintendo Switch PlayStation 4 Xbox One Mac OS
Release	May 1, 2014 PlayStation 4 Xbox One: February 14, 2019 Nintendo Switch: September 13, 2018[1] Mac OS: October 29, 2015
Genre(s)	Fighting
Mode(s)	Single-player

This installment introduces the game's events with an estimated prologue. In this introduction, the narrator (who is the main character) reveals that he was a legendary combatant. On his travels to find a worthy opponent, he came across and opened the Gates of Shadows, releasing the demons and effectively reducing himself to a shadow. He must now travel the world to defeat six shadow demons (Lynx, Hermit, Butcher, Wasp, Widow, and Shogun), in addition to various other opponents and the demons' bodyguards, and find a way to fix his mistake by sending the demons back. Later, he also travels through the Gates and arrives on the other side, where he must defeat the alien warlord Titan and save the world. Continuing the theme of its predecessor, players begin the game as an unarmed silhouette. They are then given simple tutorials that familiarize them with the game.

The game also includes a multiplayer component, where the player works together with other players to defeat eight eternal demons in the Underworld, including Volcano, Megalith, Fungus, Vortex, Fatum, Arkhos, Hoaxen, Karcer, Drakaina, and Tenebris.

Plot

In this game's introduction, Shadow (the main character) explains that he was once a legendary and undefeatable combatant. On his travels to find a worthy opponent, he came across the Gates of Shadows, a pathway to another world called the Shadow World. In an arrogant act, he decided to open them in the hopes of finding an opponent on the other side, but only ended up releasing the demons that were imprisoned there. They tore his flesh and turned him into nothing but a shadow. Now, it is Shadow's mission to defeat all the demons and find a way to send them back where they came from.

Despite being only a shadow of his former self, Shadow returns to his Sensei, who is surprised to see his former student in this state, but nonetheless agrees to aid him in his mission. Following a short tutorial (which teaches the player the basic controls), Shadow and Sensei arrive in a village where they come across May, a blacksmith who offers to assist them in their journey. Here, Shadow also encounters the first demon, Lynx, who is the leader of a league of assassins known as "The Order", and, like all the other demons, established himself as the ruler of the village, forcing Shadow to defeat his five bodyguards before he can face him. Since each bodyguard is tougher than the previous one, Shadow needs complete various side missions (Tournaments, Challenges (in all acts except Hero reborn) and Survival, which give the player money to upgrade his equipment and increase certain stats. Eventually, Shadow defeats Lynx's bodyguards and then engages the demon in a 1-on-1 battle. Emerging victorious, Shadow claims Lynx's ancient blue seal, which, when combined with those of the other demons, will give him the ability to seal back the Gates of Shadows and send the demons back.

Shadow, joined by Sensei and May, travels from village to village, looking to defeat each demon and claim their seal, while also getting closer to the Gates of Shadows. Eventually, one by one, the demons are defeated and give Shadow their seal, allowing him to progress. In order, the demons are:Lynx,who is the leader of an organisation called "The Order".Defeating him rewards with the Blue seal; Hermit, who is a powerful magician and opened his own school of magic (although all his students secretly plan to kill him and steal his magic for themselves).Defeating him rewards with the Green seal. ; Butcher, who is the leader of a juvenile gang. Defeating him rewards with the Red seal.; Wasp, who is the daughter of the Pirate King and killed her father in order to claim the title for herself.Defeating her rewards with the Purple seal.; Widow, who is as beautiful as she is deadly and can make every man fall for her.Defeating her rewards with the Orande seal.; and, finally, Shogun, who was once a samurai loyal to his master(known as the Prince) , having served him up until his death, but now destroyed the city that his master once ruled and seeks to destroy every remainder of his legacy. Defeating him rewards with the Jade seal. After defeating Shogun, Shadow finally arrives at the Gates of Shadow, but before he can seal them, he is stopped by all six demons, who want to prevent him from sending them back to the Shadow World. Nonetheless, Shadow manages to defeat all six demons in the challege filled "Gates of Shadows" and then uses their seals to close back the Gates. However, instead of sending the demons back, this allows Titan, the feared ruler of the Shadow World, to capture May just before the Gates are completely sealed. With no other choice, Shadow once again travels from village to village and fights all six demons in order to break their seals and open back the Gates. Upon defeating all the demons for the third and final time, Shadow returns to the Gates and ventures on his own into the Shadow World to rescue May.

In the Shadow World, Shadow faces a new opponents, Shroud, a skilled warrior who once challenged Titan, but was defeated by him and became one of his slaves.Being weak because of entering the gates, Shroud nearly defeates Shadow but he is rescued by Kali, a mysterious figure who interrupts the fight, immobilizes Shroud and escapes with Shadow. He is taken rebellion to a hideout, where he discovers that Titan is actually an alien conqueror who took over many worlds in his lifetime, including this one, and now seeks to conquer Shadow's world as well. In an attempt to stop him, Shadow joins the rebellion made up of various aliens from the worlds that Titan conquered, where he quickly befriends Kali and the rebellion's leader, Cypher.Shadow defeats the hideout members in the "Hideout Tournament",earning their respect. Cypher too challenges him and is defeated, proving his capability. He tells him about Cronos, a robot he had created so as to communicate with the ancient, but instead went mad and turned rougue. Shadow soon defeats Cronos in the factory facility.Kali then takes Shadow to meet the Ancient a powerful being, having found him in a Stone Grave and tries to convince him that if he helps Shadow Titan might fall, but Ancient is reluctant.The Ancient challenges Shadow to a fight, and Shadow bests him. Ancient then leaves, saying he had seen the same in Shroud(having trained him to defeat Titan,but failed)and he now believes in nothing which gives hope. Shadow, disguised as one of Titan's soldiers by Ancient, then takes part in an "Incubator" Tournament among Titan's soldiers, since its winner will become one of his elite troopers and this would be a good way for Shadow to get near Titan. However, the rebels' hideout soon comes under attack by Shroud and another one of Titan's warriors, Justice, forcing Shadow to abandon the Tournament to defeat them. He defeats Shroud and discovers that Justice is actually May, completely under Titan's mind control. After May is taken prisoner by the rebels at the hideout, Shadow and Kali head to Titan's Citadel, where the former defeats his bodyguards, who are all dark versions of Shadow from alternate dimensions. Titan then summons May (under his control) to fight Shadow, who reveals that she escaped after killing almost everyone at the hideout. After Shadow defeats May and frees her from Titan's control, Kali tells her to return to her world, while Shadow engages Titan in a deadly final battle.

Titan initially holds back, underestimating Shadow,thus Shadow wins the first Round.After being defeated once, Titan uses various dangerious measures, including tgrowing his retractable hand and the neck-holding magic, to kill Shadow. Nevertheless, Shadow defeats Titan after much struggle, and his body explodes, destroying the entire citadel. Shadow is caught in the explosion, but manages to return to the Gates just in time and emerges on the other side, where May is waiting for him. Much to May's surprise, Shadow has also regained his physical body and the two share a hug, before deciding to return home. As Shadow and May walk into the horizon, a mysterious shadow is also seen slithering away, ending the game.Defeating Titan rewards with the Eternal's sphere.

During act II (The Secret Path) Sensei informs Shadow that while the Shadow energy has taken away his body, it has given him a new power, the power to "walk between Worlds".It introduces the Eclipse mode, where, Sensei informs, that he can travel between the shadow world and his world.During Eclipse, the foes become stronger,and the player can replay the battles,to prove that the player's victory was not incidental.Winning against the bosses in Eclipse mode rewards the player with the respective demon's weapon of choice(for example, defeating Lynx in Eclipse rewards the player with Lynx's claws).However, unlike all the other bosses, defeating Titan in Eclipse does not reward the player with his Desolator.

Gameplay

Shadow Fight 2 is a 2D fighting game in which players must win the majority of 3 matches against computer-controlled opponents.[2] The game also has RPG elements that let players upgrade their armor, weapons, skills and magic.[2] The game's characters are entirely silhouettes, but the animations are realistic and physics-based.[2]

The player earns gold throughout the game that can be used to buy weapons.[2] It contains 7 different provinces, each with a main boss.[2] The player can play only up to 5 fights before their energy must be replenished, which can only be done by waiting, paying real money, or watching a limited number of ads. Their games may come to a series end after which the full game gets completed[2] Achievements are also a core part of this game. Players are rewarded for completing the story as well as for the completion of certain special tasks. There are 100+ million players on the game to date

Reception

Jason Parker of CNET rated the game an 8.3/10, calling it one of the best fighting games in the App Store "if you can live with the in-your-face freemium model".[2]

Rob Rich of Gamezebo rated the game 3.5/5 stars, praising the animations and weapon variety, while criticizing the "imprecise controls" and some combat mechanics.[3]

Silviu Stahie of Softpedia called the game "probably the best fighting game for Android" and said that it was "easy to learn and master".[4]

Special Edition

Special Edition is the special paid version of Shadow Fight 2. It was released on August 17, 2017 on Android[5] and on August 22, 2017 on iOS.[6] This version rewards players with gems more frequently. In addition, Shadow Fight 2 Special Edition features an exclusive storyline called Old Wounds, which follows a younger Sensei as he helps the Prince of Ivor City (the same prince who Shogun mentioned as having served and eventually killed in the main story) to reclaim control his city from Shogun, which leads to encounters with the younger version of all the demons.

The Nintendo Switch port of Shadow Fight 2, released in 2018, contains the same content as the Special Edition, as well as an exclusive local 2-player fighting mode.[1]

Plot

One day, Sensei bumps into the Prince, who is running away from the mercenary Lynx. Sensei agrees to save the Prince's life and defeats Lynx, chasing him away. Afterward, the Prince explains that he was kidnapped from his city, but managed to escape, only to get chased by Lynx. Before that, he also overheard that his soldiers are undergoing training from the magician Hermit, so Sensei decides to go and confront him, convinced that Hermit had something to do with the Prince's men betraying him. When Sensei and the Prince meet Hermit, he admits to having betrayed the latter and hired Lynx to kill him, but states that he had only done it for his school's future. After Sensei defeats Hermit, he reveals that the Prince's right-hand man, Shogun, had ordered him to train his soldiers in exchange for protection from bandits. Hermit then reveals where to find Butcher and his gang, the kidnappers of the Prince.

Sensei and the Prince confront Butcher, who reveals that the latter didn't escape after being kidnapped, but rather paid Butcher to let him go and tell him where to find a magical Sphere that he is seeking. Afterwards, Butcher challenges Sensei to a fight, but the Prince, having had his true intentions revealed, uses this opportunity to escape. After Butcher is defeated, he reveals that a certain woman had convinced Shogun to usurp the Prince, promising him the Sphere, which will greatly increase his powers, and then tells Sensei to head to the port, where the ship transporting the Sphere is about to arrive. At the port, Sensei runs into Wasp, the daughter of the Pirate King, who reveals that the Sphere had been taken yesterday, before engaging him in a fight. After Wasp's defeat, she reveals that the woman that Butcher told him about is Widow, who is using both Shogun and the Sphere to exact revenge on the Prince for not responding to her love, and that the Sphere will turn anyone who uses its power into Widow's slave.

When Sensei meets Widow, she believes that he is going to humiliate her just like the Prince and fights him, but is ultimately defeated. Afterward, Sensei reasons with Widow and she reveals that the Prince has already taken the Sphere from her despite Shogun's attempt to stop him; the Sphere drove the Prince insane and he is about to execute Shogun for treason, with Widow telling Sensei where to find him. Sensei confronts the Prince and attempts to talk him down, but the Sphere has completely taken away his sense of reason, and he summons a mind-controlled Shogun to kill him. Sensei defeats Shogun, but the Prince, believing that he is trying to take his throne, decides to fight him personally. Sensei defeats the Prince as well, before he could do any more harm, just as Ancient shows up. He explains to Sensei that he stopped the flow of time to take the Sphere back to where it belongs and that its presence here was caused by the instability of the Gates of Shadows. Sensei has many questions to be asked, but Ancient assures him that he will find out one day. He then tells Sensei to go sleep, and that when he wakes up, nobody will remember his feat.

Sequel

A sequel, Shadow Fight 3, was released in 2017. Unlike its predecessors, it does not utilize flat 2D black shadows to represent fighters. Instead, they are rendered as life-like three-dimensional characters in a richly animated 3D environment. The shadows, however, still exist and can be accessed via a new mode known as Shadow Form. While in this form, the characters can become a shadow and are able to perform spectacular physics-defying moves based on the equipped item's shadow abilities.

The game's plot takes place several years after its predecessor. People have gotten used to the presence of Shadow Energy in their lives and have learned to use it to their advantage, both in war and in their day-to-day lives. Unfortunately, this positive attitude is not shared by everyone. Powerful Legion is preparing for an attack on the Dynasty's lands in order to put an end to what they see as the "Shadow Threat". On the other hand, the people of the Dynasty believe that, with the correct use, this power will help humanity solve a lot of problems. A third faction has emerged from the shadows in the background of these events, the mysterious Heralds. These warriors in black clothes know about the nature of Shadow Energy a lot more than others, which frightens both the Dynasty and the Legion... Amidst this turmoil, a new hero has appeared, their past surrounded in mystery and their future unwritten. Destined to discover the mysteries of the factions, they will bring the war to an end and save the world. It is up to the players to decide what kind of path they will walk.

Players start the game as a new recruit for the Shadow Squad, an offshoot of the Legion which does not hesitate from using Shadow Energy. As they progress further, they will come in contact with other factions and will be able to experiment, mix-and-match equipment, learn new tactics, fighting styles and ultimately make the choice that will determine the outcome of the war.

References

1. Seedhouse, Alex (12 September 2018). "Save the World In Shadow Fight 2 on Nintendo Switch This Week". Nintendo Insider. Retrieved 29 September 2018.<
2. "Shadow Fight 2 is an excellent fighting game, but it's not perfect". CNET. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
3. http://www.gamezebo.com/author/rob-rich, Rob Rich (2014-05-15). "Shadow Fight 2 Review". Gamezebo. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
4. Stahie, Silviu. "Top Android Games: Shadow Fight 2 Review". softpedia. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
5. "Shadow Fight 2 - Special Edition Releasing August 17". toucharcade.com.
6. "Shadow Fight 2 Special Edition Has Finally Launched on the iOS App Store". toucharcade.com.