Shadow of the Depth is an addictive and fun dungeon crawler

There’s a lot to be said about passion. It can make up for a lot, especially when there’s a limited budget. Shadow of the Depth is clearly not an AAA title, and that’s clear from the outset. But it is made with such passion, ingenuity, and a sense of fun, that it really doesn’t matter. The shortcomings of its scale pale in comparison with how fun it is to play.

The setup is as simple as it gets. Monsters from the deep threaten your home, and it’s up to five adventurers to dive into the underworld to stop them. At first, you can only choose the fighter, a straightforward class to start your adventure. But the further you get into the depths, beating bosses and uncovering new biomes, the more you unlock with the surprisingly rewarding gameplay mechanics. 

When you die, and die you shall, your journey resets to the beginning, and the dungeons randomize themselves all over again. Like Hades, Shadow of the Depth is so fast-paced that this luckily never turns into a frustration. Instead, it becomes a rewarding experience to see how far you’ll get next time. 

Every character plays differently, and it’s a blast to find out which one works best for you. I’m not particularly sold on the idea that they’re locked behind XP at the start, though. Surely it would be more fun to allow everyone to pick out their favorite right away? That way, at least, you won’t get stuck playing a class that you’re very much not a fan of for however long it takes to unlock the next one.

The game’s graphics aren’t exactly top tier, but there’s a lot to love with the clear and charismatic art style. Enemies are easy to make out from the backgrounds, and different classes are clearly distinctive enough that even chaotic encounters don’t turn into a mush. Boss fights are the only weak link, as often the hit boxes don’t register as they feel like they should. Similarly, the traps were a little too fiddly for my taste.

But those are minor complaints considering how much fun Shadow of the Depth delivers. For under 15 euros, it’s one of the more solid dungeon crawlers out there, and a perfect pick-up-and-play experience for fans of the genre. It’s the kind of indie gem that you can recommend for just about anyone, thanks to a low barrier of entry and a solid difficulty curve that makes repetition a joy. 

It’s one of the nicer surprises of the year, and a solid addition to the genre.