Ereban: Shadow Legacy is Baby Robot Games’ debut title, a third-person action stealth and adventure game that I can best describe as being reminiscent of the games from the sixth generation of video games.
Now, that might sound like a slight, but Ereban: Shadow Legacy feels like a forgotten gem from the heyday of the PlayStation 2, back when there was a thriving market for character-driven actions that forgo fancy online features like multiplayer lobbies, swathes of micro-transactions and other superfluous features that often make up the DNA of modern titles.
Instead, Ereban: Shadow Legacy captures the spirit of older games like Jak and Oni with gameplay elements found in newer titles such as Splatoon. As the player, you control an Ereban woman named Ayana, a member of a nearly defunct sect of people who can harness the power of shadows to manipulate and move through the environment.
Although engaging with good voice work and character dialogue, I found myself not particularly drawn to the narrative of Ereban, with the motifs of light and darkness feeling a little too on the nose and familiar, but something that nevertheless helped create a sense of immersion during my time with the game.
“Instead of a single linear route, most levels in Ereban: Shadow Legacy have multiple objectives that require that leave tackling them up to the player agency.”
Thankfully, Ereban: Shadow Legacy’s gameplay loop kept me invested. Unlike most action games, Shadow Legacy goes for pure stealth but does so in a way that almost feels like a puzzle action game. This is primarily due to the expansive and open-ended levels presented to the player. Instead of a single linear route, most levels in Ereban: Shadow Legacy have multiple objectives that require that leave tackling them up to the player agency.
As mentioned earlier, Splatoon is a game that comes to mind when talking about Ereban: Shadow Legacy, as the player can freely “swim” inside shaded areas and pools of darkness obscured from light sources.
The ah-ha! Moment for me in Ereban: Shadow Legacy was during its 4th level, where one particular section required me to wait for a series of moving machinery, latch on its shadows to cross the gap while making sure to time it just right, as my stamina ran out precisely as enemy sentry patrolled underneath. Timing it right meant I would fall onto the said enemy, take it out, and proceed with the level without detection.
“…Ereban: Shadow Legacy is a solid first effort from Baby Robot Games…”
Combat is limited in Ereban: Shadow Legacy, and getting grabbed by an enemy results in an instant game over. Instead, in addition to hiding in shadows, the player gradually gets access to passive items that hinder enemy detection, such as decoys, stun mines, and the ability to absorb downed targets to avoid the attention of other patrols, ala Hitman.
Ereban: Shadow Legacy features two variants of enemies: inorganic robots (who look a lot like Samuel Hayden from Doom) and human characters. Taking out your robot adversaries often net the player with currency used to upgrade your skills. Although the same can be said about taking out human characters, Shadow Legacy features a morality system in place, which means killing organic beings will shift your character tendency towards a darker path. As a fan of passive stealth runs in games like MGSV, I avoided killing any non-robot threats for my playthrough, but I imagine the game offers a different ending or story elements for those who wish to go the darker path.
Speaking of replayability, Ereban: Shadow Legacy keeps tabs on all collectables, enemies slain, alarms, and other metadata that goes towards a final grade for each level or chapter, encouraging those who like that kind of thing; plenty of incentive to replay the game.
At the end of the day, Ereban: Shadow Legacy is a solid first effort from Baby Robot Games and a game that older audiences looking for a nostalgic trip with modern sensibilities should check out.
