Play Shadow of the Beast Online

Shadow of the Beast is a side-scrolling platformer game developed by Reflections and produced by Psygnosis. It was released for the Sega Genesis Mega Drive in 1989, and is widely considered one of the greatest games ever created.

The story follows the protagonist, Aarbron, who was cursed to become a fanged creature at birth. He attempts to fight off his demonic curse with various weapons and magical spells, while making his way through dozens of treacherous stages full of hostile enemies. Over the course of the game, players are tasked with uncovering clues about Aarbron's true identity and mission in life. Along the way, Aarbron meets allies such as Cassilda and Melborn who provide strategic advice as well as emotional support. Eventually, he discovers that he has been chosen to save humanity from an ancient evil monster known as Maletoth.

The visuals in Shadow of the Beast are stunningly detailed, creating an atmosphere that immerses players into its fictional world. The levels are huge and sprawling; landscapes range from lush forests and icy wastelands to underground tunnels wrapped in darkness. Every area features memorable level design filled with hidden traps, scaling walls, and enterable buildings for additional exploration opportunities. These locations also have creatures ranging from orcs, trolls and centaurs to zombie-like enemies that are very lethal when provoked. The backdrop is further enhanced by vivid colors and transformation sequences which change characters' forms during certain segments . The soundtrack and sound effects complete each scene; from heavily thumping electro music imitating tribal rhythms to eerie sighs before violent battles against giant bosses amidst thunderous drumbeats - it’s all incredibly effective for setting up suspenseful moments within an already eerie adventure

Overall, Shadow of the Beast is considered one of classic gaming's best titles due to its intricate level design features and excellent setpieces inspired by folklore storytelling themes blended within its classic arcade-style side-scrolling gameplay mechanics. Its background effects created using sampled audio tracks - plus imaginative use of parallax scrolling technology - put Shadow of the Beast miles above what was typical on home consoles around this time period making it an instant landmark title within 16-bit system libraries everywhere deserving its notoriety over decades later..

Read a review of Shadow of the Beast