iPad Game of the Week: Shadow Guardian HD

Mar

2011

Robert Workman, iPadNewsDaily Contributor
11:18 AM ET

There is nothing that beats a good old fashioned adventure. We’re talking about exciting, seat of your pants stuff like the Indiana Jones films (the first three, anyway) and Romancing the Stone.

We’ve gotten a few video games along that genre, including Sony’s Uncharted games, with a third coming to PlayStation 3 later this year. Not to be outdone, Gameloft has its own adventure available on the iPad – Shadow Guardian HD. And it’s our iPad Game of the Week .

Released a little while back, Shadow Guardian has a lot in common with Uncharted : a lone man facing off against evil soldiers in an effort to keep the world safe. Our hero is Jason Call, and when the story starts, bad guys are messing him up something good; torturing him for information. It turns out they’re mercenaries in pursuit of a powerful and precious relic, one that could give them control over mankind. Jason’s job? To find a way free and stop them, before it’s too late.

While Shadow Guardian isn’t backed by a multi-million dollar budget like Sony’s adventure series, Gameloft certainly gets the job done as far as satisfying action goes. The game features a number of beautiful levels that take you through tropical jungles and other dangerous terrain. The graphics are really among the best we’ve seen on the iPad yet, and the attention to detail ─ particularly on Jason as he aims his weapon ─ is staggering.

Furthermore, the game plays very well, considering there isn’t access to a joystick on the iPad. Player movement, including crouching, rolling and finding cover from gunfire, works very well, as does aiming and firing weapons. There are multiple firearms to find here, including shotguns and machine guns that can mow down opponents like grass. In addition, there are a few puzzles to solve, so you’ll have to put your brain to work, not just your trigger finger. (They’re not impossible, though.)

While originality isn’t this game’s strongest suit, we were surprised to find that Shadow Guardian has a pretty good story to it, whisking Jason all over the world, from Egyptian ruins to the frozen Antarctican plains, in an attempt to find the relic. Some multiplayer would’ve been pretty good (Uncharted 2 has it), but the single player game has more than enough content to go around, along with hidden locations and multiple difficulty settings.

If adventure is your thing, or there’s a yearning to act like a swashbuckler without having to leave the office, Shadow Guardian comes highly recommended. Get it at the link below for the low price of $6.99!