Shadowman: Darque Legacy marks first gaming return of the series since the PS2

Back to Deadside

Valiant Entertainment has announced that Blowfish Studios will be returning Shadowman to the world of video games in Shadowman: Darque Legacy. This will be the first game to feature the property since 2002’s Shadow Man: 2econd Coming on PS2.

We don’t have much to go on here. Valiant has released a short teaser for the upcoming title, and boy, is it teasing. It’s one of those teasers where it pans across junk lying around before finally settling on one particular thing. In this case, it’s a scythe. And then something sinister happens, and it cuts out.

Thankfully, the press release has a bit more information, such as this quote from Blowfish Studios:

“It’s been an honor to breathe new life into such an iconic IP, with Shadowman’s first venture into gaming since the PlayStation 2 era,” said Clinton McCleary, Game Director, Blowfish Studios. “We’re looking forward to ushering fans into the horrifying, punishing, but rewarding experience we’ve crafted. Stepping into the role of Shadowman, players will encounter a compelling cast of heroes and villains while taking their scythe to the most wretched denizens of the Deadside.”

That’s not a lot. There isn’t really any clear confirmation as to which Shadowman be in Shadowman: Darque Legacy, as Shadowman isn’t a single person, but a progression of different people taking the role. Sort of like how The Flash hasn’t just been Barry Allen the whole time, but a succession of different flashers.

Succession

Shadowman was one of the few things that Acclaim really did okay with. In 1994, the publisher bought up Valiant Comics’ parent company and gained the rights to licenses like Turok and Shadowman. They then morphed the properties into something that was a lot more ‘90s but also more approachable to newcomers.

They released the first Shadow Man game in 1999. More recently, in 2021, Nightdive Studios rebuilt the game as Shadow Man Remastered. While the game shows its age, Nightdive Studios outdid themselves with a terrific source port. Surprisingly, they’ve continued to support the title with new content and improvements that pull from cut features from the title.

Hopefully, Blowfish Studios will be able to pull from the goodwill created by the fantastic port and Shadowman: Darque Legacy will live up to that.

Currently, the platforms announced for Shadowman: Darque Legacy are PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. it has a target release window of 2024.