Shame Legacy Review (PS5, PS4, Xbox One. Xbox Series X/S & PC)

Horror fans where you at? There's something new in store. Fairyship Games and its subsidiary company, Revenant Games, just dropped Shame Legacy on May 30th, 2023.  The two are relatively new to the gaming scene, and I must say they hit the ground running with their first release. A bio on their website describes the developers as a studio that makes games with solid gameplay while also telling a story. I can certainly tell you that they are not lying about this.

Shame Legacy ticks every box for a survival horror game that will have you on edge. So brace yourself for the jump scares and chair-clinging moments in a game where you are the hunted. 

Sounds interesting? Well, get to learn more about this thrilling masterpiece in our Shame Legacy review. 

Welcome to Wakefield

The game lifts the lid on a barrel full of horror with its eerier ambiance. Shame Legacy takes place in the cultist village of Wakefield, where the unthinkable awaits you. 

The game kicks off with a bang. You wake up in the heart of the eerie night, in a dark forest that looms like a foreboding sentinel. Shafts of light struggle to pierce through the thick darkness. You're delusional with no memory of what took place, and a few meters from you, a raging fire burns incessantly. You look down, and your shirt has a blood stain, as do your hands. Your first thought, as expected, is to figure out where you are. The horror unfolds with every step you take. 

The game gives no direction, but it has a way of getting you to the right place. The dimly lit lanterns, and the crackling inferno consuming the foliage can be markers, but they can also lead you to your doom.

The village paints a picture of a highly delusional and defunct society that was once a loving and peaceful town. The houses and shops are all abandoned and boarded-up. While the roads and fields are hosts to crucified men. 

Here Comes the Horror!

A few minutes into the game, you come across your first foe. An evil, fiery entity that's certainly not happy to see you. You flee the scene onto a bridge, and a mysterious woman chops off the rope, sending you flying down to a valley. You gather and are back on the run with no moment to lose. 

Unfortunately, that's not the only terrifying thing. The entire village is on a hunt to get you. Navigating the village will constantly have jump scares, so you need to be ready at any moment to take off. Thankfully, the sheds provide a good hiding place from the bloodthirsty villagers. 

Moreover, Shame Legacy masterfully heightens your sense of dread by skillfully manipulating soundtracks to orchestrate each mood. The game has a good way of quickening your heartbeat, using soundtracks to dictate each mood. One minute you're running away from the fiery “IT” entity in a pulsating rhythm; the next, the beats slow down as you take cover in a narrow crack, assuring you of your safety. But not for long.

What's the story?

William Smith, the protagonist, is the son of Mr. Smith. The Smiths, by prophecy, are gatekeepers of a legacy where they are sworn to protect the village's residents. However, things take a turn when the mantle is passed over to William's father. Instead of keeping to the true legacy, he opts to make sacrificial killings of the refugees seeking shelter in Wakefield. Consequently, turning it into a cult.  

The story unravels through a series of journal excerpts and letters you’ll find. They describe the insidious killing of refugees who sought shelter in the village. One by one, the villagers spilled the refugees’ blood on the order of Mr. Smith, the cult leader.

Smith is incredibly disgruntled after his son turns his back on the cult, which threatens his legacy. To avenge himself, he sends the cultists on a rampage to hunt for you. 

And Gameplay?

You play the game from a first-person perspective. With no weapons to help you slay the evil, how fast you run determines if you'll survive the sudden death that lurks around every corner.  

If a villager attacks you, you can defeat them using a cane you'll find in the prison caves. The reward of a satisfying kill is a panic attack rush, which you can only quell using a tranquilizing potion. If you don't find one soon enough, a subsequent attack from a villager means instant death. Thankfully, the game has checkpoints; you don't have to experience the horror again. 

Moreover, stealth is key to keeping a low profile in the village. If you're too loud, the villagers will get a whiff of your location and come running. So keep an eye out for the noise icon on your screen that notifies you when you're too loud.

Occasionally, you'll encounter puzzles that grant you passage to unraveling the resplendent enigma. Solving the puzzles, piece together the fragments of your memory. Some incidents will seem familiar as you peel back the layers of the mysterious village.

Plus, the cane in your possession is an essential piece to most puzzles. It unlocks doors that hold key memories of why the entire village is after you. You will need to find and add artifacts to the cane to open some doors.

Combat

Aside from stealth and running, you’ll likely encounter ravenous villagers with a thirst for your head. Thankfully, you can take them down using your cane. The game’s combat mechanics are pretty easy, akin to a point-and-click strategy. The combat encounters are quite few but unpredictable. An immediate jump from a villager can easily overpower you. So be on the lookout. 

The game’s boss, the fiery demon, is a difficult entity to take down. It rips your hands out at every encounter. Fortunately, you can avoid the beast by being extra cautious in the fiery fields and those that host the crucified. Once you enter a field of the crucified, the wails of the undead men call the attention of the fiery demon to your location. Your character also gets into a panic attack while trying to escape the wails. Combine the two, and it’s a recipe for your ultimate finish. 

Verdict

Shame Legacy presents an immersive survival horror experience where you're in a constant state of evasion, fleeing from relentless villagers and a formidable beast. While the gameplay involves puzzle-solving elements, its scope is somewhat limited, mostly revolving around unlocking a handful of doors. However, the narrative adds intrigue through written fragments and memory flashes, unraveling the protagonists' fate.

One minute you’re wading through the dimly-lit corridors, the next you’re on the ground fighting for your life. The wailing crucified are an annoying lot. A few screams your way, and “IT” will be charging your way in no time. So, it’s best to avoid their field of vision. 

The gameplay does an excellent job of invoking fear and momentary episodes of helplessness. Especially when you find yourself in a flashback and lack control over the unfolding situation. Furthermore, the soundtracks set the game’s atmosphere with haunting sound effects that adapt to the situation. Your character also exhibits fear through a series of panic attacks, which can lead to your demise. 

Visually speaking, the game's graphics, powered by Unreal Engine 4, create a heightened sense of realism. Although the protagonist's face remains unseen, the villagers are meticulously animated, bearing a ghastly appearance that complements the cultist-driven narrative. The fiery beast, in contrast, is an unsettling sight to behold, adding to the visual impact.

Shame Legacy offers an intense and immersive survival horror experience, skillfully blending narrative intrigue, fear-inducing gameplay, atmospheric sound design, and visually impressive graphics.

So, what are your thoughts? Will you be picking up a copy of Shame Legacy? What game features stand out for you the most? Let us know on our social media handle here or in the comments below.