Shadow of the Beast

Shadow of the Beast for Commodore 64 is a single-player fantasy action adventure released by Ocean in 1990. It is the C64 conversion of Psygnosis's earlier Amiga game, developed for this version by DMA Design. The game casts the player as Aarbron, a human child stolen to the temple-fortress of Necropolis and remade through the Beast Lord's dark magic into a powerful warrior. Its side-on journeys, hostile creatures, and mysterious artefacts turn his escape into a quest for revenge against the masters who erased his past.

Aarbron's memories return after he witnesses a sacrificial execution and recognizes his father among the victims. With that discovery, the former servant of the Beast Lord turns against Necropolis and begins the long push toward its inner stronghold. The C64 version preserves the game's bleak fantasy atmosphere: strange plants and traps guard the routes, monsters attack whenever they close in, and the hero must uncover a safe path through unfamiliar territory rather than simply race from one screen to the next.

Shadow of the Beast Commodore 64 uses a joystick in port 2 for direct control. Left and right move Aarbron, while up makes him jump or use a nearby exit; on ladders, up and down climb. Down normally crouches, and the fire button punches on the ground or delivers a kick in mid-air. Collecting a weapon changes that same button into a ranged attack, an important distinction because some threats cannot be dealt with by hand-to-hand blows alone.

Progress depends on exploration as well as timing. Aarbron travels through several regions on the way to the enemy's heart, taking exits, descending ladders, avoiding lethal drops, and looking for useful artefacts. Keys remain in the inventory for later barriers, while other pickups such as potions take effect immediately. Weapons and special items can change how particular enemies are approached, so finding them and deciding where to go next are part of the challenge rather than optional extras.

Damage is represented by the heart-rate display at the top of the screen. Contact with an enemy raises that rate, and letting it climb too high ends the attempt instantly; the manual accordingly stresses keeping attackers away with punches, kicks, or acquired weapons. This gives the adventure a deliberate, high-stakes rhythm. Aarbron can survive short falls, but pits and high ledges are fatal, making careful movement and familiarity with each route essential.

The Commodore 64 release was sold on cartridge, allowing it to start directly from the machine's cartridge port. Its C64 credits name Richard Swinfen as programmer, Steve Hammond for graphics, and Fredrik Segerfalk for music, while Roger Dean's distinctive illustration remained part of the presentation. DMA Design's version translates the original game's scrolling fantasy world to Commodore's 8-bit computer with large animated characters and layered outdoor backdrops. Shadow of the Beast was followed by Shadow of the Beast II and Shadow of the Beast III, but this C64 entry is the first chapter of Aarbron's story and its own platform-specific conversion.