Originally released in 1989 for the Amiga, and getting a bunch of ports including a infamously difficult Sega Genesis port, Shadow of the Beast was a strange action platformer mostly remembered for its artwork and soundtrack. Announced during 2013's Gamescon event, the game was getting a remake. Coming out in a couple of weeks, it seems there was one last surprise. It appears that Shadow of the Beast will be including the entire original game as well.
The original Amiga game was developed by Reflections Interactive (who later became Ubisoft Reflections and made strange 3D platformer Grow Home) and published by Psygnosis (who became Sony Liverpool and closed down in 2012). The game was a success, and later got two sequels. Yet everything had been quiet since Shadow of the Beast III came out in 1992. With the remake on its way, it seems developer Heavy Spectrum Entertainment Labs is doing everything they can to keep fans of the classic happy.
While it sounds like it won't be available right from the start, the original Shadow of the Beast will be unlockable and playable in its entirety. The develops acknowledge the original game's difficulty so they have included an unlimited lives mode and "some other helpful features that should give you a fighting chance to reach the end." Of course, all of these can be turned off if you want to just experience the game how it was.
Furthermore, fans of the original soundtrack should be pleased. The game's original soundtrack will be unlockable, and you can choose to use it instead of the remake's new soundtrack. You can also purchase both the original's and remake's soundtrack as a standalone download. Fans of the original game's art may be excited to hear that the developers got with Roger Dean, the artist behind the box art, and were able to get all new high-res scans of the original game's box art for fans to see. Finally, they promised more nods to the original and other Psygnosis games, and that they still have somethings they haven't revealed yet.
Shadow of the Beast is a PlayStation 4 exclusive and will be available May 17th for $19.99.
