Shadow of the Road Preview - A Different Take on Japanese History

Shadow of the Road is an upcoming tactical, turn-based RPG from Another Angle Games. Set in an alternate version of 19th-century Japan, you’re pitted against an Emperor who has embraced outside influences and aims to destroy the Shogunate. Interested in the blend of steampunk weaponry and myth, I took part in a gameplay presentation and hands-on preview of the alpha. 

Shadow of the Road Preview - Steampunk vs. Samurai Showdown

You begin playing as two ronin in this traditional Japanese setting, where hints of steampunk weaponry from the West have invaded the land. That’s the overarching story of Shadow of the Road, Civil War. The Emperor has declared the end of the Shogun, using fierce weapons like flamethrowers to take out his enemies. The Shogun don't just lie down and die, however, as they recruit all warriors, even Ronin, to face the Emperor.

During the war, layers of personal missions, mystical experiences, and character developments impart additional tiers of narrative. Additionally, there are tie-ins with mythology, giving the title further story layers to discover. During your explorations, you can encounter yokai, who are both friendly and aggressive. While the spirits are based on Japanese lore, they are modified to fit the alternate world built by Another Angle Games. 

Exploration can lead you to side quests, but that's not all. Medicinal items, like reishi mushrooms, are found throughout the land. These are important in keeping you alive in tough battles. Lootable items are marked with a pillar of falling blossoms making them easy to distinguish and collect. This is great for those who have issues picking out items in a realistic setting.

When it comes to the tactical part of Shadow of the Road, I played through three different combat scenarios. The first is your basic tutorial combat. This mainly involves how to break an enemy’s concentration, destroy cover, attacks of opportunity, and shifting. I really enjoyed how the timeline displays turns for the whole battle, not just a single round. 

Your hand is only held for part of the battle with the remaining giving you free reign to try out what you’ve learned. Even as a tutorial, you can lose the game if Akira or Satoru dies. Initially, I thought if one of them survived the game would continue. But I was wrong and soon the game over graphic was on my screen. 

The following combats were completely different, tactics-wise. In the second, you're tasked with protecting a young boy and fending off multiple waves of enemies. In the third, you face fire, a yokai, and exploding eyeballs. By the end of the battle, almost my whole field was an inferno. I drastically had to change how I moved my party to try and avoid getting burned, making the fight more drawn out than I would've liked. However, none of my units fell, and I was able to utilize some new ranged options I acquired in the skill tree. 

By the end of the playable demo included with the presentation, I was hooked. Not only do I want to learn more about how yokai appear and potentially partner with humans, but I also want to know more about these characters. How do the choices you make ultimately impact the story later on in the game?

These all have me wanting to fully explore the world of Shadow of the Road. I want to see how my choices change characters throughout the story. I want to see how yokai further alter combat and what they add to the traditional samurai combat experience. 

Shadow of the Road was previewed on PC with a code provided by Owlcat Games over 90 minutes. Screenshots were taken during the course of the preview.