
We’ve finally reached a critical point in development and we’re excited to share some good news with our beloved PlayStation fans — Shadow of the Beast will launch in North America on May 17, 2016!

Our small team has been using their time to the fullest and we’ve made significant changes in the last few months. Fans of the fighting genre will be excited to hear that we’ve fine-tuned the combat experience from top to bottom, honing in on optimal response times for buttery smooth combat, just like the golden age combat action games from the past. And we haven’t forgotten about Aarbron! The game’s protagonist received upgrades to the full extent of his abilities and we’ve equipped him with some of the mystic artefacts that add much more depth to gameplay. Shadow of the Beast feels quite different to other combat-adventure games, but hopefully people will find it very rewarding!
Just before we go, we’d like to share a few new screenshots from the game, including one that reveals a feature we haven’t talked about yet — the gun!
Finally, we are also very excited to be able to reveal exclusively here on PlayStation.Blog that pre-ordering will get you a fantastic free dynamic theme featuring a brand new original creature designed by acclaimed artist Roger Dean. Roger was the creator of the cover art for the original Shadow of the Beast game and its sequel, so it’s a massive honor to have him revisit the universe with our game.
Here’s a sneak peek preview image of what you can expect…
If all that has you interested, then please note that Shadow of the Beast is available for pre-order on PlayStation Store soon — and with the new dynamic theme you can fully immerse yourself in the world of Karamoon when the game arrives on May 17.
Thanks for taking the time to read about our game, it is genuinely appreciated.
All the best,
Matt and the Team at Heavy Spectrum
Man, I forgot all about this game since they revealed it way back when. Very curious to see how it has shaped up since.
It looks so improved, wow. The visuals are impressive and i LOVE the varied environments, from dry desert to lush green lands. Please make sure the difficulty is high, like in the original.
Day1 buy for me.
Great to finally have a release date for this game. I’ve been looking forward to it for years now.
Good to finally share the release date, not long to wait now until you can play for yourself.
Very excited for this game! But was wondering – would the team consider this a metroidvania or more of a linear action platformer?
Thank you for the update! Sounds like a lot of fun. There are a lot of games I need to buy that’s for sure.
Do we have to wait for the next store update to pre-order or will it be up today. I hope the dynamic theme is dope definitely going to pre-order when i get home if this is up today!
The theme does look good, but all we can share at this point is that screenshot. A more thorough preview will be available when the option to pre-order and additional details of the game are shared in the coming weeks.
This article says barely anything about the game.
I have no idea what it is. Therefore I have no interest.
It’s a remake of a fairly awesome game from the 90s. I played it on Sega Genesis and loved it. This should be interesting.
Shadow Of The Beast | Introducing the Beast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwxjGrb9qNo
Dont be so lazy theres plenty of gameplay trailers out there to see what it is.
The onus should not be on the consumer. Who’s trying to sell to whom?
I’ll wait for the retail version then give you my money
You get the Dynamic Theme for free if you pre-order, and it’s pretty sweet.
OMG YES! May is going to be so crowded with games my god. GOOD NEWS!
Are the PSVR rumors true?
such a shame this is a side scroller instead of a AAA action game like god of war. sony never fails to let me down since the ps4 launch.
UH. NO. This is Shadow of The Beast, originally a side scroller. I am glad they went in the original direction. And you know there’s a new God of War in the works at Sony Santa Monica. Exercise some damn patience.
The problem is Sony has milked god of war so much the cow is now dry, that’s why I think this could have been a good replacement
Um no if this wasn’t a side scrolling game I wouldn’t even bother with it. As far as I’m concerned it is a AAA game.
This looks really cool!
It does and discrediting it because it’s not a AAA or because it’s a side scroller, dumb. Old classics are side scrollers, so I don’t we the deal with a being the same today but with advance graphics.
Dude this a independent developer, Sony is publishing the game, they have nothing to do with the game not being like Gid of War. If Sony letting you down so much switch to Microsoft and the XBx One, the games flowing like water over there, Lol.
God*
how much does this game cost ? i can’t wait to pre-order this . wow, it coming out on May 17 along Homefront Revolution. i also getting Hoemfront Revolution on that day too
Sony firing on all cylinders being something for every genre Month after Month.
We’ll be announcing cost all of the pre-order details when the pre-order option goes live on the store. We’re glad you’re looking forward to it. Stay tuned for more updates!
Will pick it up day one!
Awesome to hear and thanks for helping out with providing a link to the latest trailer until we sorted things out!!!
I suppose the gameplay video will be in your next post…
We’ve had a bit of a technical issue, the latest trailer will be added shortly…..sorry for the delay.
Thanks for the update.
Game looks pretty good and a sweet theme as well.
But no, I will not preorder!! Especially a digital only game. What’s the point? These days, games aren’t even guaranteed to work on release day anyways.
All updated, along with some additional info….please check it out!!!!
Omg finally a release date and bonus goodies for preorder :) insta-buy
Will this release on disc or digital only? And is this a PS4 exclusive or cross-platform? Only single-player or will there be MP?
It’s a PS4 exclusive, digital only title. It also has async multiplayer so you can challenge your friends (or other players)…keep checking back to the blog for future updates.
OMG Guys, I am so excited for this!!! I was hopeful, until I played the build at PSX- then I was HYPED!!! This is one of the best side scrolling action games I’ve played. The combat and atmosphere were both so satisfying and I’m so EXCITED!!! May 17th!!!!! :D
Great to hear that you have played already, we have improved further since PSX, so you should be in for a real treat when finally get to play from May 17th!!!
Game looks great and I’ve been anxiously awaiting a release date. Will preorder as soon as I can.
!!!!!
I’ll be preordering this as soon as possible — I loved the original on Amiga (Did anyone with an Amiga NOT own a copy of this??)
Love the look of the character design, level design, moves… can’t wait to take it for a spin.
I think you are right about owning an Amiga and having at least one version of SOTB. We have spent a lot of time on all aspects of the game design from the visual side to the animations and fluid combat, really excited for people to play and check out for themselves.
No physical no buy. Way to go SCE you cheap POS’.
Absolutely nobody cares if you buy this or not, you idiot
Any plans to bring Shadow Of The Beast to PS Vita?
WILL IT MAKE ME FEEL LIKE I’M 12 PLAYING ON MY AMIGA AGAIN!?? Hope so! Were you able to bring back Tim Wright or David Whittaker? ;)
Roger Dean!!! Ok, I’ll settle for Roger Dean. ;)
Oh man THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR ANNOUNCING THIS!!!
I’ve been waiting for so long for this announcement for North America!!
I though I was going to miss the dynamic theme but boy was I wrong.
I’m so excited to play this game! I will definatly try Beast mode once I acquire it! :D
Again, THANK YOU GUYS!
Oh wow, this is a series that I’ve not heard of in a long time. I played the two games on the Genesis way back when, and remember them being rather maddening. More recently, I read how one of them was designed so that if you did not pick up a random item early on, you couldn’t finish the game after spending however many hours on it.
With all that said, I’m curious how this game ties into the series. The guy we played in the old games definitely appeared to be human.
Oh, nevermind. Looks like it is the same character from the first game.
I don’t understand why newcomers get so psyched up.
This looks and sounds *nothing* like the original Amiga masterpiece.
I genuinely don’t remember the original game, though I feel like it may have been ported to the Genesis or SNES at some point. Like most Amiga games popular in Europe back in the early 90’s, I just don’t think it was as popular here in the ‘States. Is the original going to be in this one anywhere?
I’d be very interested in checking it out, and I know that kind of thing happens from time-to-time – the HD Flashback remake that no one liked much had the original game accessible from an arcade machine, Sonic 1 was playable in Sonic Generations via an in-game Genesis, and Eurogamer just confirmed recently that the first two levels of Timesplitters 2 is hidden in Homefront the Revolution, even! And those two games are connected only by development lineage; Homefront is obviously not a follow-up of any kind to TimeSplitters.
It would be real cool to check this out, as it looks like a pretty solid Rastan/Altered Beast/WolfChild type of game…
I mean, the new one obviously looks rad too :) I’m onboard that already! I just feel like I’m missing something here, hence my comment with the focus more about the original.
A bit late to comment but damn the game looks fantastic,glad I followed it since the announcement.I may pre-order it and that evolution…ha its always nice to see that.
How much is it going to cost?