The Elder Scrolls Travels: Shadowkey

The Elder Scrolls series on the PC has been at the forefront of computer RPGs for many years.  The latest game in the PC series (and the first one to cross over to consoles with the Xbox version), Morrowind, expanded the series to a much wider audience and stands as one of the best RPGs to come out in a long time.  Now, the series is going portable with the release of Shadowkey on the Nokia N-Gage.  Shadowkey shows some pretty obvious influence from Morrowind in terms of gameplay, utilizing the same kind first person camera angles and huge scoped gameplay.  Unfortunately, the game comes up a bit short due to the fact that it doesn’t exercise the N-Gage console to its fullest potential.

Shadowkey has a fairly nondescript storyline attached to it, which is fine because Morrowind wasn’t really about story so much as it was about character development.  Shadowkey is a very open-ended game, meaning that you basically dictate which direction the story goes and how your quest turns out.

You also have a fair amount of options in terms of character development.  You begin your journey by selecting from a list of classes, with some pretty distinct ones like Spellswords and Assassins filling the roster, as well as your character’s race.  Regardless of whom you choose, race or classwise, your character will begin essentially the same, with a healing potion, a dagger and an early level spell.  However, as you gain levels and increase your stats, you begin to feel the differences in class and abilities.

Shadowkey also has some cool multiplayer features in it.  Two players can play co-operatively via Bluetooth, completing missions and reaping the spoils for the host player.

While Shadowkey aspires to be Morrowind, it comes up frustratingly short in many key ways.  The controls are very unresponsive, often requiring you to hold down a key for a good second before it finally responds.  Attacking enemies is quite frustrating, as it can be near impossible to tell if a hit actually lands, only if the enemy eventually dies do you know if your hits were connecting.

The graphics are another area where the game’s shortcomings prove detrimental to the gameplay.  The draw in distance is very short, and considering the overall scope of this game, it can be extremely easy to lose your bearings and have no idea where you are.  The map is also pretty difficult to navigate, not really showing any points of interest.  However, the graphics do have some highlights, like high-resolution weapon models and some nice character models.

The sound is pretty good.  The music is composed of the Morrowind theme, an orchestrated sweeping score that actually doesn’t sound too terribly compressed.  The sounds are also quite good, also not very tinny.

Shadowkey has a lot going for it; the game’s scope is huge and the character development is very admirable in a handheld game.  Unfortunately, Shadowkey falls prey to too many problems along the way that turn it into a frustrating experience that feels like a shell of what it could’ve been.

Gameplay: 6.9
Shadowkey certainly aspires for big things, as it has huge scope and some nicely ported RPG elements for a portable game.  Unfortunately, the game seems to have bitten off more than it could chew, as the control scheme is unresponsive and frustrating, the map is difficult to navigate and the short draw in distances affect the gameplay to the point that it is extremely easy to get lost.

Graphics: 5.9 
Shadowkey has some impressive character models and high resolution weapon models, but the draw in distance is way too short to the point of making the game overly frustrating to play, the framerates are very choppy and the environments are very drab.

Sound: 7.5
The sound effects comprise of the original Morrowind theme that is only slightly compressed and some decent sounds.

Difficulty: Medium
 

Concept: 6.9 
Shadowkey tries to emulate the Morrowind experience as closely as possible, but feels a hodgepodge of bad controls and poor graphics.

Multiplayer: 7.0
The Bluetooth features in Shadowkey are pretty cool, allowing you to team up with a buddy to complete missions.  Unfortunately, only one player can benefit from said union, as the other one is put only in a support role and doesn’t get anything for completing the mission.

Overall: 6.9

Shadowkey works very hard to bring the Morrowind experience to the N-Gage. Unfortunately, it fails to bring the compelling gameplay to the system, and ends up being a mere shell of the beloved PC game.