Hey, Baby Robot Devs here!
We are proud to report that Ereban: Shadow Legacy was featured on last night’s Gamescom Future Games Show! In our segment, Game Director Alejandro Márquez spoke in depth on what you can expect from the Shadow Merge mechanic. In case you missed it you can watch Alex’s section just below, or read on to find out even more about the Shadow Merge ability.
Watch on YouTube
SHADOW MERGE: ORIGINS
We’ve always been big fans of stealth games. Since we were children, we have grown up playing awesome stealth games such as Metal Gear or Splinter Cell, and this passion has continued with more recent titles like Dishonored, Aragami and A Plague Tale.
Unfortunately, we've always felt there weren't enough stealth games out there, so we really wanted to contribute to this genre that has given us such good memories. However, we wanted to do it our way and add something new to it.
Our first step was determining the main mechanic: traditionally, stealth games have used shadows and darkness to make you less visible, so we thought... “what if you could literally merge with the shadows?” Taking an entirely different game as reference, Splatoon, we started testing if it felt good to move through the shadows in a similar way they do with ink. That was the spark that originated Ereban and the Shadow Merge.
But apart from this original mechanic, we felt this was an opportunity to experiment a bit with the stealth standards and incorporate some properties from other genres we also loved. Enabled by the possibilities of this mechanic, we combined stealth with platforming and puzzles, making it more dynamic than classic stealth games and appealing to any kind of playstyle. No matter if you are a cautious or impulsive player or an explorer, this game will appeal to you.
SHADOW MERGE: ABILITIES
Now that you know the origins of the main mechanic, the Shadow Merge, we'd like to take a deep dive into it.
As we have mentioned, the Shadow Merge is the ability that allows you to literally merge with the shadows and navigate through the shaded surfaces like if you were swimming underwater. Let's take a look at the variety of possibilities this power has and why it makes you the perfect stealth agent!
Stealth
A big advantage of this ability is that when you’re inside the shadows, you’re totally undetectable. Imagine how useful this is to deal with your enemies discreetly! A few examples of what you can do are:
- Smoothly advance under the enemies’ feet without being detected
- Suddenly appear behind their backs if you choose to play lethal
- Conveniently disappear right in front of their noses if you’re in danger
As long as you’re not flashed by a light or stay too much time merged in, the shadows have your back!
Mobility
Apart from the convenient stealth possibilities, the Shadow Merge also means a big advantage in terms of mobility. Here’s some of the stuff you can to do thanks to the mechanic if there are shadows in the area:
- Climb walls and reach high and otherwise inaccessible places
- Use moving objects or their moving shadows to navigate from one place to the other
- Go through small spaces to access restricted areas, ignoring fences, bars or gratings
- Jump from high places and smoothly land in a shadow, completely safe and silent
As you see, the Shadow Merge is very versatile, so it’s up to you to discover, experience and combine all its possibilities!
The communion between Ayana and the shadows is something innate to her lost race, the Ereban. As you discover more and more about your ancestors, you’ll understand how they managed to dominate the shadows and all their possibilities for generations. Find these sources of knowledge, absorb them, and you'll learn not only new upgrades for the Shadow Merge but also completely new shadow powers. Buuut that’s a new topic for another time!
If you liked the game and wish to know more about the shadow powers and the many other features of the game, make sure to wishlist us and follow us on twitter to get all our updates!
Thanks everyone,
- Baby Robot Games Team