This Hussite war song’s opening lines may have already made listeners uneasy, and 1428: Shadows over Silesia eerily explains why. In addition to being fearless warriors, Hussites were also cruel raiders who murdered whomever they believed to be unworthy in the eyes of God when pillaging villages. like a lot of other Christians have done for their cause.
However, a lot of media tend to romanticise Hussites and their actions while disregarding all the wrongdoings and crimes they committed. Thankfully, Shadows over Silesia does not; it honestly depicts all the atrocities and misery that these conflicts brought. However, it doesn’t try to be unduly moralising or aggressively paint a different picture for no reason. Instead, it presents the brutal truths realistically, gives you a taste of them, and then plunges you into its own bizarre story, leaving the historical details behind as an intriguing background that yet maintains a spooky vibe throughout.
Both points of view on the conflict will be seen by you: the first is that of the Hussite hetman Hynek, and the second is that of the Hospitaller knight, Lothar. They first did not convince me, but over time, they won me over. That is due to the way they communicate, where Lothar is more composed and dignified whereas Hynek acts like a vulgar hothead. Although the connection between this ambivalent couple may seem a bit cliché, it works effectively in this instance because it adds the necessary humour to the serious subjects by providing amusing scenarios and exchanges.
They will also have to deal with the horrors of magic and a variety of other creatures that start to arise, which will affect the continuing fight. Those who are familiar with Sapkowki’s Hussite Trilogy may recognise some of the ideas that inspired it. Anyhow, it introduces a number of plot and gameplay surprises, and most of them had me wondering what would happen next. Although I didn’t particularly enjoy the ending, I could still grasp its significance and it didn’t ruin the story.
While the game’s narrative is an important component, its action-adventure gameplay will also keep you entertained. The majority of the levels are linear, allowing you to briefly explore your surroundings but always having one main path to take. The aiming mark only indicates where to go, not how to get there, therefore that does not imply that it is easy to reach your goal.
As a result, you must devise a strategy to get over any sudden obstacles that stand in your way. It becomes necessary to interact with folks, listen to their talks, and look for objects in order to advance. However, I must commend the fact that every one of these problems and puzzles had a clear solution—not the complicated ones you might recall from previous adventure games. Even if I occasionally got bogged down for a while, I was still on the correct track and only needed to briefly reconsider my strategy.
The battle mechanism would be the more troublesome element. It is fundamentally straightforward, requiring only a succession of strikes and blocks; but, foes are merciless, penalising you for every single error you make. So the secret to winning is patience, along with good placement and becoming familiar with the moveset.
Although I love how challenging it is, the awkward controls make it more difficult to get started. The majority of the enemies were easy for me to eliminate once I got used to it, though; it felt almost natural.
As I previously suggested, you will encounter a variety of animals to spice up the fights. These creatures typically have an additional mechanic that makes it more difficult to fight against them. This positively modifies the loop because some bosses even demand that you figure out how to defeat them. Your teammates may join you in some sections, which will make the skirmishes both a little bit simpler and more chaotic, especially in larger clashes.
But there are instances when you have to make sure a particular character lives. Even if I am not opposed to such a task, artificial intelligence undoubtedly compromises it a little because it could fail the objective by being stunlocked or instakilled.
Fortunately, teammates attempt to follow you, so by choosing the right position, you may easily deal with the majority of the adversaries. There are still ways to make battles simpler even though you cannot level up your characters: a number of potions and amulets can increase your health, stamina, or speed, which is immensely potent when utilised at the proper time. Checking them out is worthwhile because you can generally find those by touring the surroundings. Avoid excessively sipping those potions to avoid becoming wasted!
Like in combat, there are times when a covert approach is neither necessary nor appropriate; instead, you must exercise patience and carefully prepare your course of action. You should forget about some stealth kills because guards can hear things and will catch you if you approach. That didn’t bother me because it made certain areas more challenging and required more careful planning.
As a result, I like how Shadows over Silesia blended these three elements—puzzles, combat, and stealth—alternating between them frequently so that neither overstays its welcome and improves gameplay flow. Additionally, there are lots of extra activities to engage in, such as reading books, decrypting letters, or even occasionally rolling dice.
Despite its linearity, the environment seems bigger because of these lovely small details.
It depicts the mediaeval age as it was in reality, which is lively and colourful, unlike most modern movies. I adored the stylization of the game, which occasionally rewards you with stunning scenery, especially when you come upon a grand church or fortress. However, the quality of the cutscenes differs noticeably because the zoomed-in camera “blesses” you with the engine’s flaws. Even so, the soundtrack more than makes up for it with its diverse compositions, which perfectly capture every mood, whether it be eerie or heart-pounding. It’s also a great touch that some of the guards seemed to be whistling the Game of Thrones theme.
