Shadow of the Beast II by Psygnosis, an even darker sequel. More narrative, still demanding, lovely for fans of the first.
Your verdict
Category
Action Adventure1 player12+
Description
Hero Zelek battles the Beast Lord's creatures in this second Psygnosis Shadow of the Beast for Mega Drive. Published by Psygnosis, released in the United States in 1993. Action-adventure with even more elaborate visuals, puzzles and combat against the Beast Lord's servants.
Shadow of the Beast II review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
Psygnosis pushes the first instalment's strangeness further: creatures of deformed proportion, trees with anthropomorphic trunks, tunnels lit by unhealthy glows. The scrolling planes stack in depth and the palette, dominated by browns, dark greens and mauves, refuses any reassuring colour.
The soundtrack works atmosphere before melody: slow pads, held tones, resonances stretching well past the note played. The few constructed themes keep the bearing of a lament, and long, almost silent passages leave room for ambient sound, which sharpens the sense of isolation.
Gameplay
"Solid"
Fun
"Pleasant"
Addictiveness
"Engaging"
Difficulty
"Difficult"
Lifespan
"Short"
Technical info
💾0,37 MB📅01/01/1993
Published by Electronic Arts
Shadow of the Beast II (Mega Drive) price, value & rarity
Shadow of the Beast II is the USA/EU edition of the Psygnosis/Reflections game, the Megadrive port of the Amiga masterpiece. Its collector value comes from the cult status of Psygnosis/Reflections in the Amiga subculture and from the fact that the Megadrive version is the only 16-bit Sega console appearance of the Shadow of the Beast franchise.
Is Shadow of the Beast II still worth playing in 2026?
An action platformer by Psygnosis, Shadow of the Beast II offers a dark fantasy adventure of absolutely exceptional visual beauty for its era. The strange gothic art direction, atmospheric soundtrack by Tim Wright and unforgiving difficulty make it an absolutely singular experience. For anyone fond of atmospheric and demanding auteur games or seeking an impressive technical showcase on Mega Drive, a warm recommendation still valid today without hesitation for genre fans truly here indeed for any genre fan now.
