If you could combine the style of the classic game Smash TV with the dark and decidely mature settings and atmosphere of games like Doom, then you'd have something that looks like Frozenbyte's Shadowgrounds. This top down action shooter game does a number of things right but isn't without a number of shortcomings - we'll explain all that shortly, but the short story is that Shadowgrounds is a pretty solid game that isn't quite as atmospheric as advertised..

Publisher Meridian4 and developer Frozenbyte's Shadowgrounds is a top-down shooter that tries to combine the perspective of games like Smash TV and the dark foreboding atmosphere of id Software's Doom series. In the game you play a mechanic on a space station located on one of Jupiter's moons, who is unlucky enough to find himself in the midst of an alien incursion into the base. These aren't the cute kind of aliens like E.T. or Mac, but rather the kind that like to rend flesh from human bones.. so this mechanic finds himself in a fight for his life as these marauders attempt to slaughter him and any other human inhabitants of the base. The end result is that the player will find himself shooting hordes of these aliens, finding clues ala computer screens and PDA's, and interacting with anyone lucky enough to still be alive. This exploration and interaction with other humans attempts to fill out the how's and why's of the story but ultimately the main focus of the game is the action.

And the action is set up in a way that isn't as frantic or scary.. Players are engaged by hordes of these alien nasties in sporadic and occasional encounters. The game feels a bit like DOOM 3 in terms of the way it throws enemies at you - aliens popping up through floors or jumping out of closets or corners. Most of the time these encounters aren't all that surprising because of the perspective of the game. Luckily the mix of aliens you'll have to face off against are a decent mix with lots of different attacks, sizes and attack styles. These aliens will come at you armed with acid, missiles, lasers and more - and though many of them will seem familiar or borrowed from countless sci-fi movies and shows -- they do provide a variety of challenges that you'll find entertaining for awhile.

But the biggest problem with Shadowgrounds is the way some of the game mechanics are handled. One of these mechanics involves the babysitting of AI controlled characters. In several missions in the game you'll find other humans that can fight alongside your character. The problem is these AI controlled characters have a bad habit of grouping together with you in a way that impedes your movement. They often are in the wrong place at the wrong time, making it more difficult to move or engage the enemy. Another mechanic that really impacts the game is where you are respawned when you die and the fact that respawn are limited to a few for each level you are on. When you die the game respawn you off into a far flung area that you have already conquered often forcing the player to trek a great distance to return to where you previously were. This isn't dangerous because the areas where you respawned are usually already conquered, but the trek from point A to point B is so long that it's a real agitation. Those complaints aside, Shadowgrounds' biggest problem is that it just doesn't pull off its promised atmospheric gameplay.

While Shadowgrounds has its share of problems (some of which have been addressed in several patches that have been released), in the end there's no denying that this kind of old school approach to gameplay can be fun and entertaining - at least for awhile. Given the game's low price point and the extras that Meridan4 has released in support of the game like the level editor, there's no reason not to pick this game up. You can purchase Shadowgrounds at traditional retail, buy a boxed copy online or get via Valve's Steam digital distribution network. Find out more by checking out www.meridian4.com . - James Fudge.