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ACTION RPGDUNGEON CRAWLER

Shadow Tower

1998 · FromSoftware

An obscure FromSoftware dungeon crawler featuring oppressive environments, brutal combat and an unusual first-person perspective.

PLATFORMS

PS1

GAMEBOX SCORE

89

Provisional GAMEBOX editorial ratings. These are not verified facts or aggregate review scores.

/ 100

Retro Score96
Hidden Gem99
Revival Potential91

GAME DNA

experience
Survival tension · Discovery-led · Role immersion · Strategic planning
genre
Action RPG · Dungeon Crawler
mood
Oppressive · Dark · Claustrophobic
gameplay
Exploration · Combat · Dungeon Crawling · Resource Management
difficulty
Very Hard
era
1990s
pacing
Slow
perspective
First-person
structure
Interconnected

DISCOVER BY GAME DNA

Game DNA is GAMEBOX editorial classification; era comes from the sourced release year. Ratings are separate editorial judgements.

OppressiveDarkClaustrophobicExplorationCombatDungeon CrawlingResource Management

ABOUT THE GAME

An obscure FromSoftware dungeon crawler featuring oppressive environments, brutal combat and an unusual first-person perspective.

Play it for its oppressive atmosphere, unusual first-person perspective and glimpse into FromSoftware's early design philosophy.

WHERE CAN I PLAY IT?

Availability information will be added to the GAMEBOX database.

We only list legal and officially available platforms and services.

RETRO HISTORY

Shadow Tower represents an important early branch of FromSoftware's dungeon-crawler design and is often cited as a precursor to later Souls ideas.

ORIGINAL RELEASE
1998
Developer
FromSoftware
Publisher
FromSoftware · Agetec

DISCOVER MORE

SIMILAR GAMES

Explore what makes games feel like Shadow Tower

GAMEBOX algorithmic assessments of editorial Game DNA. Confidence describes overlap strength, not a probability of enjoyment.

1999

System Shock 2

45% SIMILAR

PARTIAL MATCH

Strategic planning · Survival tension · Claustrophobic

WHY IT'S SIMILAR

Both games share Strategic planning experiences (weighing resources and planning consequential decisions) and Survival tension experiences (sustaining vulnerability and managing threats or scarcity); Claustrophobic mood.

Similarity breakdown
  • experience: Role immersion · Strategic planning · Survival tension56% distinctive overlap · 44.7 / 79.3 points
  • mood: Claustrophobic22% distinctive overlap · 18.9 / 86.0 points
  • genre: No shared values0% distinctive overlap · 0.0 / 35.5 points
  • gameplay: Combat · Exploration · Resource Management52% distinctive overlap · 16.4 / 31.5 points
  • structure: Interconnected100% distinctive overlap · 25.7 / 25.7 points
  • pacing: Slow100% distinctive overlap · 10.1 / 10.1 points
  • perspective: First-person100% distinctive overlap · 8.0 / 8.0 points
  • difficulty: No shared values0% distinctive overlap · 0.0 / 6.8 points
  • era: 1990s100% distinctive overlap · 4.4 / 4.4 points

1998

Resident Evil 2

40% SIMILAR

PARTIAL MATCH

Strategic planning · Survival tension · Dark

WHY IT'S SIMILAR

Both games share Strategic planning experiences (weighing resources and planning consequential decisions) and Survival tension experiences (sustaining vulnerability and managing threats or scarcity); Dark mood.

Similarity breakdown
  • experience: Strategic planning · Survival tension55% distinctive overlap · 43.5 / 79.4 points
  • mood: Dark14% distinctive overlap · 10.3 / 75.2 points
  • genre: No shared values0% distinctive overlap · 0.0 / 34.8 points
  • gameplay: Combat · Exploration · Resource Management52% distinctive overlap · 16.3 / 31.6 points
  • structure: Interconnected100% distinctive overlap · 25.7 / 25.7 points
  • pacing: Slow100% distinctive overlap · 10.1 / 10.1 points
  • perspective: No shared values0% distinctive overlap · 0.0 / 11.7 points
  • difficulty: No shared values0% distinctive overlap · 0.0 / 5.9 points
  • era: 1990s100% distinctive overlap · 4.4 / 4.4 points

2000

Vagrant Story

37% SIMILAR

PARTIAL MATCH

Strategic planning · Role immersion · Action RPG · Dark

WHY IT'S SIMILAR

Both games share Strategic planning experiences (weighing resources and planning consequential decisions) and Role immersion experiences (inhabiting and developing a character within a world); Action RPG genre; Dark mood.

Similarity breakdown
  • experience: Role immersion · Strategic planning36% distinctive overlap · 26.7 / 75.0 points
  • mood: Dark13% distinctive overlap · 10.3 / 79.6 points
  • genre: Action RPG36% distinctive overlap · 13.0 / 36.3 points
  • gameplay: Combat · Dungeon Crawling · Exploration56% distinctive overlap · 18.0 / 32.2 points
  • structure: Interconnected100% distinctive overlap · 25.7 / 25.7 points
  • pacing: Slow100% distinctive overlap · 10.1 / 10.1 points
  • perspective: No shared values0% distinctive overlap · 0.0 / 7.3 points
  • difficulty: No shared values0% distinctive overlap · 0.0 / 6.8 points
  • era: No shared values0% distinctive overlap · 0.0 / 4.0 points

1999

Dino Crisis

36% SIMILAR

PARTIAL MATCH

Strategic planning · Survival tension · Dark

WHY IT'S SIMILAR

Both games share Strategic planning experiences (weighing resources and planning consequential decisions) and Survival tension experiences (sustaining vulnerability and managing threats or scarcity); Dark mood.

Similarity breakdown
  • experience: Strategic planning · Survival tension55% distinctive overlap · 43.5 / 79.4 points
  • mood: Dark17% distinctive overlap · 12.3 / 72.3 points
  • genre: No shared values0% distinctive overlap · 0.0 / 35.6 points
  • gameplay: Exploration7% distinctive overlap · 2.0 / 29.8 points
  • structure: Interconnected100% distinctive overlap · 25.7 / 25.7 points
  • pacing: Slow100% distinctive overlap · 10.1 / 10.1 points
  • perspective: No shared values0% distinctive overlap · 0.0 / 7.3 points
  • difficulty: No shared values0% distinctive overlap · 0.0 / 6.8 points
  • era: 1990s100% distinctive overlap · 4.4 / 4.4 points

1996

Resident Evil

36% SIMILAR

PARTIAL MATCH

Strategic planning · Survival tension · Dark

WHY IT'S SIMILAR

Both games share Strategic planning experiences (weighing resources and planning consequential decisions) and Survival tension experiences (sustaining vulnerability and managing threats or scarcity); Dark mood.

Similarity breakdown
  • experience: Strategic planning · Survival tension55% distinctive overlap · 43.5 / 79.4 points
  • mood: Dark17% distinctive overlap · 12.3 / 72.3 points
  • genre: No shared values0% distinctive overlap · 0.0 / 35.6 points
  • gameplay: Exploration7% distinctive overlap · 2.0 / 29.8 points
  • structure: Interconnected100% distinctive overlap · 25.7 / 25.7 points
  • pacing: Slow100% distinctive overlap · 10.1 / 10.1 points
  • perspective: No shared values0% distinctive overlap · 0.0 / 11.7 points
  • difficulty: No shared values0% distinctive overlap · 0.0 / 6.8 points
  • era: 1990s100% distinctive overlap · 4.4 / 4.4 points

2002

Metroid Prime

31% SIMILAR

LIMITED MATCH

Discovery-led · Survival tension

WHY IT'S SIMILAR

Both games share Discovery-led experiences (progressing through curiosity and finding new knowledge or spaces) and Survival tension experiences (sustaining vulnerability and managing threats or scarcity).

Similarity breakdown
  • experience: Discovery-led · Survival tension48% distinctive overlap · 35.5 / 74.1 points
  • mood: No shared values0% distinctive overlap · 0.0 / 78.4 points
  • genre: No shared values0% distinctive overlap · 0.0 / 38.6 points
  • gameplay: Combat · Exploration22% distinctive overlap · 6.5 / 29.7 points
  • structure: Interconnected100% distinctive overlap · 25.7 / 25.7 points
  • pacing: Slow100% distinctive overlap · 10.1 / 10.1 points
  • perspective: First-person100% distinctive overlap · 8.0 / 8.0 points
  • difficulty: No shared values0% distinctive overlap · 0.0 / 6.8 points
  • era: No shared values0% distinctive overlap · 0.0 / 4.0 points