The Dead Await: Prologue
Game
Game2026
Kill The Shadow
Developer Shadowlight
Kill the Shadow is a detective game with multiple endings, featuring 2.5D pixel art and semi-open exploration and investigation. Play as Lucas, a former police officer, alongside a mysterious Shadow who can see the “past.” Remember—every choice you make will change the fate of countless characters! From the Steam store page
67 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Nov 4, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
96
LovedLoved
48 positive · 2 negative
95% range 87–99%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 48 | 2 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 6 | 0 | 10 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
57 of 60 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
96% recommend · 50 yes, 2 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 52 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (567 of 643 positive).
Players praise the game's strong narrative and worldbuilding. [1][2][3] Some note technical issues like rough English voice acting and translation. [4][5][6] The game is widely recommended despite its flaws. [4][7][8]
Liked
Representative posts
- [4]
This game is no perfect by any means. The voice acting (in Eglish anyway) is awful and inconsistent, I would've preferred if it was silent. And occasionally there's an exhausting abundance of dialogues. I just finished Three Signatures and I thought that I would die before the old man dies. But I find myself so engrossed in the whole story and the world, I give it a thumbsup. I think it will be one of the most …
- [7]
Pixel art looks sick, and the story is the main draw. Love the grimy East Asian setting, political undertones, and little details that make the world feel authentic. The investigation is alright, and the EN localization, and VO can be a bit rough, but the game is no doubt full of soul. Stylish, political, dark. Easy recommend if you're into Minds Beneath Us, No Case Should Remain Unsolved, or Tales of the Neon Sea.
- [11]
This is a fantastic game with beautiful environments and visuals and a strong narrative. As a noir thriller, the story is aprropriately twisty, immersed in hidden histories and surprising backstories for many of the chatacters. Many of the characters, even the antagonists, had an extra shade or facet to them, few characters were entirely what they seemed on the surface. I was genuinely impressed by how well all the …
- [17]
9/10 It seem Hong Kong is the inspiration for the Dark Tide City ,main area of the game. Very clear motives taken from Opium wars and Imperials in this game are based on the the empire on which the sun never sets . But it is not that so it can be translated to historical events in general cause story is also universal as much as from China's history . Many players will recognize events as something that could be …
- [1]
Both the narrative and characters work are super strong , it reminds me also Minds Beneath Us, and that's high praise.
Summarised from 34 of the 72 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
96% of the 52 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Kill The Shadow. The complaint that keeps coming up: rough English voice acting. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Reactions
60 of 67 · most liked firstBoth the narrative and characters work are super strong , it reminds me also Minds Beneath Us, and that's high praise.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is no perfect by any means. The voice acting (in Eglish anyway) is awful and inconsistent, I would've preferred if it was silent. And occasionally there's an exhausting abundance of dialogues. I just finished Three Signatures and I thought that I would die before the old man dies. But I find myself so engrossed in the whole story and the world, I give it a thumbsup. I think it will be one of the most memorable games I've ever played. And I like the general vibe of the visuals
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As of right now the game is very bad to play if you wanna use a controller. It's wonky and unoptimised to be played with a controller. Be ready to use a mouse and a keyboard if you wanna play this game
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game. Everything is interconnected, the investigations are layered, unravel in a satisfying way, and a staggering amount of detail and lore has been written. The world feels very cohesive as a result. The visuals and chinese voice acting are also incredible. Very easy to recommend.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is more a passionate political plea than a mere video game. Fortunately, it achieves its aims with beauty. There are some technical issues yet to be ironed out and the (English) writing, especially around Deductions could be strengthened. But one rarely sees such humanity in a video game. Well worth your time. P.s. play the game with Chinese voices. You'll thank me when you meet Mrs. Reed.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pixel art looks sick, and the story is the main draw. Love the grimy East Asian setting, political undertones, and little details that make the world feel authentic. The investigation is alright, and the EN localization, and VO can be a bit rough, but the game is no doubt full of soul. Stylish, political, dark. Easy recommend if you're into Minds Beneath Us, No Case Should Remain Unsolved, or Tales of the Neon Sea.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Neowiz signs global rights to Shadowlight's inaugural game, Kill the Shadow www.gamesindustry.biz/neowiz-signs...
neutral · AI labelView post →The game simply has phenomenal writing. I could not leave the seat once I started the game and finished it in two days. The game made me care about its characters and the plot deeply and didn't let me leave till I reached the best conclusion for them.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A fantastic game; it’s been a long time since I found something that hooked me this much. The graphics are really cool, and the game mechanics are excellent. I did find some of the dialogue a bit long for a single session, though that’s probably just me. edit: As an Italian, I played the game in English because the character names had been changed to Italian ones; they felt odd to me, and I would have preferred the English names or the transliterated Chinese ones.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Oh my goodness this game is so good! I still don't know how I missed a newspaper in the first one but oh well! I can't wait to see what kind of ending I get! https://youtu.be/VHtta9C6-Iw
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is everything it says on the description of the store page and more. (That also goes for the topics it covers. It can get quite dark at times so I recommend looking up trigger warnings if you are at risk of darker subjects deeply upsetting you). 9/10, if it was just a bit more polished it would be beyond fantastic to play. Genuinely a fun game to play. The mysteries are thought provoking and they have plenty of accessibility options for people that include hints for those who might…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is a bit sloppy at times, and the translation could have been more polished, but I did like the story a lot.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I will be honest, some parts did not really make sense to me and some elements were repetitive, but overall it's a really fun and interesting game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →At first i didnt think much of the game. i just bought it to kill some times. but suddenly it was 3 AM. i love the character built and stories. hell almost even brought me to tears... if you love detective game or story rich i think this game could be the one for you
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Kill the Shadow is out today! It's a detective game with multiple ending, 2D pixel art and semi-open investigations.
neutral · AI labelView post →We recommend detective game, Kill the Shadow, by Shadowlight and Phoenix Game. Read our full review here: gameobserver.com/kill-the-sha...
neutral · AI labelView post →This is a fantastic game with beautiful environments and visuals and a strong narrative. As a noir thriller, the story is aprropriately twisty, immersed in hidden histories and surprising backstories for many of the chatacters. Many of the characters, even the antagonists, had an extra shade or facet to them, few characters were entirely what they seemed on the surface. I was genuinely impressed by how well all the various strands came together in the third act. It's an adventure/detective…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dear Devs (spoiler alert), Lucas + Reed ending next patch? Too much chemistry to let it end like that.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Kill The Shadow by indie developer Shadowlight Sanctuary founded in 2022 by co-founder Black Tang from Shanghai, China and indie publisher Phoenix Game founded in 2010 from China and indie publisher Neowiz founded in 1997 from Gyeonggi-do, South Korea on the Unity Engine launched on STEAM August 5.
neutral · AI labelView post →Kill the Shadow also features some nice pixel art, but this time in the context of an investigation-based adventure game (although it's billed as an RPG), set in an alternate HK. Enjoyed the interface and the bits I played in the demo, would like to play more.
positive · AI labelView post →The demo of “Kill The Shadow” on Steam has me so incredibly blown away. Not only do I love a good detective game- but this 2D/3D Art style is beautiful and the music is so GOOD. I am so stoked for the full version. #KillTheShadow
positive · AI labelView post →😈STREAM SCHEDULE 😈 So we'll begin with another demo game called Neon Blood, then some Ort and we'll finish the week with another demo being Kill The Shadow! (Both demos will be followed by Ort if finished early) #twitchstreamer #affiliate #pngtuber #demon #artist #hehim
neutral · AI labelView post →Some thoughts on demos from NextFest: Kill The Shadow - A dystopian, detective game with an engaging story where a lot of your choices matter. Lots of content warnings here, but the story and characters are fantastic. Grab the demo here: store.steampowered.com/app/2660230/...
positive · AI labelView post →Kill the Shadow is far from a perfect game. Still, if you’re willing to overlook some glaring audio issues and the deduction aspect being extremely easy, there’s a lot to enjoy here. The story and unique world in which it’s set are worth the price of admission, and they kept me motivated to see how the murder mystery played out. There were several times I thought the game was about to wrap up when it suddenly hit me with more narrative twists and turns, making me wonder just how far the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I waited a LONG time for this game. I don't remember how I came to know of it but I'm veryyy glad I did. It's an awesome game, beautiful, like BEAUTIFUL, art, great story, interesting gameplay with very interesting plot and game mechanics (sorry if this was redundant lol I loved it, kudos to the team, I hope things go well for the team so we can see more. I reallyyyy loved the swimming part in the end, so pretty, so envolving. Wish them nothing but the best
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What a GOATed game, gives disco elysium vibes but with a more coherent story.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Review made as I reach "The south". Cool mystery story uncovered in creative ways over time. Love the system that lets you determine the outcomes. Generally feels like it makes sense based on the character profiles of people you're interacting with. No "Do random bs" to unlock ending x. Investigative aspect is the main focus but characters and the world feel quite well fleshed out so far. You're not bombarded with information but naturally discover more at a good pace. Can't wait to play more!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nice little game. The chinese voice acting was great, the plot was quite engaging, the exploration part was nice. Having a map to show all the decisions/branches and the unseen scenes after the first clear was also a nice feature. A shame that most of the endings (except the "true" ending) felt a bit cut off, but overall still a nice experience.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Brilliant detective game, probably in my top 10-15 (and Ive played 90% of them). Worth the full price.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Refreshingly new point & click/inquisitive game, providing enough freedom. Smart and not boring-smart.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of the best games I've ever played. Kept me from wanting to know more. Good bit of freedom that rewards you for exploring. 10/10 (ps. English voice acting for female characters sounds like a guy, Chinese VA was fire tho)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →PLayed this on my Steamdeck OLED - works fine Dialogue branch isn't complex - I thought it was fine but some might think its too basic Play in original language - voice acting great Investigations are great, putting clues together yourself is more interactive Cool inspect mode with items and objects Characters are well-written Dialogue text is uniquely displayed, I enjoyed this presentation The town environments are beautiful Story Branch Map is a cool feature No difficulty adjustment option…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →before playing this game I kept repalying the demo because I simply love everything about it, I just wished the deduction tab had more importance than just having to solve a few things at key moments of the story, I also think there was more to explore in this world than just solving some gang issues, clearly there was more to this story than met the eyes. If I had to rate this game, I would give it an easy 8/10. The visuals are stunning, the characters are amazing, and the story, despite its…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Double whammy but I'm holding off on Expeditions Samurai, got "Kill the Shadow" instead which has amazing art, direction & gameplay mechanics. Set in a fictionalized asia (trad. Chinese). Great game ...so why in the Stone-Johannsen do the characters have YT full names? Mr Smith, Irene Carter, etc.
neutral · AI labelView post →9/10 It seem Hong Kong is the inspiration for the Dark Tide City ,main area of the game. Very clear motives taken from Opium wars and Imperials in this game are based on the the empire on which the sun never sets . But it is not that so it can be translated to historical events in general cause story is also universal as much as from China's history . Many players will recognize events as something that could be applied to own historical paradigm . Lots of motives from China's historical…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just started the game but the demo intrigued me and I bought the full version right away. I really adore the worldbuilding and lore, can't wait to play more to see the mysteries unfold!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →#Gamescom Recap Part 2: Detective, Visual Novels and Point & Click And here's some more games from #IndieArenaBooth I played #Steam demos of that I really enjoyed, this time featuring: - Kill the Shadow - Drăculești - A Pretty Broken Adventure - Psychotic Bathtub 1/9
neutral · AI labelView post →So yeah, that's a big rec for Kill the Shadow. Detective adventure game that takes place in "not China" after seemingly going to war with "not Japan," which had massive political and economic repercussions that you will be navigating throughout your case. store.steampowered.com/app/2660230/...
positive · AI labelView post →Detective RPG Kill the Shadow Announced
neutral · AI labelView post →I might come back to this later and review it again, but for now I am giving this a non-recommendation. I would refund it if I could. If this indy game had a lower review rating, I'd just ignore it and move on. It's weird, and not in an interesting kind of way. There are letters that wave in dialogue all the time unnecessarily, graphics options in the menus that don't work, and in the first sequence there are so many things that are irritating to have to ignore, even if the whole thing is…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My biggest criticism is something that was (thankfully) easily fixed. I did not enjoy the English voice acting at all and the Chinese voice acting although *better* just seemed a bit off audio balancing wise (or maybe Captain Theo just shouts too much idk) so I just turned it off. Made my experience a lot better overall and I just treated it like a text based game. From there I could really enjoy the gorgeous 2.5HD pixel art, the great music, the excellent writing (generally), etc. I don't…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a fantastic detective story that will leave you wanting to discover all the different possible endings once you have gone through a complete playthrough. The graphics are in that loveable old school pixel style, and each character brings something to the story. You never feel like any interactable character was only there to fill air. Every single person has a story and you can affect the outcome based on your choices. I recommend keeping the Chinese voice acting. Very interesting game…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I haven't gotten far yet, I might change this review later on The graphics is so beautiful for a pixel game, and I feel as if there are consequences to everything I interact with, from people to objects. The game is still so mysterious, which is the vibe that it should give to players, and I appreciate that. That's it for now, If you're wondering if you should give this a try or not, if you're a person that's into pixel games like I do, I wouldn't say no to this one
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Kill The Shadow is a detective RPG set in Dark Tide City, where former police officer Lucas investigates a series of strange cases while uncovering the truth behind the city's collapse ten years earlier. Its semi-open investigations combine questioning suspects, collecting evidence, making choices and working with a mysterious Shadow capable of seeing into the past. Pros ✔️ I love the art style and setting - The mix of pixel characters with detailed 3D environments works REALLY well. Dark Tide…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is an amazing 2.5D pixel art detective game with stunning visuals, a compelling and intriguing story and amazing voice acting. I didn't quite believe that the main character being stuck in the north for 10 years was credible. But during the walkthrough, after I met more characters and immersed myself in the story, the setting felt solid and genuine. I found the writing was brilliant. As I am from Hong Kong, I can see the game was inspired by the Opium Wars and Kowloon Walled City, which…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Amazingg game it is like a combination of disco elysium and the rewinder in my opinion, the story is very interesting, i cannot put it down and keep me thinking and guessing about the mysteries and what truly happens and so on, and after it revealed one by one..man..the story is much..much darker and sinister than i thought, i will not give spoilers but it is the darkest story i have ever read in a while...and it delve into the depth of human psyche, the story and mysteries is top notch, for…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →finished my first ending in Kill the Shadow, really amazing game
positive · AI labelView post →I had a lot of fun playing this game. I recommend it if you like point-and-click and choices matter games. The story doesn't disappoint.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pretty good stories here and there with multiple branches that impacted the world based on your choices. There are some devs inserted twisted sense of humors which some may find it a bit over. Personally, I find it quite amusing. Chinese voice actings are really remarkable. Recommended.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great environment, Great little mystery and a well thought out universe. 10/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I loved it! The game hooks you from the prologue and doesn't stop until the last chapter. I haven't been this invested in a game's outcome in a long time. The dialogue and pacing for each scene, plot, and mystery are very well managed. The dialogue and text don't feel heavy at all, and I love how discovering the truth depends not only on clues, but also on how much attention you pay during certain conversations (if you even try to have them at all). I see many people complain about the English…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Absolutely lovely game. Everything was great. The artstyle, the characters, the environments, the mysteries and uncovering this story felt very satisfying and intriguing. I was positively suprised by the political depth of the narrative. The only imperfect thing is the English voice acting. I switched back and forth between CN and EN and eventually settled to stay with on CN for my first run since it's definetly superior. I will replay with EN voice acting at some point tho, it's still good…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A really cool detective game. Intrigues are adequately linked together, the clue and deduction system is a nice part of gameplay, characters are well thought of and designed. The setting is very interesting as the intrigue unravels the history of a colonial empire achieving domination over black market, intimidation and pure repression, and an aborted fight for freedom. Chinese VO makes the experience quite immersive, don't swap to English, you would be missing out.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A fun and well written story in a nice setting with interesting characters. It took me 12hrs to go trought the game and all of it was pleasent. If you like this kind of game i recommend it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game needs DLC or a Sequel NOW!!! It is so fun and the storytelling is very interesting. The detective work needed isn't super painstakingly hard, but it still makes you feel very satisfied once you figure it out.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →great story. very cool game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun game, can't wait for a sequel or dlc.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →having a great time so far!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →very nice story and gameplay, not too long but keeps you locked on the screen for hours
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →SLIGHTLY SPOILER-ISH REVIEW: This game was an amazing experience and I'm glad I gave it a chance! Your choices matter a lot, which always makes newgame+ really fun and interesting. Every single character was written extremely well. Some of my favorite scenes were from ones you could potentially never see if you forget to talk to one NPC. The scene of Rochester and Florian after the clinic debacle and before you first leave for the Wharf was heart-wrenching, more than I had ever thought it…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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