Demons are taking over the land, leaving little more than destruction in their path. As a lone warrior, it’s your job to save the world, carrying little more than your weapon and a seemingly inexhaustible wealth of power hidden deep inside. With beautiful hand-painted backgrounds and some seriously epic animations, Shadow Rising Unleashed is as beautiful to watch as it is fun to play. And we’ve got a complete strategy guide to make sure you’re the one doing the unleashing!
Basic Strategies
Shadow Rising Unleashed is a sidescrolling brawling game that pits you against swarms of enemies that get stronger as you progress. From simple low-level minions to powerful summoners and massive boss battles, you’ve got your work cut out for you in the stages to come!
Fortunately Kai, the main character, has a number of skills of his own, and you can use experience points gained from battle to upgrade both his stats and unlock new abilities.
As you move through the battlefield, keep an eye on the red bar marking your health. If it runs out, you’re in trouble, so stay on the offensive to avoid damage whenever possible. The blue bar below that represents soul power gained from absorbing the blue balls that fly out of defeated enemies. Soul power is used to activate special abilities you gain from the skill tree, and they’re extraordinarily useful in this hectic, battle-fueled game!
General Tips and Tricks
- Stay on the offensive. Shadow Rising rewards players who are aggressive and never let up on the attack. Run at every enemy and start swinging!
- When the orange arrow flashes on the screen, you can progress to the next area. Don’t rush too quickly, however, as you can stay to defeat more enemies for extra experience. Blue soul orbs won’t follow you to the next area, so make sure you’ve grabbed them all before continuing.
- Don’t wait for enemies to approach you. Start swinging your weapon and let them receive the first attack. Even better, leap into the air and start your assault from above!
- Just because an enemy is upside down and reeling from your attack doesn’t mean you should go easy on them. Press forward and keep swinging to deal extra damage!
- Not in the mood for battle or low on hit points? Stay on the run and jump as frequently as you can. You’ll avoid most fights and can make it to safety.
- Need more experience? Enter the Village Gauntlet where you can battle waves of monsters for experience points and other prizes.
- Always keep enemies on one side of you, otherwise they’ll surround you and hit you in the back. Kai’s double jump is useful for getting out of these situations.
- Mouse controls versus keyboard: which is better? Mouse might seem preferable at first, but the keyboard actually gives you better, more refined control over Kai’s movements. Press K to switch between the two at any time.
Defeating enemies sometimes reveals orbs that Kai can collect for temporary powers. They show up more often than you might expect, and they can really turn the tides of battle when you’re in a pinch.
Blue orb – Kai deals double the damage for a short time.
Red orb – Kai becomes invincible for a few moments.
Yellow orb – Special moves do not require soul power for a short time.
Pink orb – Summons a demon. Yes, it really is that scary!
Purple orb – Kai transforms into his true self. This one has to be seen to be believed!
Finisher orb – These are quite a bit of fun! The on-screen prompt will tell you what to do. Just sit back and watch the carnage unfold!
Skills and Attributes
Each level you gain nets you one skill point and five attribute points that you can spend however you please. It’s important to focus on one aspect of Kai’s development, however, spreading additional points out only to ensure they don’t fall too far behind. Here’s a rundown of what to expect in the skills screens.
Skills
Kai has a nice skill tree with five branches, each containing four skills that can be increased incrementally. Skills shown as circles are abilities you can use, while square skills are always active. The octagons are runes that have unique properties.
Rising Dragon – Allows Kai to uppercut enemies into the air. Available from the start, and surprisingly useful!
Aegis – Increases your armor, allowing you to withstand more damage. Aegis unlocks at level five.
Rage – Unlocking at level eight, Rage increases critical damage you deal.
Waves of Ruin – A powerful rune ability that damages all enemies on the screen, this unlocks at level ten and should be a serious contender for your skill points!
Shadow Discipline – Ups your attack damage and is available from the beginning. Another great skill to put your points into.
Crushing Leap – An ability that allows you to hop forward and slam the ground, knocking enemies aside.
Blood Thief – Converts up to 10% of the damage you deal to health, effectively allowing you to regenerate HP the more you fight. Available after level eight, and useful if you find yourself taking a lot of damage.
Impaling Prison – A rune ability that allows you to attack a single enemy for massive damage.
Focus Strike – Ups your chance of stunning an enemy. The percentage is pretty low, so don’t stock too many points in this one early in the game.
Mantle of Deflection – Gives you a chance to block enemy attacks. Unlocks after level five, but isn’t as useful as some of the other skills.
Iron Fist – Unlocks at level eight, this ability increases the chance you’ll knock an enemy backwards. The percentage is low, but it’s a decent skill to have if you’ve got the points to spare.
Metamorphosis – A rune that transforms Kai into something very unusual!
Lotus – Increases the experience you gain from each destroyed enemy. Very, very useful, especially early in the game. Several of your first skill points should be spent here.
Shockwave – An ability that pushes enemies away. Available after level five, it’s handy to have for those times you get overwhelmed with baddies.
Soul Devourer – Increases soul points you acquire from defeating enemies. If you use a lot of special abilities, this is practically indispensable.
Death Touch – Gives you a chance to kill an enemy instantly. Low percentage of that actually happening, but when it does, you’ll love it!
Lethality – Increases your chance of critical hits.
Rampage – Increases the rage you gain from taking/dealing damage. Opens after level five, but once you invest a few points in it, you can build your rage meter very quickly.
Cloak of Thorns – Chance to reflect up to half the damage you would normally receive. Opens after level eight, and even though there’s a low chance of the cloak activating, it’s worth investing into later in the game.
Cyclone Charge – A spin attack move that unlocks after level ten. Attacks in all directions. Do we really need to tell you how utterly useful this attack is?!
Attributes – Strength, defense, vitality, and spirit are Kai’s four attributes, and they increase damage dealt, defense, health and soul points respectively. Depending on your preferred fighting style, it’s generally a good idea to keep your strength higher than the other abilities, as this will allow you to dispatch enemies more quickly, giving them less time to harm you.
