The stealth genre is one of my favourites. There’s nothing quite like the thrill of sneaking around someplace you don’t belong, completely ghosting and taking out. Games like Hitman 3 have become one of my favourites in recent years. While the mostly solid Metal Gear Solid Master Collection brings back some of the best of all time.

It’s also a genre that has had some issues in the past few years. Mimimi Games, the developers of the fantastic Shadow Tactics and Shadow Gambit games, were unfortunately shut down. This is alongside Aragami developer, Lince Works, who have also sadly shut down. Ereban Shadow Legacy takes some heavy inspiration from Aragami and acts as a spiritual successor to it, and I’ve been looking forward to this one.

You play as Ayana. The last of a race is known as the Ereban who live in the shadows. Recruited by the Helios corporation for unknown reasons, you soon discover this corporation hides a dark secret that threatens the entire universe. After being rescued by the True Sons, who are trying to uncover Helios’ plans, you embark on a journey to save the universe and discover the truth behind the Erebans’ disappearance.

The story of Ereban: Shadow Legacy has potential, but ends up falling flat. Ayana is a decent enough protagonist, but the revelations feel like they are coming out of nowhere and the ending is rushed, with multiple endings that boils down to a simple “good, bad or worse” with no ambiguity. No time is spent fleshing out this universe or the antagonists until the very end of the game. It’s not that anything in the game is bad, but it’s just completely undercooked.  

As an Ereban, Ayana can morph into the shadows to avoid detection. Go into the light and Ayana will be pulled out of the shadows. The robot enemies that patrol around have lights attached, so be careful of their patrol routes. Getting caught by an enemy pretty much guarantees you’re death. If you have played the original Aragami, you should know exactly what to expect here. The shadow mechanics still feel fresh, and Ereban has some additional tricks. Moving platforms and dynamic lighting create Ereban: Shadow Legacy‘s most interesting moments. One of the best examples is a shadow being cast by a windmill, creating a sweeping shadow across an area of the map.

Unfortunately, the full potential of this gameplay in a cyberpunk-themed setting doesn’t hit its fullest potential, and Ereban: Shadow Legacy does fall short. This is partially because the threats you encounter are not very threatening. Outside a few wonderfully designed encounters, it becomes too easy to avoid detection to the point where you can get sloppy with the stealth and still get away. Getting spotted briefly doesn’t cause the enemy to search for you. There’s no chase or real search period where the robots scour the environment in search of you. Just go to higher ground and you can usually escape. Enemies have very little mobility and the very few enemy types compound this even further. Regardless of this, sneaking around in the shadows is still a thrill and having no real offensive option means that getting caught when nearby is an insta-death.

Missions themselves are much larger than expected. Where I went in expecting a somewhat linear experience, Ereban: Shadow Legacy is not afraid to give a much more open-ended approach to mission design. Objectives can often be completed in any order, and a few small side quests are scattered throughout, encouraging me to explore. The game will also get pretty creative with the scenarios. Windmills will cast moving shadows allowing you to get into position. Whilst one objective will have you carrying a battery from one point to another; dropping into the shadows will drop any item. It doesn’t fully nullify your shadow abilities but reduces it in a creative enough way.

However, whilst the large-scale missions were a surprise, it’s when the game is more focused is when its at its best. The more linear levels allow for more interesting scenarios, like sniper-class enemies covering certain pathways or cloaked enemies that keep you on your toes when taking certain routes.  There’s also some puzzle-solving and platforming that creeps in every now and then. It helps keep Ereban: Shadow Legacy feeling fresh throughout its full runtime and I never found myself getting bored of the core mechanics as a result of this.

Throughout the maps, you will find a variety of resources that can be used to expand Ayana’s powers. Very quickly you will gain access to distraction tools and a pulse that allows you to scan enemies and collectables from a distance, while a few powers will increase Ayana’s efficiency. Dashing between enemies or temporarily taking control over one from the shadow. There are plenty of abilities to delve into, even if they aren’t all that helpful.

Ereban: Shadow Legacy took me around seven to eight hours to complete. This was largely in stealth avoiding removing as many guards as possible while avoiding detection. There are no additional post-game unlocks such as a Hard mode. Instead, replay value will come down to wanting to get higher rankings and get all medals for each chapter. Also, the game has a mortality system, adjusting to how many enemies you kill. However, I saw no actual impact in the gameplay or story.

Much like Aragami, Ereban: Shadow Legacy has a simple cel-shaded aesthetic that won’t be to everyone’s liking. What it lacks is the finer details. I rarely get the distinction that this is a universe on the edge of extinction, everything feels too clean. That’s not to say it’s bad with a certain style and designs that pop.

As for the sound design, this is mostly okay. It has decent enough voice acting and a suitably moody soundtrack to go alongside it. Much like the game’s visual direction again this will be a love-it-or-hate-it type of experience. With a more quipy main protagonist than I was expecting and a lighter cast that doesn’t have any emotional weight to what’s going on.

Despite some issues, Ereban Shadow Legacy is an entertaining stealth experience that takes a novel concept and pushes it throughout the entire game. Sneaking around in the shadows is always a good time for stealth fans, and this one will certainly satisfy that itch. 

Graphics: 5.0 The simple look isn’t bad, but feels a little dated and lacking in finer detail.	Gameplay: 6.5 Some good ideas, but lacklustre AI and lack of interesting challenge brings it down.
Sound: 6.0 Decent voice acting and a suitably moody soundtrack.	Fun Factor: 7.5 Ereban: Shadow Legacy is a fun stealth experience that’s not without its flaws.
Final Verdict: 6.5

Ereban: Shadow Legacy is available now on PC.

Reviewed on PC with an  RTX 4070.

A copy of Ereban: Shadow Legacy was provided by the publisher.