The Consuming Shadow

About The Consuming Shadow

The Consuming Shadow is a 2D horror roguelike by Ben 'Yahtzee' Croshaw, released on Steam in November 2015 as the Insanity Edition. Its store calls it a procedural survival horror adventure: you explore the land, fight your way through randomly generated dungeons and try to stay sane while you work to save the world from the invading Ancients.

Each run is a race against a clock. You drive between towns, choose missions, gather clues and descend into dungeons of shadowy rooms where monsters wait. A gun with limited rounds and eight magic spells are your tools, and both health and sanity run down; when sanity goes, so does your grip on what is real. Death is permanent.

There are four characters to find and unlock, six dungeon types, ten kinds of mission and twenty monsters, with a bestiary and collectibles that slowly reveal the world's lore. The Insanity Edition adds challenge modes, daily challenges and an endless dungeon called The Descent.

It suits players who like Lovecraftian horror as a game of risk, in the line of Darkest Dungeon and World of Horror, more than a guided story.

How to play The Consuming Shadow

1. Pick a character and start the countdown to the Ancients' arrival.
2. Drive between towns and choose where to investigate next.
3. Enter the dungeons, fight the creatures and collect clues and items.
4. Learn spells and keep your sanity up so you can face what comes at the end.

Tips

• Watch the clock: every trip and dungeon costs time.
• Sanity matters as much as health; do not take every fight.
• Fill the bestiary as you play; knowing a monster helps the next run.

Questions