Shadowgate

I remember playing the original on the Nintendo Entertainment System in the 90's.
(This one even has the option to use the original soundtrack BTW.)
In fact, I know the old game inside out in my sleep but it got me NOWHERE (especially on hard mode). This is a good thing.
As much as I appreciate Double Fine's HD remakes of Day Of The Tentacle and Grim Fandango, they had ZERO replay value because I've known those games inside out in my sleep since I was 10. Here, you basically get an entirely new game that has the same locations and basic plot as the old game but every puzzle has two or three extra steps and everything seems like something that could have existed in the old game (The Sphinx being replaced by a Djinn? The Banshee actually doing something harmful to you?).
Ok, sometimes the puzzles are TOO hard, but then again, that's only if you play on the very hardest difficulty level, so that's on you.
My only complaint is that the "old school" graphics mode are just pixelated versions of the modern graphics. It would have been cool if they actually created pixel art versions of the modern art instead of just scaling down the graphics (there's literally no reason to select that graphics mode).
Newcomers need not start with the old one.
Try this one on the lower difficulty level instead.
You're in for a treat.

I started this game as a child and felt entirely too stupid for it, got hard-stuck and never had that closure... Finally after nearly 30 years, I got to see the ending of ShadowGate, and still felt quite stupid! hah!
I wanted to play without having to use a walkthrough, and I nearly did! But at about the 6 hour mark I broke down and skimmed one as I got so stuck on a handful of puzzles, I had no idea where to go, what to do, or how to progress with a satchel full of random odds and ends, just trying to stab them into everything and firing spells that did nothing.. I had missed only a couple things, and overall - I feel I did pretty well for a game of this sort! I don't usually do point and click adventures, so this is a bit different than my usual games of choice.
So much nostalgia seeing this castle, I couldn't believe I remembered so many different rooms and places I died so many years ago. Hearing that music, using random items on thyself... stumbling around in the darkness and finding new and improved ways to die. I really feel like this remake really gives it the love and respect this old dusty game deserved. The art is fantastic and beautiful. The voice acting is really good and fitting for the characters and design. As far as I remember, I didn't see much straying from the original - though as mentioned, I never actually completed the original... It was just so cool though.
I can certainly recommend this game, with the suggestion of: Be patient with yourself. This game is hard... if you need to - don't feel bad to look it up to complete it - because its pretty darn cool and in my opinion worth a playthrough.

First off , I'm old enough to have played the original Shadowgate on Nintendo.

That being said, its pretty much exactly how I remember it when it comes to the specific rooms and the order of how you travel through them. If you're feeling nostalgic, there is a few settings you can tweak to play with retro style.

I really appreciate that the developers stuck to the original game, but added plenty of quality of life perks (The original was WAY more difficult!) Which leads me to mention that upon getting started, there seems to be quite a few "setup" features on just how you want the game displayed and how the game "feels" while playing. Personally, for me.. it seems like just a few too many choices to the point it got just a little confusing on what exactly I was going to be getting into.

The graphics and sound effects really add another layer of entertainment that immerses you further into the game, ( I love the "blocking" sound.) The story I feel was a lot more fleshed-out in this version than the original as well.

All and all, with everything considered.. I recommend this game to people that played the original and even new comers to the "story/puzzle-based, click-game" genre.

Now do "Deja Vu" and "Uninvited" !

Great point n' click adventure game. Crafted by loving artist. Several difficulty levels makes the game easy to balance.

I really liked the game with the better graphics and control. I had it on NES in my childhood. :)

I owned this on the NES years ago. Back then, I was too young to handle the challenges, but now as an adult with more patience, I managed to beat it. Revisiting the game and really getting into its world was great. It remains cryptic and challenging, but there's something satisfying about finally finishing what I started as a kid.

A worthy remake of the classic. I played religiously on NES in the early 90s and was glad to play again.