If you haven’t heard of City Shrouded in Shadow, you should probably put it on your radar. The title is published by Bandai Namco and developed by Granzella, the creators of Disaster Report. Like that series, City Shrouded in Shadow involves you playing as a set of characters desperately trying to survive a disaster in Tokyo, although this time it’s with a twist. Instead of earthquakes or tsunamis you’ll be dropped into the middle of a city being ripped apart by giant monsters, mechas, and more.
The game features some of the most famous properties around with the likes of Godzilla, Ultraman, and Neon Genesis Evangelion that are known as “Giant Shadows” attacking the city. There are still some Giant Shadows set to be revealed for the game, but we’ll take a look at every one confirmed so far, the origins of each character, and what you might be contending with in the game. City Shrouded in Shadow is currently set for an October release date in Japan, but there’s no word on a western release. We can only hope it might come overseas.Â
Godzilla and King Ghidorah
The king of all kaiju headlines the roster for City Shrouded in Shadow, along with Godzilla himself. This imposing lizard needs little introduction, as he’s one of the most famous monsters in all of history. This version of Godzilla, however, originates from the 1991 film Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, which brought a showdown with the lizard’s greatest foe. We know that Godzilla will be facing down the giant three-headed terror in Tokyo, but we don’t know how much story from the film will actually make it into the game.
In this case, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah features a crazy plot involving time travel, secret experiments, and the origins of both Godzilla and Ghidorah. In the film, humans come from the future, known as Futurians, to modern day Japan. They introduce a book to Japanese journalist named Teresawa called The Birth of Godzilla, which he’ll write in the future. It turns out Godzilla evolves from a dinosaur named Godzillasaurus, which was mutated by nuclear radiation from World War II. At the same time we also find out that King Ghidorah comes from genetically engineered creatures known as Dorats, who were also mutated by radiation. Ghidorah was then turned into a controlled weapon of destruction to stop Japan from turning into the corrupt superpower it would in the future. We told you the plot of this film was crazy.
There are few Godzilla battles more epic than when he faces down King Ghidorah, and there isn’t a more iconic pair you could get for City Shrouded in Shadow.
Ultraman and Alien Zarab
Ultraman is part of an alien race known as “Ultra,” who come from the Space Garrison. They are beings entirely made of light, whose sole goal is to seek universal peace and justice. Ultraman is the first of the Ultras to land on Earth when he was pursuing an escapee of the Monster Graveyard. He accidentally collides with Shin Hayata, an officer of the Science Patrol, who ends up losing his life. Ultraman gives up his own life in order to save Shin and fuses their two bodies together. He’d stay behind to do battle with many enemies, both of alien origin and ancient monsters, but ultimately was recalled by the Space Garrison when he was defeated by a foe. However, the first Ultraman and others would return to Earth on multiple occasions. It goes without saying that Ultraman is just as prominent and famous in Japan as Godzilla, but he hasn’t seen nearly the same level of renown in the rest of the world.
Alien Zarab is one of the earliest enemies Ultraman encountered, and he’s from a race that’s renowned for their immense desire to destroy and decimate other worlds, while also being masters of illusion. The first man from Zarab that appeared on Earth came with the goal of destroying the planet by turning the governments of the world against each other and invoking nuclear war. He layered a toxic fog over the city of Tokyo, something that will no doubt pose a great danger in City Shrouded in Shadow. At one point Alien Zarab even tricked and captured Ultraman, stealing his image and beginning to destroy Tokyo while posing as the hero. This means that not only could you see Ultraman facing down Alien Zarab, but also the imitation Ultraman as well.
Ultraman Tiga and KyrieLoid
Ultraman Tiga was a new version of the hero introduced in 1996, and the first iteration of Ultraman to get its own TV series since the end of the 1980 Ultraman. He’s often considered one of the more popular versions of the hero and featured a number of updates, like multiple combat modes and being designed with non-red colors. Interestingly, Tiga actually started out as a villain, a great destroyer that led the Dark Giants. Tiga decided to shed his dark nature in favor of light, however, and sealed the three other Dark Giants in stone. He and two other Ultramen defended Earth in ancient times, and were laid to rest inside pyramids until they were needed again.
KyrieLoid is a villain that appeared in two different episodes of Ultraman Tiga, and is from a race of demon-like creatures that believe themselves to be the prophets of mankind’s future. One of the KyrieLoids took the body of a deceased man and started prophesizing a “renewal” for the Earth. The only problem was the way to achieve this renewal had to do with burning those the KyrieLoids saw as impure. The devil lured Ultraman Tiga to an abandoned warehouse before ambushing him, but eventually found itself outmatched by the hero’s multiple combat modes.
The KyrieLoids would appear again later in the TV series, this time brainwashing a large amount of Earth’s population into thinking an Angel had come for their judgement. Unfortunately, they also made the people think Ultraman Tiga was the devil himself. It’ll certainly be interesting to see how these brainwashing elements might play into your survival in the game, along with the massive battle between Ultraman and the KyrieLoid happening in the background.
Gamera, Gyaos, and Legion
Gamera is probably the most famous Kaiju, aside from Godzilla of course. This monstrous turtle creature first appeared in 1965 in the film of the same name, differing from normal turtles as he walks upright on two legs. At first Gamera was portrayed as a mindless monster. However, after a while he became shown as a compassionate creature when he saved a young boy from another monster. Gamera’s role slowly changed into him becoming the defender of Japan that would protect the country from extraterrestrial threats and other Kaiju. Later movies show Gamera actively being concerned for the welfare of humans. Yet, despite this he isn’t overly concerned with the collateral damage that ensues from his massive battles.
Gamera has seen many iconic villains over the years, and two different beasts will be featured in City Shrouded in Shadow. The first is probably Gamera’s most recognizable enemy, Gyaos. This creature resembles a giant bat or dinosaur, and feeds on the blood of both humans and animals. As such, Gyaos is a direct threat to humans that seeks them out and kills them, meaning Gamera wants to take it down. In the Heisei trilogy of the series it’s discovered that Gyaos is a genetically engineered organism by the Atlanteans, who were trying to make the perfect organism. Their experiments grew out of control, however, and the Gyaos started rampantly breeding, threatening to destroy the ancient civilization. The Atlanteans created Gamera as a last ditch effort, and although they were destroyed, Gamera succeeded in destroying most of the Gyaos. This does mean that multiple Gyaos have appeared at times, which could be a truly terrifying thing in the game.
The other villain featured in City Shrouded in Shadow is Legion, a colony of silicon-based lifeforms that were the main antagonist in Gamera 2: Advent of Legion. The queen Legion resembles some kind of insect or scorpion, and has the ability to shoot egg cases which spawn Legion Soldiers. In screenshots for the game we’ve seen the humans contending with both soldiers and the fleshy growths that Legion Flowers sprout throughout the city. This means that in this scenario you’ll have much more to contend with than just the damage of the two beasts battling. Legion won’t back down in their attack either, as their only goal is to convert Earth into a base they can use to spread even further across the universe.
Eva Unit 01 and Angel Sachiel & Samshel
Almost any anime fan will immediately recognize the name Neon Genesis Evangelion, and for good reason. Evangelion is the first anime to make its way into City Shrouded in Shadow, and if you’re looking for some insane battles to survive, you can’t pick anything better. City Shrouded in Shadow features Eva Unit-01, the flagship mecha of the entire series, piloted by the protagonist Shinji Ikari. The origins of the Evangelion suits are a bit hard to explain without seeing the series itself, but basically they’re mechas created to battle extraterrestrial beings known as Angels. Eva Unit-01 is the prototype Evangelion, and the first one to battle the angels. As it turns out, Eva 01 is directly generated from the body of Lilith, an Angel whose transport vessel crashed into Earth in the past, creating the moon. Through a contact experiment, Eva Unit-01 also came to be inhabited by the soul of Shinji’s mother. Presumably, Shinji would be the one piloting the mecha in City Shrouded in Shadow, but it remains to be seen if this will play into the game in any way.
The Evangelion unit will face off against two fearsome foes in the game, the Third Angel Sachiel and Fourth Angel Shamshel. These two Angels attacked at different points in the anime series, with Sachiel appearing first. Sachiel itself has a humanoid form with odd dimensions, sporting a bulked upper body. The Third Angel also has gills on its body that let it breathe underwater, and can also act as a propulsion system.
Meanwhile, Shamshel is an insectoid Angel that’s roughly the size of an Evangelion. This one can transform between flight mode and combat mode, using two pink energy tentacles in battle. The Evangelion battles are sure to be some of the most intense found in City Shrouded in Shadow, and one heck of a challenge to survive.
Mothra and Battra
If you’re familiar with Godzilla, Mothra is probably going to be just as recognizable. Mothra is an enormous divine Kaiju that first appeared in 1961 with the serialized novel The Luminous Fairies and Mothra, which would then later be adapted into a film. However, she first appeared with Godzilla in the 1964 film Mothra vs. Godzilla. In this first film, the two Kaiju battled each other (mostly because of Godzilla threatening her unhatched egg), though there are times that the giant moth has helped the king of Kaiju.
There have been numerous Mothras over the years, but the prominent factor about the monster is always the fact that it’s a guardian of Japan. Unlike most Kaiju bent on destruction, Mothra is actually a benevolent being that consistently fights to protect humans and the country of Japan. This can sometimes be conflicted by her desire to protect her own kind, especially when Mothra has to battle Godzilla. As a note there is a Mothra Easter Egg that has her appearing in a cave painting during Kong: Skull Island, and the second film in Warner Bros.’ Monsterverse is planned to be Mothra. She’ll also be making some kind of appearance in the upcoming Godzilla: King of Monsters.
Battra on the other hand is practically an alter ego of Mothra, originally supposed to be an evil twin. Battra may have changed a bit since his inception, but he does resemble a giant moth more than a bat. He’s stark black with red coloring and spikes all over his body. Battra first appeared in Gozilla vs. Mothra, when the two battled in the Philippines. Battra engaged Godzilla while in his larval form, but the two were hit by a volcanic eruption on the seafloor and presumed to be dead, instead emerging years later. Like Mohtra, Battra possesses a number of powers like prism beams, energy blasts, stunning powder and more. Battra and Mothra are essentially arch-enemies, which will surely bring destruction to Tokyo when the two battle things out in City Shrouded in Shadow.
Patlabor Units
Patlabor is a popular mecha series in Japan, and a very interesting addition to City Shrouded in Shadow. The series takes place in the near future of 1998-2002, at least for when the series started. Mechanical suits known as Labors are employed to help do various things around the city like construction. Labors are also used by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Force for an elite squadron of Patlabor police officers. Most of the series revolves around Section 2, Division 2 of the Patlabor police force, with the main character being a member of the division by the name of Noa Izumi. Interestingly, Patlabor is a bit different from other mecha anime, as the mecha themselves aren’t infinitely powerful machines of destruction. Rather, they’re portrayed as machines that need constant maintenance and can easily break down, just like any other machine.
The Japan in Patlabor also isn’t some hugely futuristic city, but one with some minor technical upgrades. Most plotlines in the series deal with the police force combating hijacked Labors, terrorist cells, and the general heightened crime that can take place with mecha technology available. In addition to the Ingram units of the police force, the game will also feature the Grau Bear and Pyro-Buster units. At this point it’s unclear what the Patlabor units will be fighting in City Shrouded in Shadow, but the police force will of course be on the side of the people, protecting you from whatever menace threatens the city.
