The upcoming Shadow of the Beast remake for PlayStation 4 will include the 1989 Amiga original, developer Heavy Spectrum announced today in a post on the PlayStation Blog.
CEO Matt Birch explained that an emulated version of the game will be available as an unlockable bonus. However, there is no word yet on what you’ll need to do to unlock the classic game.
Shadow of the Beast fans may recall that the game is not the easiest. With that in mind, Heavy Spectrum has added an “infinite lives mode” as well as “other helpful features.” If you’re feeling confident and brave, these can be disabled.
Birch also spoke about Shadow of the Beast’s soundtrack. The score was composed by veteran Ian Livingstone, who has a long, long list of credits, including relatively recent games like Lego Dimensions and Total War: Attila. Each level in Shadow of the Beast has its own theme, and the music will “escalate” as the fighting grows more intense, Birch said.
“In his pursuit of finding the right sounds for the game, he has investigated many unique instruments to keep the haunting and alien sound that helps define this universe,” he explained. “Fans of the 1989 game’s music will notice lots of elements and themes familiar to them that are subtly woven into the compositions they hear.”
Additionally, the original game’s score, composed by David Whittaker, is included with the remake as an unlockable bonus. “Once you’ve earned enough Mana within the game, you can unlock the option to play with David’s amazing music as an alternative soundtrack,” Birch explained.
Additionally, Livingstone’s soundtrack will be available to buy from the PlayStation Store.
Shadow of the Beast launches on May 17 exclusively for PlayStation 4. For more, check out GameSpot’s previous coverage.