Shadow of the Beast is a side-scrolling platform and hack-and-slash game developed by Reflections Interactive and published by Psygnosis in 1989. Originally released for the Amiga, it was subsequently ported to a wide range of systems including the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Atari ST, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Turbografx-16, Sega Master System, Atari Lynx, and Super Nintendo, among others. The game earned considerable attention for its technical presentation, particularly its use of a large number of simultaneous on-screen colors and parallax scrolling backgrounds spanning up to twelve layers of depth, a visual achievement that was remarkable for its era. Composer David Whittaker provided the atmospheric soundtrack, which drew on high-quality instrument samples to create an immersive audio experience. These combined technical qualities made the title a prominent showcase of the Amiga platform's capabilities at the time of its release.
