[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/659099-shadowgrounds_pc_large_8350.jpg]]

''Shadowgrounds'' is [[TopDownView Top-Down]] ShootEmUp developed by Frozenbyte software (creators of VideoGame/{{Trine}}) and originally released in November of 2005 in Finland and Germany, making it's way to the rest of Europe and North America in the ensuing months. It became available on {{Steam}} in May of 2006.

It is the year 2096. The place is a [[{{Terraform}} terraformed]] Ganymede, site of the small but successfully colony of New Atlantis and a highly secure military facility. You are Wesley Tyler, former security officer who now works as [[TheEngineer a mechanic]] at the local repair station following a major accident at the plant he used to work at. He's hard at work one night fixing a truck, but after a mysterious power outage, Tyler takes his two technician friends to the nearby power facility. [[RedShirt Two dead technicians later,]] Tyler's landed himself in a full-on AlienInvasion.

The player proceeds to rescue survivors, acquire successively bigger and nastier guns and attempts to find out the truth behind the alien attack.

The game could be played alone or [[CoopMultiplayer cooperatively.]]

A sequel, ''Shadowgrounds: Survivor'', was released in 2007 and tells the story of several other people [[GaidenGame trying to survive the same invasion:]] IGTO SpaceMarine Luke Giffords, Pest-control worker Bruno [[LampshadeHanging Lastmann]], and [[ElitesAreMoreGlamorous IGTO Special Forces]] [[FriendlySniper Sniper]] Isabel Larose. As the name might suggest, it added a [[EndlessGame Survival Mode to the proceedings.]]
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This game provides examples of:
* ActionGirl: The Corporal you rescue early on.
* ASpaceMarineIsYou: For the most part. Played completely straight in ''Survivor'' with Luke, who is in fact a SpaceMarine.
* AlienInvasion
* AlwaysNight: Apparently, Jupiter's light is insufficient.
* ApocalypseHow: Class X-2. The [[spoiler:second]] occurrence was stopped at the last minute.
* AntiMatter: [[spoiler: "Gifted" to us by the aliens, [[NeglectfulPrecursors who did not at the time realize the danger it posed.]]]]
* BaldOfAwesome: Bruno.
* BulletTime: Isabel's Special Attack. It's called "Killing Spree" and keeps a running tally of how many kills you make for the twelve seconds it stays on.
* CatScare: Happens to a scientist who thinks the aliens are breaking into his secured lab, when it's only his hamster.
* CheckPoint: If killed, you return a safer location within the level.
* ColossusClimb: Luke's special attack. Time freezes while he takes down Brutes using this method and a pistol.
* ComputerVirus: A virus was uploaded to the ISERcom systems, and gets purged by rebooting the mainframe.
* CutsceneDrop: Only a few inches.
* DeadlyGas: The GrenadeLauncher's SecondaryFire shoots a gas grenade. Bruno can throw gas grenades.
* DeathOfAThousandCuts: [[BossFight The bosses.]]
* DeflectorShields: On some enemies, though they really just act like more health.
* DoNotDropYourWeapon: Played straight with humans, and justified with enemy weapons being surgically attached.
* EnemyDetectingRadar: Functions as a motion tracker. You always have it in the first game, but must buy it with skillpoints in ''Survivor.''
* EnergyWeapon: The Laser Rifle, as well as the LightningGun.
* EvolvingWeapon: Collect [[RandomlyDrops randomly-dropped]] "Upgrade parts" to buy upgrades for weapons. Each weapon has unique upgrades, but one of them is always a SecondaryFire.
* EverybodysDeadDave
* ExplodingBarrels: Often in densely-packed clumps for extra boom.
* FetchQuest: Rescue civilians in New Atlantis, then fetch the soldiers in the various outposts
* FireBreathingWeapon: The Flamethrower, of course. It can be upgraded to dump unlit fuel on the ground, allowing you to light it at will and create a fire trap.
* FreakLabAccident: In the first story's background, where Tyler takes the blame since he was on the security team.
* GameLevel
* GameplayAllyImmortality: During {{Escort Mission}}s, making them, well, [[AvertedTrope not really]] {{Escort Mission}}s. In a pinch, you can use you invincible allies as impenetrable shields.
* GameplayAndStoryIntegration: Isabel mentions that she counts her kills to help keep calm. When playing as her, there's a counter ''tracking her kills.'' She even says "Don't interrupt me, I'm counting!" when first radioed by [=McTiernan=].
* GangUpOnTheHuman: Usually aliens attack you, but sometimes get distracted by turrets or allied troops. [[RedShirt Not for long, though.]]
* GatlingGood: The minigun is devastating, but makes you move ''very'' [[AwesomeButImpractical slowly while in use.]] [[ImpossiblyCoolWeapon On the other hand, it can be deployed as a]] SentryGun. It's also Bruno's best weapon, and unlike Tyler, [[LightningBruiser he isn't slowed by it at all.]]
* GenreSavvy: Tyler is a subtle example. After a few levels, he seems to take his OneManArmy status for granted, and by the endgame he fully expects to be sent in alone against overwhelming odds.
* HarderThanHard: Two additional DifficultyLevels if you complete the game. This only justs [[NumericalHard health]], and doesn't affect other parameters.
* HuskyRusskie: Bruno, from the sound of it. Also possibly a CoolOldGuy, given that he's 49.
* IAteWhat: In ''Survivor'', Bruno takes a swig of his flamethrower's fuel. [[{{Squick}} It's also implied that he starts eating the aliens when he runs out of food.]]
* InsurmountableWaistHeightFence: All over the place.
* InterfaceSpoiler: The load game screen shows how many missions there are.
* ItsUpToYou
* KaizoTrap: After the final boss battle, it's possible to die after the cutscene showing the enemy being defeated.
* KleptomaniacHero
* LevelEditor
* LoadingScreen
* LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading: In ''Survivor'', inexplicably.
* LostForever: If you miss one of the more powerful weapons (either by choice or accident), you don't get a future chance to grab it.
* MiniMecha: Tyler fights some, Isabel gets to drive one. All of them mount twin [[GatlingGood gatling guns,]] Isabel's gets a GrenadeLauncher for good measure. If you choose Luke or Bruno for the final levels they also get a crack at it.
* MultiMookMelee: Though not on the scale of, say, AlienShooter. These often take the place of [[BossFight Boss Fights]] in ''Survivor.''
* MusicalSpoiler: Heavy metal is always a sign that a battle is about to start. This is fine, except for one part, where what would be a harrowing battle with [[InvisibilityCloak invisible Scytheworms]] is given away by the pounding music that strikes up as soon as you walk in, before.
* NoKillLikeOverkill: The shotgun's assault fire. Two or three shells takes care of most basic enemies. Assault fire blasts all twelve rounds in the magazine off in quick succession.
* NoticeThis: Pickups are always framed by highly visible green brackets.
* NonActionGuy: The scientists.
* NukeEm: Described as a "functional equivalent." The alternate fire of the Rocket Launcher spews all four rockets in one go, coupled with a uranium core. Makes a sizable boom.
* OneBulletClips: literal with the Railgun before its ammunition upgrade. Averted only for a few weapons.
* Variations of {{Overheating}} can be removed for two weapons.
* OneWorldOrder: The Earth government, called [[FunWithAcronyms IGTO.]]
* OrcusOnHisThrone: [[spoiler:The hostilities were a last resort, but attempts at non-hostile communication were perceived as such. When the protagonists aren't hampered by the attacks, they resort to an extremely detailed explanation.]]
* TheParalyzer: The Pulse Rifle's SecondaryFire acts like a StaticStunGun. It's largely useless as it's painfully short ranged and only affects weaker enemies. Luke's pistol uses this, while his pulse rifle gains a much more useful underbarrel GrenadeLauncher. Isabel can throw stun grenades, which are much more useful.
* PointOfNoReturn: Within some levels.
* PoorCommunicationKills: [[spoiler: Attempts by the aliens to warn humans about the danger of AntiMatter technology were interpreted as threats.]]
* RandomlyDrops: Upgrade parts used to upgrade weaponry.
* RPGElements: In ''Survivor''. Earn ExperiencePoints, LevelUp, spend the resulting skillpoints on increased health, [[CriticalHit critical hits,]] etc.
* SavingTheWorld: Obviously this is what you're trying to do, [[spoiler: but so are the aliens! See TwistEnding below.]]
* TheScapegoat: Since Tyler was a security guard when the lab explosion happened, he was demoted to technician.
* SecondaryFire: Each weapon has one, [[EvolvingWeapon as an upgrade.]]
* SentryGun: Tyler uses [[Film/{{Aliens}} a few small deployable ones in the first game to protect an outpost from incoming aliens.]] Bruno gets to operate a huge one with a [[GatlingGood Gatling gun]] and GrenadeLauncher.
* SoleSurvivor: ''[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Survivor]]'' is all about this.
* ShoutOut: Many to ''Film/{{Aliens}}'', most obviously the assault rifle being called a "Pulse Rifle" and looking a lot like one, too. There's also a big one to Film/IndependenceDay in the form of [[spoiler: A small alien ship being researched by humans for a lengthy period of time and then being used to infiltrate a mothership.]]
* ShortRangeShotgun: [[AvertedTrope Averted]], it has full range like other bullet weapons, but could still miss by being aimed short (via free camera mode)
* SniperRifle: The [[MagneticWeapons Railgun]] functions as one, with the added benefit of [[penetrating multiple targets.]] It can be upgraded to have [[PinballProjectile rebounding shots.]]
* StandardFPSGuns: Pistol, [[Film/{{Aliens}} Pulse Rifle,]] Shotgun, GrenadeLauncher, [[FireBreathingWeapon Flamethrower]], [[GatlingGood minigun,]] [[StuffBlowingUp Rocket Launcher]], [[MagneticWeapons Railgun,]] [[EnergyWeapon Laser Rifle,]] LightningGun.
* SuspiciousVideoGameGenerosity: Rampant.
* TakeYourTime
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Think two shotgun blasts is fun? How about ''[[UpToEleven the entire magazine in rapid succession?]]'' Enter the Shotgun's SecondaryFire. Suffers from AwesomeButImpractical, as most enemies won't survive ''half'' that much buckshot.
* TenSecondFlashlight: Which scares off the weak bug enemies and reveals the cloaked Scytheworms. [[AvertedTrope Averted]] in ''Survivor.''
* TwistEnding: [[spoiler: The aliens were trying to ''save'' us from their antimatter ''gift.'' They only resorted to deploying bio-engineered troops when we ignored their warnings. [[HumansAreWarriors When that failed too,]] their only remaining option was to beg us not to activate the anti-matter bomb. It worked. [[AliensAreBastards Still, nice job killing almost an entire colony, aliens.]]]]
* UnwinnableByMistake: A door won't open later if you spawn at the wrong checkpoint. WordOfGod recommends using the console, but the worst result for purists is to restart the level.
* UniversalPoison: Isabel's pistol can be upgraded to inflict this, dealing damage over time.
* WeaponOfChoice: ''Survivor's'' characters have a much more limited arsenal then Tyler, but each set is suited to that character's appearance and battles. Luke is a marine, therefore he primarily uses the pulse rifle. Bruno's apparently just an exterminator ([[BigCreepyCrawlies regardless of the size of the bugs in question]]) but wears fuel canisters around his belt and his nickname is "Napalm", so: [[FireBreathingWeapon Flamethrower.]] Isabel primarily uses the Railgun.
* StandardStatusEffects: The pistol's SecondaryFire is a low-damage shot that slows enemies. Isabel's pistol can be upgrade to do this with every shot, with no damage reduction.
* XMeetsY: Check out the page image. It's really more like ''VideoGame/AlienBreed'' meets[[{{Metaphorgotten}} ... well,]] [[FollowTheLeader it's a lot like]] ''Alien Breed''.
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