Shadowgrounds: Survivor makes few indications that it is anything other than an action-driven shooter. There are no half-assed puzzle sequences or hastily thrown together driving sequences - it is a game where you enter a room loaded with ammo and can expect to use it all before exiting.
Like its predecessor, Survivor takes place after an alien attack on one of Jupiter's moons. While the first game featured one character, Survivor gives you three slightly different characters to play as, each with their own mission goals and slightly different play styles. The first of the trio is a marine whose specialty is long-range combat, a trait most of his missions play towards. The second, a mysterious old man, is similar to the marine, only with a focus on heavy weapons like flame throwers and turrets. The last, a female special ops soldier, is perhaps the most different of the group. While the other two can take on any large horde with bullet-spitting weapons, the infiltrator requires a little more planning. Though she packs an extremely powerful rail-gun and toxic darts, the long reload time and slow-action of the poisons require a little more mobility.
Regardless of adjustments to play style, the core gameplay remains the same for each character. Goals are transparent and typically involve getting from one end of a level to the other. The focus is purely on action with the only puzzles being the decision of which weapon kills each enemy the fastest and which in the group presents the greatest threat. It is basic, "check your brain at the door" gameplay, but it makes for an incredibly fun experience.
As great a job as Survivor does at pulling you into the experience, the game falls back on a few videogame clichés that break the immersion. The most common are "magic" barriers that appear during boss battles to keep you pinned into an area. If the barriers were something like security doors, then it would be as bad; however, there's something about the sudden appearance of glowing barriers that feels cheap. Though not as noticeable, there are also a few instances of health and ammo packs re-appearing, which removes some of the tension the game does a great job at creating.
Outside the main campaign, Survivor also offers a Survivor Mode which pits you against an endless army of enemies. There's no way to "beat" the mode; instead, your job is to survive as long as you can. Several secrets are also hidden in each level which unlock cheats that help add some replay value.
