Sometimes when a game draws from too many places for inspiration, it can end up being a bit of a muddled, disconnected mess. However, if you expertly pluck only the coolest elements from your peers and throw your own unique visual style over the top, then you might strike a winning formula. That's exactly the kind of game The Shadow Syndicate appears to be. Fully revealed for the first time, it's an action game with flavors of LA Noire, Hitman, GTA, and Max Payne, and I can't wait to play it.
Before even watching its debut trailer that dropped today, the first thing that'll strike you about action game sees you try to get to the bottom of "a city-wide conspiracy involving secret societies, occult forces, and a creeping darkness threatening to consume it all" – no pressure, then.
Marlowe, a humanoid husky, must explore the city gathering evidence, making connections, and of course, pummeling some bad guys. While you can go for the loud and lairy approach, blasting away with revolvers and Tommy guns or using supernatural abilities thanks to your Sacrifice Ring, there's a big focus on stealth here too. You can sneak around performing silent takedowns and slip into enemy hideouts without being detected.
If you do go weapons free, you can tap into some Max Payne-style bullet time to slow the action down. And yes, you can dive around like an action movie star at the same time. Beautiful stuf.
As you can imagine, solving crime and turning goons into Swiss cheese can be hard work. A dog detective has gotta relax sometimes. So, in the spirit of Grand Theft Auto, there are some downtime minigames to get involved in as well. Grab a scotch with some NPCs, win big on some blackjack, or become a pro at darts, there's plenty to keep you occupied when you're not trying to crack a case.
The Shadow Syndicate currently has a broad 2026 release window. However, if you like what you see already, you can add it to your Steam wishlist here. It's certainly going straight onto mine.
While you wait for it to arrive, check out some of the best crime games you can play right now.
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