As someone who grew up burning through floppy disks and pixel puzzles, Revolution Software’s golden era defines what old-school adventure games mean to me. So when Antstream announced the Shadow & Steel collection arriving on Steam, my first reaction was a mix of nostalgia and skepticism: classic adventures packaged for modern PCs? Yes, please-but what’s different this time?
I’ll admit it: we’ve all seen enough lazy ports and overpriced “classics collections” slapped together just to squeeze a few bucks from nostalgia. What caught my gamer’s eye with Shadow & Steel is that Antstream isn’t just vomiting out zipped ROMs or locking them behind another streaming paywall. Instead, they’re giving you the full, original editions, with the bonus of modern touches-a respectful approach for any retro purist or those wondering what made ‘90s adventures tick.
The selections here matter. “Lure of the Temptress” is criminally overlooked outside of hardcore circles, while “Beneath a Steel Sky” remains one of the cyberpunk adventures that still feels weirdly relevant. The PlayStation versions of “Broken Sword” 1 & 2 represent the best way to play for many fans-voice acting, CD audio, and a vibe you can’t quite recreate on PC ports. Bundling these specific versions isn’t just a technicality; it’s a nod to the era, and to those of us who survived the awkward shift from Amiga to PlayStation.
Let’s face it: the adventure genre’s having a bit of a moment. From indie darlings inspired by LucasArts and Sierra, to cult revivals like “Return to Monkey Island,” classic point-and-click games are finally getting the preservation they deserve. But most reissues just don’t nail that original vibe—either messing up the artwork in “enhanced” releases or burying great games behind convoluted emulation. Shadow & Steel’s promise is old-school authenticity with enough user-friendliness to not drive modern gamers crazy (no more readme files and sound blaster troubleshooting at 2am).
Of course, I’m skeptical whenever a company touts “ownership.” Antstream says this isn’t just part of their streaming sub—these are yours to keep, playable offline and with preserved original assets. That’s a change we need if retro gaming is ever going to leave the graveyard of forgotten licensing agreements and closed storefronts.
At £14.99 (about $17.99), Shadow & Steel isn’t exactly impulse pricing, but you do get four pillar games loaded with legit extras—soundtracks, developer interviews, proper save features, and (thank you) a modernized interface. If you’re a preservation nut or missed these classics the first time around, this feels like solid value.
But the elephant in the room: if you own any of these games already (especially if you snapped up “Beneath a Steel Sky” for free on GOG), do you need to re-buy them? That depends on how much you value curated extras and the convenience of not having to tinker with DOSBox for an hour just to see George Stobbart get clubbed by a clown. For newcomers, though, this is probably the cleanest, least painful way to dive into these stories—no abandonware angst, no missing files, no broken menus.
Antstream’s pivot from pure streaming toward proper preservation and ownership could be a sea change—if they stick with it and keep the quality up. They’re hinting at more collaborations for 2026, and if those are handled with the same care (and not just churning out old ROM dumps), they could become one of the few companies actually doing retro gaming right. We’ll be watching closely—and calling it out if they start cutting corners.
The Shadow & Steel collection isn’t perfect, but it’s the most respectful way to revisit Revolution’s adventure classics on a modern PC. If you’ve got love for point-and-clicks, this is the reissue approach that finally feels like it gets why these games matter. Here’s hoping Antstream keeps that torch burning bright.
Get access to exclusive strategies, hidden tips, and pro-level insights that we don't share publicly.
Ultimate Gaming Strategy Guide + Weekly Pro Tips