Other collectible items include extra lives and boots, the latter of which enables the player character to run at a faster speed.

[4] When a journalist reviewing Nightshade for Crash asked Tim and Chris Stamper what the object of the game was they responded: "Oh, we can't tell you that".

Filmation II used an image masking technique that drew and filled holes in the background, allowing the game to create composite structures out of pixelated drawings without visual overlay, despite the limitations platforms such as the ZX Spectrum offered.

Chris Bourne of Sinclair User praised the game's new graphics system, opining that it was "wonderfully" detailed and "juiced up" in contrast to its predecessors, Knight Lore and Alien 8.

[1] A reviewer writing for Computer and Video Games praised the graphics as "great" and stated that its sound effects were "up to standard" considering the "dumb" ZX Spectrum.

[2] Philippa Irving of Crash thought that the visuals and use of colours were "stunning" and up to Ultimate Play the Game's "usual standards", but she did notice a few instances of attribute clash.

[3] The reviewer from Computer Gamer enjoyed the wide range of gameplay elements, stating that it was enough to hold their attention for hours.

[9] A reviewer from Home Computing Weekly stated that the gameplay was not as addictive as Knight Lore or Alien 8 due to the game's lack of obstacles.