Something is going wrong in the land of Arkose: cities destroy themselves, monsters attack innocent citizens, diseases spread among the people. A young guy named Stinger narrowly escaped death after his hometown was destroyed by a giant blast. Stinger engages himself on a quest to avenge his hometown's destruction. On his journey he meets the beautiful elven girl Windleaf and the robot Harv-5, who help him to reach his ultimate goal.
Although it all seems like a typical action-adventure game, Shadow Madness was developed in the USA, drawing inspiration from Japanese RPGs. The gameplay is menu-based, with random battles similar to those found in Final Fantasy games. The graphics are in 3D, featuring polygonal characters in an anime/manga style. The battle system has several sub-menu choices, adding depth to the game's action-adventure elements.