Upon completing the level you get scored on your time and how many people you killed, using your katana or shuriken. Taking control of a ninja with no backstory, you must get through the fifty levels as quickly as possible, murdering innocent thugs and avoiding deadly spikes in a 2D setting. I shouldn’t have worried, even with this Early Access game. Sure it was about a ninja, but it was single timed levels. SB is certainly a must-have for fans of games like the original Ninja Gaiden series or even the recently released The Messenger.// Reviews // 3rd Sep 2014 - 8 years ago // By Andrew Duncan Shadow Blade: Reload ReviewĪlthough I was disheartened at first to find I was reviewing another speedrun game, I shouldn’t have been. Quick, responsive and with enough polish to rise above the crowd. Shadow Blade: Reload is a great reminder of what action arcade platformers once were and can be again. ![]() ![]() Gaming fads come and go, but Ninjas are forever. The delivery of the story brought back memories of seeing the cut scenes from the NES Ninja Gaiden for the first time. What story is here, is not unique but is compelling none the less. Instead, the story is delivered in a pseudo motion comic style. There is no voice acting in the game, but that did not detract from the experience at all. Simple sounds, like the gurgling of blood, really add to the visceral feel of SB. On the flip side, the sounds of enemies being slashed were very satisfying. The soundtrack is very fitting with its far east themes but does get repetitive. Little things like his sword glinting as he approaches an enemy to indicate you are in range for an attack really add to the charm. These simple commands along with a dash mapped to ‘R’ can create a ballet of carnage as Kuro leaps from enemy to enemy to and wall to wall without ever touching the ground in some stretches. The main attack is mapped to ‘Y’ with the shuriken for distance attacks to ‘X’. Combat is simplistic but very satisfying. Platforming feels nice but can be a touch on the finicky side on some of the later stages as well as challenge stages. After an initial load screen giving you the button layout, Kuro is set loose on his quest. There are graphical glitches every now again where the enemy or Kuro will shift to another position during kill animation, but nothing that affects the gameplay or overall experience. Unfortunately, there are no leaderboards for the competitive types which is a let down given the structure the game has in place. Those coupled together with time make SB a prime candidate for speed runners. The level design is very straightforward at first but later levels open up with branching paths forcing you to decide between the fastest route or most complete route as there are hidden Kanji and orbs to be collected. The enemies are not overly varied as you will be fighting the same handful throughout the game with the addition of one new type each chapter. The art style could be compared to Guacamelee in terms of its artistic flair. Spread across 7 chapters, covering over 40 levels, SB has 3 difficulty levels and also includes a 15 level challenge mode. Shadow Blade (SB) was initially released in 2015 on PC, is an action platformer with definitive arcade roots. Brought to the Nintendo Switch by Dead Mage. Sneak past or kill everyone in your path as you take on the role of Kuro on his quest to reunite the 3 pieces of the ancient medallion in Shadow Blade: Reload.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |