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There are videogame remakes and there are videogame reimaginings, and it’s clear Shadow of the Ninja – Reborn falls into the latter, triumphantly so. Released back in 1990 on the NES, the original Shadow of the Ninja played like a cross between Tecmo’s Ninja Gaiden and Konami’s Castlevania, a straightforward action platform with heavy emphasis on precise attacks and jumping. It looked amazing and, for the most part, played amazing, but there are reasons why it’s not as beloved as those other titles, which I’ll get into below. But if there were ever an 8-bit title ripe for reinvention, Shadow of the Ninja would be it.
via YouTubeI wasn’t surprised to learn that Tengo Project handled this one, having earned their kudos on the similarly themed The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors remake and especially last year’s outstanding Pocky & Rocky: Reshrined. Shadow of the Ninja – Reborn doesn’t remake the original game so much as approximates it, both in level design, enemies, and in gameplay. Hardcore fans will recognize elements throughout, but generally this is an entirely reworked, expanded, and (for the most part) improved on experience.
The general story and premise remain the same: in the not-too-distant future the world is on fire, and it’s up to two heroic members of the Iga clan, Hayate or Kaede, to put a stop to the madness by hacking and slashing their way through increasingly complex levels, enemies, mid-bosses, and then actual bosses. Your base weapon is a katana, and can be slightly upgraded with powerups or slurping soda (?), but the real fun is snagging weapons like the kusarigama, a chained weapon that can attack in 8 directions (the biggest upgrade over the nearly worthless version in the original and almost turns the game into the Castlevania clone it so desperately wants to be).
Other new weapons that can be added to your arsenal during play include shotguns, shurikens, bombs, giant swords, as well as several yummy looking Japanese treats to refill your life bar.
As good as the original Shadow of the Ninja on NES was, there were significant issues that kept it from sitting alongside true 8-bit classics like Ninja Gaiden and Castlevania, the most significant being abysmal hit-boxes and inconsistent difficulty spikes. Attacking enemies usually meant being super close to them, leaving you open to damage, with some weapons making attacks almost impossible, such as the otherwise awesome kusarigama.
Many of these flaws have been corrected here, with a generous continue system that lets you pick up where you left off if the difficulty gets too much. The ability to change out weapons is also welcome, as are the abundance of newer weapons and health replenishers to choose from. Enemies defeated during completed levels earn you Prep Money, which can be used to pad your loadouts with weapons and items to level the playing field.
There’s now an added “floaty jump” that adds a few precious moments of air time, ala Dixie Kong’s hair jump from Donkey Kong Country 2. Your ninja can now attack downward while jumping with a little stabbing motion that also gives you a small bounce afterwards. Dashing gets you out of danger – or into the thick of battle – quickly. These changes make this version of Shadow of the Ninja feel like a weird combination of Ninja Gaiden and (no joke) DuckTales, reinforcing the idea that Tengo Project didn’t just draw from the original game, but from others like it from the same era to create an homage to the once thriving “action ninja platformers” that ruled the era.
Unfortunately, there are some new frustrations to replace the old ones. While gameplay felt fast and fluid, something always felt a bit off, like you never have full control of where you want your ninja to jump – or land. Worse is how the game handles wall-jumping, a combination of jumps and climbing. Your ninja has a tendency to “stick” to edges, which can make fluid wall-runs and jumps way more difficult than need be.
Another minor gripe is how your ninja changes weapons and items, which is handled by holding a shoulder button and using the D-pad to cycle through what’s in your inventory. In the middle of battle this can be extremely clumsy and clunky, and the fact it feels like the PlayStation’s XMB bar doesn’t help. Considering how crowded the action can get, having to cycle through weapons to reach your healing items is a pain and not much fun.
One area that’s seen an upgrade is the visual presentation – what a glow up! Shadow of the Ninja – Reborn is an outstanding looking game, one of the best-looking 2D platformers we’ve seen in some time. Rather than pander to the low-expectations of most pixel-pushing “retro” games, Tengo has once again gone the extra mile and created an entirely modern experience that looks much better than anything older platforms (and gamers) could have dreamed of getting. Characters have silky-smooth animations, backgrounds drip with detail and movement, colors are dazzling, and pixel effects are crunchy…it’s the whole package.
If all those gorgeous pixels weren’t enough, original composer Iku Mizutani (Shatterhand, Metal Gear) is back to remix and update his original tracks to match the newer visuals. It’s a fantastic package that looks and sounds amazing on modern setups.
Minor gameplay gripes aside, Shadow of the Ninja – Reborn is a superb remake of a more obscure 8-bit classic that does both the original experience and modern sensibilities justice. It’s also yet another outstanding effort by Tengo Project, a team that is quietly becoming the best 2D-centric developers out there (sorry, WayForward). Yes, the difficulty can be punishing, and yes, the controls could be a little tighter, but what’s here is often so exemplary and thrilling I’m sure many will overlook some of its quirks to enjoy one of the purest action ninja platformers in recent times.