Shadow of the Ninja Reborn (Steam)

I do love some retro arcade action and it really doesn't come much better looking than Shadow of the Ninja Reborn, with its beefy arcade sprites, beautiful pastel colours and rocking soundtrack. It's also hard as nails!

When I fired up the game, I picked the green haired lass in the pink leotard known as Kaede, her design being far more appealing than that of Hayate. I cruised through the first level, exploring various platforms and often rewarded by pick ups that enhanced my sword (which can fire an arc of energy) and claw weapon, which quickly became the most devastating thing in my arsenal. Then I hit the first level boss and the honeymoon was over as he handily spanked poor Kaede into oblivion. A few more tries gained me the same result, which made me think I was missing something.

Turns out you can cycle through all the pick me ups, which include food to replenish your energy bar, a gatling cannon, shuriken, claws and other goodies that cross your path, and these are pretty vital if you want to come away with a victory or two. Playing on Steam Deck, you hold down the left shoulder button and tap across your power ups to select the one you want. You also have a shadowy ninja slide move on the opposite shoulder button, so I probably should have done some research before throwing myself into the game, but then that is the arcade experience.

The backgrounds are full of life and detail, while your ninjas can cling, jump and hang from the environment

Now able to make my way more steadily through the levels, the challenge felt far more balanced. A certain element of strategy is required for the boss fights, but you can't just wade into the grunts either - attack patterns and timings are important to learn, as well as the particulars of each enemy. In the first stage you're attacked by ninjas jumping from the water and attacking with glowing plasma balls which can be tough to dodge, but a little experimenting and I discovered you can deflect the attack with your sword. These little touches make the enemies feel far more three dimensional and not just different shapes of baddie to hit on your way to the boss.

I was constantly impressed at the pixel art on display. Even some of the regular baddies on screen look like bosses (such as the giant robots with bazookas). The game made its debut on the NES, so it's clear that there's been some mighty upgrades applied to this release. ININ has really polished every pixel to make this a lovely looking game, so no matter how many times you get taken out, it's not a chore to replay the levels. The thumping soundtrack by Iku Mizutani helps drive the action along too, with many guitar riffs wailing in the background as you slice and dice enemy combatants.

The controls are generally fine, but they are the one area of the game that occasionally frustrates. You can climb walls, but attaching to them can be a bit tricky if you're not lined up exactly right. It's also hard to gauge some of the distances you can actually jump, so practice is needed to recognise the areas that might be too far to traverse, even if they don't look as though they should be.

This one niggle aside, it's a tough but rewarding game just as it should be. The retro gameplay is mana to an older player like me, with the game as I remember it, rather than as it actually was (this is a good thing!). I'd love to tell you more about the two player option, but that's not something I'm set up for, but if it's only half as fun as the single player mode, you're in for a great time. Otherwise there's an absolute treasure trove of retro gameplay here, polished to an incredibly high standard. Highly recommended for those who love a classic challenge!