Shadow of the Ninja – Reborn Review

thesixthaxis.com:

How do you remake a cult classic? Change too much and you alienate the hardcore fans of the original, whilst failing to adapt and imrpove ancient mechanics will leave modern audiences cold. Despite having a good stab at it, it’s a conundrum that NatsumeAtari never manage to satisfyingly resolve during the course of their retro 2D slash ‘em up, Shadow of the Ninja- Reborn.

The original Shadow of the Ninja arrived on the NES in Europe way back in 1991. It was a 2D 8-bit side-scrolling platforming ninja ‘em up; one that stood out in a shadowy genre thanks to its hugely enjoyable 2 player co-op, which saw two ninjas leaping, dashing, and lobbing shuriken with wanton abandon. Now, thirty-something years since its EU debut, Shadow of the Ninja has been reborn under the watchful eye of Tengo Project. Meanwhile, original creatives Dynamic Productions and Iku Mizutani have returned to handle character illustrations and music respectively. And their involvement has paid off, as the presentation of Shadow of the Ninja Reborn is absolutely spot on. Graphically, whilst still a humungous improvement on the original’s 8-bit visuals, Reborn retain its predecessor’s distinctive pixel-coated retro-charm.

Character models are so chunky you can almost chew ‘em; huge mechs clunk into battle, oiled-up beefcakes flex their biceps before charging into battle, whilst gun-toting robo-mercs unleash bullet hell every moment they can get. It’s so charming, so bonkers, it’s like the 90’s never went away! The sprites of returning ninjas Hayate and Kaede are delightful too. Their range of animations are beguiling, and they both look cool slicing through hordes of minions – even if Kaede has, once again, seemingly forgotten to wear any pants. The music is – of course, considering Mizutani’s return – grin-inducing guitar-wailing brilliance. Whilst the environments themselves ooze with incidental details; lightning flashes, thunder brews, and rain pours. The atmosphere that Shadow of the Ninja –