The game features some truly terrific tracks, and players will have them stuck in their heads long after they've stopped playing. Cyber Shadow's music, composed by Enrique Martin and produced by Jake Kaufman, is also quite special. The game's bosses are equally well-designed. It would have been easy for Mekacity's techno-inspired environments to feel cold and sterile, but that isn't the case. The pixel graphics pop off the screen, and it's clear that a lot of effort went into designing the game's world. Gameplay is critical, but Cyber Shadow wouldn't work nearly as well without a strong presentation, and this game is nothing short of gorgeous. In that way, Cyber Shadow truly does feel like it blends the best of old-school gameplay with modern sensibilities. This is totally optional, and old-school purists might prefer avoiding these extras. Taking things a step further, checkpoints allow players to cash in currency accumulated in the game for bonus weapons or the ability to refill their Spirit and Health when they get to the checkpoint. In my interview with Aarne Hunziker, the Cyber Shadow developer stated that he wanted to offer "checkpoints that don't punish dying," and the developer delivered on that promise, offering a wealth of checkpoints that rarely make the game feel cheap or unfair.
Unfortunately, the NES era had a lot of games that were artificially difficult, forcing players to repeat the same tasks over and over again because save points were limited or even nonexistent. The latter will work fine, but the former is better for using abilities that combine a directional control with a button press (such as Up + Y for throwing stars).Ī lot of 8-bit throwbacks don't just try to channel the style of old-school video games they also try to channel the difficulty level, as well. I do recommend using a controller with a good D-Pad, as opposed to a control stick. It's very simple, but also quite effective. Further following the 8-bit guidelines, Cyber Shadow uses just two buttons for all actions alongside the D-Pad or control stick. As players progress through the stages, Shadow learns new tricks such as the ability to toss throwing-stars or wall-jump. Cyber Shadow is an action-platformer, tasking players with jumping and slashing through mechanical foes. Like many NES games, however, the story takes a backseat to the gameplay. Mekacity and its futuristic environment give the game a bit of a cyberpunk feel, and it works fairly well at establishing the setting. The game's tale is told through interactions with characters as well as animated cut scenes that pay homage to those seen in the likes of Ninja Gaiden.
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It's a real shame since the story and world are quite cool.In Cyber Shadow, players take on the role of a cyborg ninja named Shadow as he attempts to free his clan from robots that have overrun Mekacity. I had very high hopes for this being one of the standout indie titles of 2021 but it doesn't seem overly memorable.
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Even some of the fun sections like the motorbike part felt trial and error. If I rush I might trip a security laser and get swarmed by enemies for example.
I end up moving incredibly carefully because it seems like the only way to make it to the next checkpoint. It never feels like a fast pace ninja adventure. I'm currently about 70% of the way through and the overall experience is good but there are moments when I feel like I hate this game. Personally I found tricky enemy placement and weak platforming made the experience very frustrating at times. It can be fun replaying sequences again and again to master them.
There's roughly 4 hours of content here but due to the high difficulty and the spacing between checkpoints most people will put double into it. The main issue this game has is its trial and error nature. As you progress you unlock new abilities which make traversal easier but i feel like platforming in particular is a bit of a nightmare at times. The combat is enjoyable, the boss fights in particular but mobility feels limited.
The bosses and character models are great too although the stages feel a bit generic at times. The cutscenes in particular look phenomenal. The bosses and character models are great too although Cyber shadow has an excellent art style.