Due to each area needing to believably connect to the next, the visual variety between chapters is fairly limited. On a grander scale, every single chapter is tied together and takes place in one large interconnected place a world map exists for easy warping to previous locales, but beyond that, it's essentially one giant level.Īs cool as the idea of an interconnected world is, it does lead to one of the weaker aspects of the Cyber Shadow.

Areas often wrap around themselves and interconnect, still leading players in a single direction, but in a way that keeps the world cohesive. Several nooks and crannies are hidden throughout, hiding items, upgrades, and shortcuts. While mostly a linear experience, the level design does have its unique elements. These additional elements provide nice options for players who want to adjust the challenge level. Essence collected from defeating enemies can be spent at these checkpoints to refill health and SP, or to give useful temporary power-ups. Checkpoints are spread evenly throughout each area, just rare enough for death to matter, but just common enough to not reset too much progress upon losing. There's no life system at all, so each challenge can be tried as many times as needed. At any given moment, you almost always have a path toward survival it's just up to you to be skilled and patient enough to carry it out. Enemies swarm through the stage in chaotic ways, but rarely are they unmanageable. The original Ninja Gaiden is infamous for its rather unfair later levels, and while Cyber Shadow is certainly difficult, it almost always feels fair.

While the feel of the game is excellent, that only matters if the level design itself is adequate as well. Levels are designed to promote usage of Shadow's whole arsenal, so properly managing SP is essential. Using these abilities drains Shadow's SP, which can then be recollected by defeating enemies.

Every popular ninja trope is here, from throwing ninja stars to reflecting bullets to dashing through the air, and each of these moves feel great to perform. His only initial manoeuvres are a jump and a sword slash, but playing through each chapter will quickly unlock a variety of other abilities. Like any good ninja, Shadow is fast and nimble, allowing for extremely precise movement. If you’re interested, there are many sprites, illustrations, and much more information available on our press kit right now! 'We're all paper, we're all scissors, we're all fightin' with our mirrors, scared we'll never find somebody to love.One of the most important aspects of any difficult platformer is the controls, and fortunately, Cyber Shadow feels as smooth as butter.

Pulse-pounding soundtrack by Enrique Martin, produced by Jake Kaufman.

Who can be trusted? How far will Shadow go to protect his clan and the one he loves?

Experience the gripping story, told both in-game and through animated cinematic story scenes between the action.

Return to your old haunts to find supplies, items and upgrades.

Search for secrets as you explore the ruined world.

Rescue your clan to unlock permanent Ninjutsu skills and abilities, combining them seamlessly as only the warrior of legend could.

Relive the authenticity of classic 8-bit challenge or experience it for the first time.

Take down more than a dozen apocalyptic bosses, from enormous war machines to your synthetic clan rivals.

Modern touches like fluid animation, multi-layered parallax backgrounds, and evolved game design.

Authentic 8-bit presentation with hand-crafted sprites, a detailed pixel aesthetic, and perfect controls.

Dash, slice, and leap through masterfully designed levels filled with sharply honed ninja platforming action.

Slash through the techno hordes, leap past traps, and nimbly navigate the ruins of Mekacity in Cyber Shadow. A desperate plea for help sets Shadow on a journey to uncover what started the path to perpetual ruin. The world has been taken over by synthetic lifeforms. Developed over the last decade by Aarne “ Meka Skull” Hunziker, Cyber Shadow has spent more than a year being polished under our watchful eye, and it’s shaping up to be what we believe is the next quintessential Ninja Action game! We’re very proud to announce Cyber Shadow, the newest project from Yacht Club Games.

Cyber shadow initial release date