Shadow of the Ninja Reborn - Hayate 1CC (Hard / 80,000+ pts)

Tengo Project is back with their newest release, Shadow of the Ninja - Reborn. They've been remaking classic Natsume games for years now, with Wild Guns Reloaded, The Ninja Warriors Once Again, and Pocky & Rocky Reshrined.

These guys have yet to miss, and Shadow of the Ninja keeps their streak of great games alive. It's not my favorite (Ninja Warriors is hard to beat!), but that might come down to a matter of taste, rather than any significant difference in quality. They're all great games. Although I do think the controls are pretty strange, at least compared to most other action/platform games from the last 20+ years. They take some time to get used to, and I still make mistakes when trying to climb platforms and such. And compared to their other games, there's no real character variety in this one. You can choose between Hayate and Kaede, but as far as I can tell, they play the same. Or any difference between them is totally negligible. Compared to TNWOA and Pocky & Rocky, which have several unique characters to play as, this is a step back. I suppose it might take a ton of work coming up with different playstyles and making sure they all work smoothly with the level design though... it's probably easier to plug different characters into the other games.
And as usual, the game is beautiful. This might be one area that they improve on with every release - I feel like every game looks just a bit better than the last, whether it's from more detailed sprite work, more animation, more effects, whatever. These guys are masters of their craft.

I'll write a more detailed description later today, after I get home from work. I'm out of time!

Shadow of the Ninja Reborn releases today on pretty much every platform (PC, Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X and S), and there's a demo available if you want to try it before you buy it. It's only $19.99, and it's well worth it.

0:00 Intro
1:38 Stage 1
8:30 Stage 2
14:55 Stage 3
21:33 Stage 4
29:54 Stage 5
41:36 Stage 6
50:45 Ending & Credits

Kaede Playthrough:    • Shadow of the Ninja Reborn - Kaede 1C...  
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Beat 'em Ups (e.g. Final Fight):    • Beat 'em Ups  
2D Action (e.g. Metal Slug):    • 2D Action  
STG/Shmups (e.g. Dodonpachi):    • STG Replays