The original Shadow of the Ninja (Dark Operative Kage in Japan) is a cult classic NES game from Natsume. Released in 1990, it featured 2-player local co-op – a rarity for 8-bit platformers. Over 30 years later, Natsume Atari’s Tengo Project team and ININ Games have unleashed a full remake onto modern consoles and Steam called Shadow of the Ninja - Reborn. A full remake in every sense of the word, Reborn features astounding pixel art, a new item unlocking system, and the return of 2-player local co-op support. Unfortunately, a punishing level of difficulty limits the appeal of the new game.
Shadow of the Ninja - Reborn opens with an expanded introduction that explains the premise in very rough terms. There are some bad guys who’ve put the world in darkness or something, and a pair of ninjas are called upon to save the people. Inexplicably, this is communicated by scrolling Japanese text with English subtitles at the bottom of the screen. Why wouldn’t the developers replace the Japanese text with localized text which would look better and be easier to read? Maybe bad guys prevented them from doing so. After the vague text scrawl, the intro does depict a few cool animations of the two lead ninjas fighting robotic enemies, so it’s not all bad.
From the main menu, players can select Arcade or Time Attack modes, view online rankings, and adjust options (which is also where you view unlocked items). Time Attack allows players to replay and speedrun previously completed stages. Arcade Mode is the main game, offering two difficulty levels for single-player but only one difficulty for local multiplayer.
At the start of the game, players select from a pair of playable ninjas: Hayate and Kaede. Hayate has a longer jump and Kaede moves slightly faster, but otherwise, they play the same. In co-op, each player must choose a different character, so you can’t run with double Hayates or anything. Players also get to select a certain number of items to take into the run, but only after the primary player has already played and unlocked some items.
Reborn is an action platformer like the original game, and the characters, levels, and enemies are all based upon the NES classic. However, it doesn’t play as close to the original as you might expect. The view is more zoomed in (presumably to show off the gorgeous pixel art), but the actual game differs as well. Our heroes now carry a sword and kusarigama (chain and sickle) at all times rather than starting with one and gaining the other via power-up. The sword does more damage and can only slash forward, but power-ups will increase its range. The kusarigama has much greater range and can be unleashed in 8 directions, coming in handy for reaching hard-to-get enemies. Charging up the sword button will unleash a lightning strike that hits all enemies, but this attack drains the player’s life, so most players will probably never use it. There’s also a new backwards dash for skillful dodging.
The other new mechanic is the ability to carry and use an assortment of consumable items. These include healing items, power-ups, and weapons. Items are found in futuristic chests, some of which are visible and others that are hidden in specific locations. Unfortunately, the interface for using items is extremely clunky. Players first have to hold the item button and scroll through the available items. Having found an item, the player must then either activate it with a button or switch back to the ninja’s sword. Reborn is an extremely difficult game with an unforgiving level timer, so it’s tough to safely select and use items when you need them.