Shadow of the Ninja - Reborn

Over the past decade, original developers from Natsume have been gradually remaking their catalog of NES and SNES games. All of these games were fantastic on first release, and Tengo Project have done an exceptional job subtly enhancing them while also preserving their original identities. "Shadow of the Ninja Reborn" is no exception, though it's a departure from their first 3 remakes: It's the first one to originate from an NES game, and as such they had to take far greater creative liberties to make the game fit for sale in 2024. Hence they've doubled the game's length to about 50 minutes for a 1CC run. They added one new stage to the game, while also making the preexisting stages and boss fights longer and more challenging. They also greatly expanded the player mechanics, which has polarized players, but I think the changes are excellent. IMO, the main reason people are complaining is because they haven't taken the time to master the game or tried to understand why things work the way they do. The mechanics aren't all that different from Tengo Project's prior 3 remakes; it's just that they haven't been legitimized by 30 years of familiarity. As always, Natsume's developers are absolute geniuses at creating depth out of a small set of moves. They've poured a ton of thought into the properties of each move in your arsenal - its commitment, risk-reward characteristics, I-frames, etc. - and you really need to master those properties to succeed. Even the inventory system is a great part of the game once you understand it. Yes, it's awkward, but it makes deciding what to pick up (and when to toggle items) a surprisingly compelling part of the game's routing. If you're into retro games, action platformers, or Natsume/Tengo Project's other remakes, I'd wholeheartedly recommend this one. Yeah, there are weird stylistic tics here and there to remind you this was originally an NES game, but overall it holds up well and it's a fantastic playthrough.

If you love the sidescrolling platformers of yesteryear and you love a fair and balanced challenge, this one's for you. Excellent remake of an excellent game. The mechanics are rock solid. No-missing the game is entirely possible if you put in the work. I wish there were more like this. Own it here and on switch - good enough to buy twice.

Cool remake, I just wish controlling the characters didn't feel SO heavy The OG on the NES somehow plays better

作为重制版游戏，通关一遍普通难度才来评价。这个作品整体评价相当于 暮年人以为自己还年轻，用自己现在暮年的经验和圆滑世故做了一款年轻人的作品。作品没有年轻人的朝气与闯劲，反而需要中年人的稳重和老练的经验来应对。所以作品这种错位的感觉让人觉得难受。几位制作人还是要调整心态，不如早收手，或者给年轻人来重新开发重制型的作品。

Fantastic game. Every mechanic is carefully crafted and expertly designed. Feels more like a fighting game than a platformer.

Unplayably hard. They didn't even remove the power-down mechanic from the NES version!

Amazing action platformer. Extremely tight controls, GORGEOUS pixel art, fantastic level design. IT DOES IT ALL!

一点都不现代化，操作顿感太过于刻意。 甚至没有WASD移动也不能自定义方向键。 难度设定明显故意在拖时长。 只有胸部在进步。 用风灵月影通关了，仍然感到极难接受。 很多明显没做完的地方。大量复用素材。大量故意刁难玩家的地方。 地图里有大量误导性的内容，或者就差半个手掌就能够到的位置就不让你上去。 必须蹦起来但蹦起来就磕头坠落的地方，比比皆是，充满恶意。 操作极端别扭。翻上翻下总是按错，明明操作可以多方案并行设计的地方非要刻意创新。 就连每一次切换道具都是极致的折磨。 感觉自己不是忍者，而是脑瘫。 举个小例子： 我想向上翻墙，我按住上，按跳跃。它只判定跳跃，直接跳下沟。 而且按住上的时候，没有持续判定，必须上一个动作结束才开始判定，所以一直按住上是不上翻的，只判定跳崖。