#Cyber shadow chapters full
Sometimes these heal you to full health by default, usually ahead of bosses, but if they don’t you can invest in the checkpoint to activate that feature. These markers are more than just respawn points though, as they are the key to setting how difficult your time will be.Īs you play, you’ll gather up a resource/currency that lets you give checkpoints added functionality. My first playthrough took about ten and a half hours and over 500 deaths, though thankfully there are multiple checkpoints in each stage. It’s possible to ninja-run through Cyber Shadow fairly quickly, though getting that skilled will take some practice. Utterly demolishing those familiar and previously more challenging enemies brought the story into the gameplay itself, something that’s always appreciated. One of my favorite chapters involved returning to an early game stage, now kitted out with more resources and skills. You’ll come across members of your clan trapped in stasis pods and ancient shrines defiled by time. Themes of loss, revenge, loyalty, and the conflict between spirituality and technology course through the game’s mechanical veins. The overt storytelling has enough to get its hooks into you, providing more context and revelations over time, but it’s the more subtle pieces that are sticking with me. There are both sprite-based cinematic and in-game cutscenes, some with surprisingly striking visuals. Strong as its gameplay is on a fundamental level, particularly once you have all your tools, Cyber Shadow leans on its world and narrative delivery just as much. I’d equate it to some of the hidden power-ups in Mega Man games, just with a more linear structure around them. To be clear, the game isn’t an exploration based one and it’s entirely possible to finish without backtracking. You’re able to revisit past locations in Cyber Shadow through certain terminals, letting you poke around for health and meter upgrades. Once I had these, some design choices in early levels made a lot more sense. Cutting through enemies while an invulnerable blur is always satisfying, but being able to chain these slashes to mow down rows and cross gaps? That’s poetry in motion through many of these levels. The other missing piece of the puzzle was a dash, or more specifically the attack that came with the dash. If Street Fighter has taught me anything it’s that a parry system done right can be a game changer, and that was proven again in Cyber Shadow. The first of these, the parry, completely changed how I approached and thought about fighting enemies in a fantastic way. It took gaining a few late game techniques to make this game really come together. Bosses continued to be challenging and interesting, but outside of those peaks the game ran the risk of losing me. Even as I gained more story information and powers, something continued to feel missing. Progressing through, those points began to wane as I neared the halfway point. When I started, I was drawn in by the appealing sprites and retro-familiar gameplay. My interest in playing Cyber Shadow followed a clear trajectory. Other, particular stage sections would be too frustrating for their own good, though this could have occasionally been my doing – more on that a bit later. At times things would be smooth and linear sailing, with spikes at bosses.
Cyber Shadow was not an easy game, though this came in bursts. One other way 8-bit action games are emulated here is in the difficulty. You’ll do so over about ten stages worth of action platforming and plenty of boss fights, all in gorgeously animated and pixelated environments. Taking place in a distant future, in a now destroyed Mekacity, your mechanized body is failing despite your spirit’s need to uncover what’s brought on the sorry state of things.
Read on to learn more about its technopocalypse, and whether you should take up its blade.Ĭyber Shadow has you in control of Shadow, the last surviving member of a once prominent ninja clan. From a gameplay perspective it doesn’t push boundaries, but instead makes them very rewarding and very pretty while aiming to deliver a stronger narrative focus than its progenitors. Influenced by and evocative of Ninja Gaiden, Shatterhand, Castlevania, and more it is a faithful send up to 8-bit action. That game managed to impress with its time travel mechanics and subversive writing, but what happens when you play things straight?Įnter Cyber Shadow, a long time labor of love from Aarne Hunziker. A couple years back I played through The Messenger, which sought to revisit ninja based action from the NES era. There’s always the sense of needing to live up to and pay tribute to the source of inspiration, but too much fidelity can make it seem like you have nothing to offer.
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