Blade runners
End Of Level Boss
WITHIN THE BLADE
(PEGI 18) PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox X/S, Switch, PC
IT’S not unusual for indie games to slip beneath the radar – their voices drowned out by releases from bigger studios. And I’m ashamed to say that’s what’s happened for me here, having completely missed this incredible gem when it arrived on Steam as Pixel Shinobi: Nine demons of Mamoru in 2019.
Now enjoying a fresh release on consoles, it’s been re-named Within the Blade (WTB), but none of the fantastic action has been lost.
On the surface this game looks like a retro-styled platformer, but it doesn’t take long for you to realise that it’s much, much more than that.
As I worked my way through the opening few minutes of the game, I have to admit to being a bit puzzled as to how this 2D side-scroller with cute, pixely graphics could be rated 18 for gore.
The answer came just seconds later, as I dispatched two bandits as they stood over the bloody corpses of their victims, and decapitated another standing guard.
WTB’s gameplay is surprisingly deep, a beautiful blend of combat and stealth, with a sprinkling of RPG elements added to the mix.
You play as Hideaki, a ninja of the Black Lotus clan, and the only thing standing between Japan and the evil Steel Claw clan, that has the powers of an evil samurai warlord.
And so begins your journey through the game, with each level setting out various tasks that must be achieved in order to achieve the maximum score.
How you kill your foes also dictates how many coins you earn, and currency is important as it allows you to buy new weapons and skills.
Experience is also an important factor as it helps to build your ninjutsu skills, making you more accurate at throwing weapons, stealth kills and improving your health and immunity.
You’ll also find various ‘ingredients’ scattered through the levels, things like grenades, elixirs, and poisons with which you can craft weaponry.
More importantly you’ll find your trusty Ninjato sword, and ‘chainsickle’ Kusarigama, which you will most definitely need if you want any chance of surviving.
Players have so much freedom in how they choose to attack this game.
The more patient among you can go down the stealth route, hiding in the shadows and long grasses to take down your foe with quiet precision. This would be the perfect way to ensure you take down every enemy on the map, and feed the soul of your inner completist.
This could also be a speedrunner’s dream, seeing how fast you can whizz through a level, ticking off the demanded tasks as you go.
I have to say I did venture down the stealth route to begin with, but I am not known for my patience and soon I was hacking and slashing my way through the levels with gay abandon.
The soundtrack is also surprisingly catchy, the sound effects making you wince at times while adding a satisfying weight to your actions.
Gamers who like a bit of plot served with their action will be disappointed, but if I’m being brutally honest, I didn’t really feel I was missing out on much.
Returning to the village of the Black Lotus after every level to chat with sensei Genshi really adds all the exposition you need, and then you can be back out there battling.
As is often the case in games of this style, level design can get very samey as you progress, but the progressively weird and wonderful bosses you encounter as you move through more than makes up for it.
Feeling both super modern and stunningly retro at the same time, this is almost like a love letter to classic ninja games of yore – those that went before and shaped the path.
And what’s more, as an indie game you can get it for less than £10, an absolute steal in my humble opinion.
Buy it: £8.99 at store.playstation. com; £7.99 (on offer until August 5) nintendo.co.uk; £9.99 at microsoft. com