Cyber Shadow

» System: Switch (tested), PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mac » Buy it from: Online » Buy it for: £17.99

Shadow’s ninja clan is on the brink of destruction, his master’s gone missing and Meka City is being devastated by synthetic creatures. If that all sounds very Eighties, it’s pretty deliberate as Cyber Shadow is very clearly influenced by the likes of Ninja Gaiden and Contra. It wears those influences on its sleeve too, with a Nes-inspired aesthetic that conveys the moody atmosphere well while allowing for some slightly more modern touches like parallax backgrounds.

Cyber Shadow starts you out pretty gently, with Shadow initially capable of nothing more than running, jumping and attacking with the katana. This can make the game feel quite limited at first, but Shadow’s skills develop at a satisfying pace – you earn new skills frequently during the game’s earlier chapters, with each section designed to challenge your mastery of your new abilities. By the middle of the game, you can throw shurikens, slide on walls, shoot fireballs into the air and more.

You’ll really need all of those abilities too, as

Cyber Shadow is no pushover. There are plenty

of tough sections in each stage, and bosses are likely to utterly crush you during your first encounters. This is for the most part welcome, but the fun can sometimes tip over into frustration. Checkpoints can sometimes be a bit too far apart, leading to resentment at having to repeat some fairly long parts of stages over and over again, and there are some authentically 8-bit bugbears too – it always sucks to be knocked backwards into an instant death trap, for example. Fortunately, you do at least have infinite lives.

Still, Cyber Shadow manages to keep things interesting, with stages that look and feel quite different to one another – sometimes you’ll be dodging writhing growths as they squirm ever closer, at other times you’ll have to stay on the move in outdoor areas to avoid a laser cannon. So while you may find yourself deciding to take a break and simmer down, it’s pretty likely that you’ll come back for more.

>> Score 85%

»[Switch] Yes, it’s one of those classic elevator sections where you need to dodge around platforms.

»[Switch] Boss encounters aren’t deceptive – if you’re failing, you just need to do what you’re doing, but better.