If someone asked me to make a game myself, I wouldn’t even know where to start. Even if I were an expert on coding and programming, it would still seem like a daunting task to me. However, Aarne “MekaSkull” Hunziker is much braver than me in this regard and has developed a very difficult indie platformer, Cyber Shadow. The publication was commissioned by Yacht Club Games, who are responsible for Shovel Knight. I spent a couple of hours in the game and while it has a lot of potential there are some aspects that let me down a bit.
The story of Cyber Shadow is about the ninja Shadow who, after a long sleep, finds himself in the future and has a new cybernetic body. After Shadow is freed by his robot companion L-Gion, he discovers that the evil Dr. Progen sent his army of synthetic soldiers to Mekacity, capturing members of the Shadow clan. As a renewed cyber shadow you have to cross Mekacity to free your clan members, Dr. Stop Progen and uncover the haunting secrets that await you on your journey.
Cyber Shadow is a 2D platform game. You have to advance through the levels, defeat enemies and collect various items along the way. But it is not easy. You could say it’s a title Hardcoreas reflected in the design of levels, in a way that makes perfection almost necessary to be able to overcome it. There are several control points in each level that you can use to save your progress. However, there are few and there is a great gap between them. So to die means to take a good walk through an area that you have already passed.
The same goes for combat and basic movement mechanics. Cyber Shadow has a combat and movement system that is easy to understand but difficult to master. By that I mean that the game is based on some basic mechanics, but it is necessary to think about every move and have the ability to be effective and bring the character to their maximum potential. In addition, if you think you are going to play Cyber Shadow and smoke like in Shovel Knight, you will be very disappointed. You are likely to die … a lot.
I have to say that the fight, which is usually based on eliminating enemies with a katana blow or with throws of shuriken and kunais, is complicated, although the bosses are strangely a little less. The difficulty in this game is caused by the large number of deadly objects appearing on the screen at the same time and normally Bosses You are facing only one enemy. Instead, they have much more health than normal enemies and require a lot of hits. In addition, they perform new and deadly moves, although they are much less stressful to face than the platforms of some levels.
In terms of character development, there are several different things that you unlock as you play. Most of these you get when you defeat the boss of each level and free the clan members. The improvements can range from a new weapon like the Kunai mentioned above, or a new ability like double jump or the ability to slide on walls, to an extension of life to increase your resistance and get more hits or skill points from being able to to use the skills more often. To get them you have to progress through the story and as soon as the game becomes more interesting every time we unlock one of them, the first parts where Shadow has barely any skills can choke us a little.
Without a doubt, one of Cyber Shadow’s strong points is its graphics. The choice of 8-bit style not only offers a compelling futuristic dystopia, but it also fills this world with color and charisma. As with Shovel Knight, Cyber Shadow is a title that stands out for its visual realm and soundtrack that perfectly captures the chaotic world in which the game takes place. Aside from the more classic graphics, you really notice that it was designed for classic Super Nintendo games like Super Metroid, which it pays great tribute to.
Although it has a fantastic sound and art direction, it’s not a perfect game. You can see that it has maintained the highest standards during the development phase, but when it comes to gameplay there are certain aspects that make me want something more. I have no problem with difficult platformer, but the incredible precision of movement and combat in general can be frustrating at times. That said, if you’re looking for a 2D arcade game with no grace and stunning retro graphics, Cyber Shadow might be the perfect game for you.
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