Cyber Shadow Reviews
Cyber Shadow is one of those rare retro-inspired titles that does not pale in comparison to its references or feel like a cheap knock off. Pretty much everything about Cyber Shadow is on point and executed flawlessly. From the visuals, to the sound, to the precise and responsive gameplay. The game gets the difficulty balance right the majority of the time. It’s tough enough to be challenging but rarely hard enough to be considered unfair. The addition of well-placed checkpoints and infinite lives definitely make the challenge more palatable than its ancestors. It is a really solid action platformer and a really good game that deserves some play.
If you consider yourself a fan of retro action platformers, you owe it to yourself to pick up Cyber Shadow whenever possible. It's clear in virtually every facet of Cyber Shadow's design that this project was a labour of love and that its designer is intimately familiar with what makes the stalwarts of this beloved genre so great. Well-built levels, authentic presentation, tight controls and a high difficulty all combine to make this a supreme and focused experience, and one that we can easily say is well worth your time. Mechanical Head Studios has set a high bar with its inaugural debut, and we can't wait to see more from this developer.
An outstanding action-platformer that's inspired by the classics but not beholden to them.
Cyber Shadow by Mechanical Head Games is an 8-Bit masterpiece entangled in a beautiful, dystopian world of ninjas action and deadly automatons.
In a sea of 8-bit throwbacks and NES homages, Cyber Shadow truly stands out among the crowd. Mechanical Head Studios and Yacht Club Games have delivered an experience that combines the graphics and gameplay of the era with the benefit of modern elements. The result is an experience that's difficult where it needs to be, but never unfairly so. For fans of action-platformers, old-school enthusiasts, or players just looking to get lost in some gorgeous 8-bit visuals, Cyber Shadow is a must-play game.
Cyber Shadow's excellent gameplay, level design, variety, and music make it a great modernization of the classic Ninja Gaiden formula.
This is a finely made game, to be sure, and is fun to play and control. It’s just that until the end it’s a lot of what I’ve played before. It may not be reinventing the wheel, but Cyber Shadow still makes a damn fine one. If you want a definitive example of 8-bit action, look no further.
Cyber Shadow brings the nostalgia in bunches.
Cyber Shadow will be remembered for quite some time and only adds to Yacht Club Games' growing library of retro-inspired indie games.
Cyber Shadow is a truly wonderful game. It's brutal, uncompromising, and insanely enjoyable to a degree that I don't often see. Between its lovingly crafted visuals, pitch-perfect gameplay, and maddeningly difficult, yet expertly designed levels, it's a must-play for anyone who enjoys side-scrolling action games.
Cyber Shadow is just a tremendous joy to experience as a Shadow of the Ninja addict, but has a lot of merit that makes the game far exceed the inspirations that birthed it. The beautiful lack of lives, training the player to better themselves and master the game’s mechanics without causing pointless frustrations, the godlike music, containing a soundtrack you absolutely must buy the moment it becomes available, and the fun powerups, offering enough to make Shadow feel like a true evolving warrior.
Cyber Shadow thrills with its fast-paced and accurate action in a modern adventure inspired by classics. It's quite fun to control a cyber ninja through stages full of diverse situations that require mastery of his various abilities, on a journey full of surprises. The challenge is frequent and there is not much room for error, but the generous presence of checkpoints mitigates the frustration of being defeated. Even so, it is important to be prepared to face irritating peaks of difficulty. The retro atmosphere captivates with the elaborate 8-bit pixel art visual style, the music that mixes chiptune and real instruments and the well-built world. In the end, Cyber Shadow is an exceptional action game.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Cyber Shadow is a beautiful, lovingly-crafted gut-punch of an experience. Get ready to throw some controllers.
In the end, the positives are strong enough to make Cyber Shadow a fun adventure for indie platformers fans, NES Ninja Gaiden fans, or even gamers who just like tons of challenging boss fights.
Cyber Shadow is definitely a genuine old-school experience which mostly works in its favour although it can be a frustrating test of patience at times. No matter which way you slice it, if you enjoy old-school 2D action games, playing Cyber Shadow is a must.
Cyber Shadow is a beautifully crafted retro action experience complete with formidable enemies and crushing precision platforming. Abilities like the bullet deflect and dash strike provides the classic ninja experience without overloading on reused mechanics. On top of that, the length and replayability options give players a healthy serving of content tosing more time into refining their skills.
Most fall short of this lofty goal, but every so often a game like Cyber Shadow manages to capture that special feeling of 8-bit gaming so perfectly. Made by a single developer, Aarne Hunziker, and with the help of a publisher who also managed to capture the NES magic in a bottle in Yacht Club Games, Cyber Shadow is just as enjoyable as any of the legendary titles in two-button gaming.