As an homage to games like Ninja Gaiden, it’s a challenging throwback with some platforming and traversal mechanics to keep it original. As a metroidvania, it’s bog-standard.
Once the game starts as a Ninja Gaiden-esque 2D sidescroller, it rarely lets up the fun. It throws all its best material at you: gliding, grappling hooks, a kickass chiptune soundtrack, and constant forward momentum. However, that momentum comes crashing to a halt afterwards.
When the game switches genres from 2D action sidescroller to metroidvania, you’re crammed with so much backtracking and aimlessly running from time warp to time warp that you start choking. Most of the game’s backtracking stems from the time travel mechanic. If there’s a way you’re supposed to be going and there’s a wall blocking the pathway, you’re in the wrong timeline. But instead of just switching timelines on the fly, you have to run back to a gate or hole in time to jump timelines and THEN you can proceed. This is just padding.
Bosses range from alright to annoying. A lot of them force you to wait for an opening to attack them instead of bosses from games like Mega Man or Shovel Knight that are almost always open to hit.
I 100%-ed the game and the reward is an honestly inferior item to its counterpart. It felt like the developers wanted to make two different kinds of games and Frankenstein them together rather than carefully blending the two genres. I would’ve preferred they stick with one or the other, particularly the Ninja Gaiden gameplay.
Once the game starts as a Ninja Gaiden-esque 2D sidescroller, it rarely lets up the fun. It throws all its best material at you: gliding, grappling hooks, a kickass chiptune soundtrack, and constant forward momentum. However, that momentum comes crashing to a halt afterwards.
When the game switches genres from 2D action sidescroller to metroidvania, you’re crammed with so much backtracking and aimlessly running from time warp to time warp that you start choking. Most of the game’s backtracking stems from the time travel mechanic. If there’s a way you’re supposed to be going and there’s a wall blocking the pathway, you’re in the wrong timeline. But instead of just switching timelines on the fly, you have to run back to a gate or hole in time to jump timelines and THEN you can proceed. This is just padding.
Bosses range from alright to annoying. A lot of them force you to wait for an opening to attack them instead of bosses from games like Mega Man or Shovel Knight that are almost always open to hit.
I 100%-ed the game and the reward is an honestly inferior item to its counterpart. It felt like the developers wanted to make two different kinds of games and Frankenstein them together rather than carefully blending the two genres. I would’ve preferred they stick with one or the other, particularly the Ninja Gaiden gameplay.