When we talk about products that try to pay homage to the past in some way, it's never easy to find a right way to evaluate them as a whole. This is because the developers face the so-called pixel art with completely different thoughts and ideologies, trying to propose almost always opposite and even contradictory sensations to the gamer. Cyber Shadow is therefore part of this trend, proposing in 2021 a '8/16 bit aesthetics but still trying to be attractive even to modern users, demanding - sometimes too much - of graphic views that are not at all modest. Mechanical Head Studios has it therefore succeeded in its noble aim, or has it fallen into anonymity and banality as has happened to many others in the past?
A dark past for a robotic present
The story is set in a non-specific future and tells of Shadow, a Ninja who survived the extermination of his clan due to a terrible rebellion by dangerous robots. During that day, our hero is overwhelmed by a huge explosion, only to wake up some time later inside a subspecies of a repairing cryogenic capsule. By now becoming half cyborg and half human (hence the title of the game), Shadow is awakened and accompanied by L-Gion, companion who not only reveals that the lady of the clan she is still alive and kicking somewhere, but that the fault of everything that has happened is due to the treacherous one Doctor Progen. Thus begins an adventure for the solitary ninja with a narrative that is certainly simple but still manages to entertain, also thanks to cutscene in pure late 80s / early 90s style and without script holes. Obviously there is no kind of dubbing, while the availability of several selectable languages, including the Spanish, certainly due to the help offered by Yacht Club Games in the making of the game.
Let's talk immediately about the graphic aspect, which as mentioned is revealed in a particular pixel art, which takes advantage of the aforementioned artistic style in a particular way. Cyber Shadow certainly tries to propose sensations that take you back forty years, but it does so by creating environments so detailed as to fascinate the gamer. In fact, the product does not attempt the simple path of retracing the aesthetics of great classics such as Shinobi, Shadow of the Ninja or the very first Ninja Gaiden, but rather creates his own imagination thanks to light effects, models and animations that are difficult to reproduce in that specific historical period. What is surprising is not only the visual aspect - which does not look bad even in any modern screen - but that everything is mainly developed by Aarne hunziker. The one component of Mechanical Head Studios mainly made this product, with a little help from Yacht Club Games in some elements like the soundtrack or console ports. We have tested the PC edition of the product, and can confirm the superlative optimization: Cyber Shadow lets you play quietly even on not-so-performing hardware. Great news is the complete no bugs or glitches whatsoever, with ninja movement control without any kind of delay either through the keyboard or with a controller.
The perfect Ninja warrior from Cyber Shadow
Cyber Shadow certainly manages to create a lively and fascinating world, but one of its greatest merits still lies in the pure gameplay. The player controls the protagonist within a action platform in two dimensions reminiscent of the classics at times Mega Man in the proposed play structure. Our hero starts with a limited set of skills that, in the course of the adventure, come constantly expanded accomplishing certain goals. The interesting thing is that the developer has self-imposed the limit of using only two action buttons, in addition to those of the movement, but the fact remains that Shadow still manages to perform a varied set of moves, from the classic ninja race to the fireballs. Obviously, the whole thing is not only used to fight enemies along the way, but they are also useful for overcome obstacles or find secrets within the levels. In this regard, Hunziker was able to study every single element present in Shadow's journey down to the millimeter. The enemies on duty are really interesting to analyze, given that not only do we find different types, but that each one has distinct attacks and different methodologies to defeat them. Sure, AI is certainly basic and opponents think primarily of attacking or walking in their range of motion, but this is not the goal of the product anyway. It should also be noted that we find ourselves in a strongly linear title, albeit enriched by secondary backtracking or secret areas, playful ideas that are anything but mandatory. This is mainly to be able to collect some upgrades to life or SPs, in order to facilitate the path that leads to the credits.
Cyber Shadow succeeds in the difficult task of never making fun of the player, since every single death is perceived as a fault derived from a human mistake and not from some programming flaw. The developer was however lenient on this side by failing to enter no screw system and having included several checkpoints in all chapters of the game. This allows time to learn the areas and the attack pattern of each opponent, as well as the moves to be made to move to each individual platform. However, don't expect a simple product, but we're certainly not at the challenging levels that some other such title could create. The checkpoints also offer various advantages such as recovering life and SP, as well as special weapons that are very useful in the various fights. However, in order to activate these effects, you have to spend the right amount of in-game coins. However, to tell the truth, so many are collected that the player is unlikely to run out of use. Another important issue to mention is certainly the playful variety offered by the work. The developer, in fact, has not decided to focus exclusively on 2D levels in which you start from a point A to reach a point B, but from time to time varied tasks are required how to infiltrate computers to "hack" the system, compete with spiritual monkeys or even ride a fast and devastating motorcycle. in conclusion, the game proves so full of ideas that it seems to burst, yet it is so well researched and amalgamated that even the most skeptical user is surprised.
The battle for the fate of the clan
We cannot fail to mention the epics boss battle of Cyber Shadow, which prove to be numerous and all different from each other. Inspired by the simple icons of life from the original Mega Man saga, these battles challenge the player's abilities from time to time in an intelligent way and never unfair. The particular thing is that you do not feel the sense of repetitiveness as in other products of this kind, which tend to repeat the same boss many times, adding in many cases only very few variations. The work in question does not disappoint even in the sound sector, thanks to the tracks composed by Enrique Martin e Jake Kaufman which prove to be of an excellent quality level. All those presented manage to stay well impressed in the minds of the players, as well as being well contextualized in the events narrated, demonstrating once again how the musician in question is able to work magically within the limits offered by 8-bit compositions.
Interestingly, the work of Mechanical Head Studios has one enviable longevity, attributable not only to a main story of good duration, but also thanks to the numerous objectives. These are directly linked to the trophies of the platform you play on, and offer different ways to experience the game in an always different way. We conclude by pointing out that the Nintendo Switch edition is compatible with all Amiibo from the Shovel Knight series, who create fairies able to help during the adventure. This functionality is not present in the other editions of the product, and for this reason it was not possible to analyze it in depth. In any case, it is a quietly secondary feature and that does not detract from the other editions of Cyber Shadow.
