![]() Other types of Japanese swords include: tsurugi or ken, which is a double-edged sword ōdachi, tachi, which are older styles of a very long single-edged sword wakizashi, a medium-sized sword and tantō, which is an even smaller knife-sized sword. Western historians have said that Japanese katana were among the finest cutting weapons in world military history, for their intended use. In modern times the most commonly known type of Japanese sword is the Shinogi-Zukuri katana, which is a single-edged and usually curved longsword traditionally worn by samurai from the 15th century onwards. Complete aikuchi style koshirae (mountings) and bare blade. Shadow Blade: Reload is an eminently playable and ultimately forgettable platform / combat title that’s good for four or five hours of solid entertainment.Tantō with signature ( Mei) of Shintōgo Kunimitsu. These are simply bite-sized versions of levels with one particular obstacle featured. There are two higher difficulty settings that add obstacles and enemies, but it still feels the same, and I’m thinking most will have had their fill by the time they finish the game the first time. It’s more of a game that can trip you up with a tough section as opposed to something that demands sustained excellence. Still, while I easily compiled 200-plus deaths before finishing, I wouldn’t call it a hard game. It’s a harsh system, but since it represents the only reason to replay levels it makes sense to make it tough to earn top marks.Īs noted, Shadow Blade is a blend of platforming and combat, and it can challenge your skills. On the other side of the ledger, dying comes with a penalty. You can earn bonuses for finishing under the target time (nearly impossible on your initial run), collecting all the orbs and finding the hidden symbols. ![]() There are also three hidden Kanji symbols on each non-boss level to find.Īt the end of the level your points are tallied and a letter grade is assigned. With the exception of a few boss encounters, the game’s 43 levels have identical goals: make it to an end point as fast and efficiently as you can while collecting as many orbs as possible. From there we get some well-written prose, a couple twists and turns and even a reasonably elaborate back story that explains what’s at stake and how it came to be that way.Īlthough the plot is respectable, it doesn’t shape the gameplay in any way. Your guild is attacked by a rival clan, and prior to being captured Kuro’s master instructs him to protect a valuable relic. To its credit, Shadow Blade: Reload has way more plot than I anticipated. Sounds effects are fine and the notes that play when you pick up orbs is a nice (albeit familiar) touch. ![]() There’s some generic Japanese-sounding music that plays in the background, and it’s so unobtrusive I’m finding it difficult to remember if/when it varied during gameplay. Shadow Blade could’ve also scored some points by allowing you to “look around” using the right stick, but instead it’ll spring traps and place enemies just off screen for cheap deaths. The levels feature tons of reused elements and obstacles, and enemy variety and design are both passable at best. Beyond that, though, the game is visually pretty weak. The comic book panels that serve to tell the story are surprisingly effective, too. Well, Kuro is a ninja, so that’s a good start. There are times where hitting targets that aren’t at a natural jump height can be dicey, but those are usually traps so missing only costs you time. You have an unlimited supply but can only throw up to three at once, and they replenish on a cooldown timer so you can’t overuse them. In addition to his sword, Kuro can also toss shurikens. The only problem comes when facing ranged foes as the killing animation leaves you vulnerable to projectiles. There’s a very effective work around, though, in that jumping above your enemies and attacking that way is almost always successful. ![]() Sometimes it’s crisp, but more often than not it feels a little sluggish.Ĭombat is smartly relegated to the back burner as it’s rudimentary in its execution and frequently seems arbitrary as to the success or failure of your attack. It’s not always as tight as it should be, however, particularly when springing off opposite to walls to move quickly up a narrow space. While my initial thought when seeing footage was that it was attempting to lightly tread the same ground as Klei’s excellent Mark of the Ninja, Shadow Blade: Reload is much more of a platformer with occasional combat than a stealth title.Īs you’d expect there’s a gracefulness to movement here as Kuro springs through the air with double jumps and dashes, turning impossible jumps into mere child’s play along the way. Already ported from PC to mobile devices, Shadow Blade: Reload has made its way to the PlayStation 4 to test gamers’ reflexes and ninja abilities.
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