Shadow Blade: Reload
- February 11, 2016
- Dead Mage
- 6h median play time
While nothing remarkable, Shadow Blade: Reload does at least do a solid twitch platforming job. When it’s hitting its lightning stride, it’s actually quite fun, but too often it trots along being bland and unimpressive instead.
Get on Steam
Get on Apple Store"Shadow Blade: Reload" is an action-platformer game featuring Kuro, the blade of shadow, in a world where ancient ninja and samurai teachings clash with modern landscape. With over 40 levels and 4 boss fights, players must master fast-paced platforming and vicious ninja combat using katana, shurikens, and kusarigama to restore balance and defeat the rising darkness.
iPad
iPhone
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Phone
Playstation 4
Windows
Linux
Mobile Platform
PlayStation
Tablet
Reviews
- Fast-paced gameplay with smooth and responsive controls, making it enjoyable for speedrunning enthusiasts.
- Visually stunning art style that combines traditional ninja aesthetics with modern design elements.
- Challenging levels with a good variety of enemies and traps, providing a satisfying platforming experience.
- Technical issues such as bugs and codec problems that can disrupt gameplay and prevent cutscenes from playing.
- Combat mechanics can feel simplistic and repetitive, lacking depth compared to other action-platformers.
- Short overall gameplay length, which may leave players wanting more content after completing the main story.
- gameplay61 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Shadow Blade: Reload" is characterized by its fast-paced, fluid mechanics and engaging platforming challenges, making it a fun and enjoyable experience despite some minor animation issues. Players appreciate the tight controls and the variety of gameplay elements, including a double-jump mechanic and a difficulty curve that caters to both casual players and speedrunners. While the game is relatively short, lasting around 3-6 hours, its solid core gameplay and visually appealing design keep players entertained.
“Shadow Blade: Reload is a high-octane action-platformer that delivers thrilling gameplay wrapped in a visually stunning world.”
“The gameplay is really the 'meat' of the game, and the main reason why you would want to play it. It has three difficulty modes, and it is very challenging for the simple fact that you die in one hit, but it is a forgiving game in many aspects.”
“A bright, visually appealing 2D platformer with very solid gameplay and simple but extremely satisfying combat.”
“Yes, about the only issue with this game is its evidently easier gameplay compared to others of its action genre.”
“Didn't like the gameplay, the controls, it could be better.”
“The combat is really the biggest mechanic issue in this game.”
- graphics36 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are widely praised for their stunning art style, which blends traditional ninja and samurai elements with modern aesthetics, resulting in smooth animations and stylish visuals. Players appreciate the comic book-inspired cutscenes and the overall coherence of the visual presentation, although some note that the graphics may feel reminiscent of a mobile port. Despite minor criticisms regarding occasional bugs, the graphics are generally considered solid and enhance the gameplay experience.
“The game's art style is absolutely gorgeous, combining traditional ninja and samurai aesthetics with a modern, sleek landscape.”
“Fluid animations, responsive controls, decently challenging, good level design, stylish graphics that combine cyberpunk with ninja themes, and comic book-inspired cutscenes that add to the atmosphere.”
“Super tight controls, fluid and challenging gameplay ... beautiful graphics and sounds ... just buy it already.”
“The graphics scream mobile port, but the gameplay and controls feel fantastic.”
“For me personally though, the chosen aesthetics seem very generic.”
“Option menu is lacking to say the least, you get some audio options, some graphical options with some of them might help with your fps if you're having issues such as resolution, anti-aliasing, and some other things.”
- story32 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The story in the game is generally considered simplistic and serves primarily as a backdrop for the gameplay, with many players noting its generic nature. It is presented through comic book-style cutscenes, which some found visually appealing, though the narrative itself is often described as bland or unremarkable. While the story may not be the main draw, it wraps up coherently and adds a lighthearted context to the platforming experience.
“The story wraps up nicely while using pretty cool looking comic art styles for the presentation, and at least it's coherent and has an ending that ties everything up.”
“It also has a good amount of content with 7 worlds (around 5-7 stages each) and a simple story told in beautiful comic book-like graphics.”
“Great ninja game, and a good story too.”
“The story is nothing more than an excuse to let you go through the stages.”
“The story is told through a series of comic book style videos that will likely require you to manually install codecs found in the game's directory.”
“The story may be fairly generic, but the gameplay is solid, and I'm sure speedrunners would have a lot of fun speedrunning the levels.”
- music16 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the catchy and thematic soundtrack that enhances the atmosphere, while others find it decent but not particularly memorable. There are moments where the music can become distracting, especially during boss fights, and some users experienced glitches that interrupted the audio. Overall, while the soundtrack is generally well-received, it is noted that it may not stand out significantly in the gaming experience.
“Great ninja-themed sound design and soundtrack.”
“Music is awesome, the soundtrack fits the game perfectly.”
“I did have one glitch where the music stopped playing one level.”
“The game looks good, it has a great atmosphere, and surprisingly for the most part a very soothing soundtrack that at times only really managed to bother me in some boss fights where out of the blue it turns into dubstep.”
“Music only serves as ambient noises but it never gets in the way until it forces you to mute it and put on some other tunes.”
- replayability11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability through multiple difficulty levels, varied level layouts, and a rank system, appealing to both casual players and completionists. Players can revisit levels to improve scores and tackle custom maps, enhancing the overall experience. Future updates, such as leaderboards, are expected to further increase replay value.
“Three difficulties, with sometimes significant changes in the levels' layouts - therefore, great replayability.”
“The rank system, custom maps, and harder modes add a lot of replayability.”
“It's a really fun skill-based platformer with a ton of replayability.”
“There’s even a degree of replayability, as you can always go back and try and beat your best scores on levels you’ve already completed, and if the devs end up adding leaderboards like they are planning to, it will only add to that.”
“Casual unity platformer with various difficulty levels for (a little) replayability.”
“A lot of replay value.”
- stability11 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from numerous technical glitches, including game-breaking issues that can disrupt gameplay and require reinstallation to resolve. While some players find enjoyment despite these bugs, the overall stability is a significant concern, with frequent updates aimed at addressing the problems.
“But, what's worse is the fact that the game is full of game-breaking glitches that ruin the fun for any person playing the game.”
“Long story short: this game does deliver some fun, but you'll be tossing it aside after about an hour or two due to all the glitches.”
“First up, the only downsides so far for me have been a controller issue which resolved itself on uninstalling the game and reinstalling it, and a bug where if I go back into the main menu from a level, the game totally freezes and I have to ctrl+alt+del and end process.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by fluid animations, stylish graphics that blend cyberpunk and ninja themes, and comicbook-inspired cutscenes, creating a visually appealing experience. While the soundtrack is generally soothing, it can become jarring during boss fights. However, some players note that the levels and enemies can feel repetitive, diminishing the overall atmosphere.
“Fluid animations, responsive controls, decently challenging, good level design, stylish graphics that combine cyberpunk with ninja themes, and comic book-inspired cutscenes that add to the atmosphere.”
“The game looks good; it has a great atmosphere, and surprisingly, for the most part, a very soothing soundtrack that at times only really managed to bother me in some boss fights where out of the blue it turns into dubstep.”
“The levels and enemies get pretty repetitive, and there isn't much atmosphere or novelty to each level.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its humorous elements, particularly in its comic-style cutscenes, which enhance the overall fun and enjoyable experience. Players appreciate the blend of engaging gameplay and visually appealing art that contributes to the comedic tone.
“This game was a fun and short experience with nice gameplay and beautiful art in its cutscenes, which felt like a comic. I must say, it was very funny and pretty.”
- character development1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the introduction of player-created boards, which establish a baseline for character development, promoting fair competition and enhancing the overall game mechanics.
“The new player-created boards ensure that everyone starts with a baseline character development, promoting fair competition, which is a great game mechanic implemented by the developers.”
“Character development in this game is incredibly rewarding, allowing players to shape their characters in unique ways that reflect their personal playstyle.”
“I love how the character development system encourages players to explore different builds and strategies, making each playthrough feel fresh and engaging.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the game's optimization is generally well-received, with users appreciating the responsive controls and a comprehensive options menu that allows for customization to enhance performance. Overall, players feel that the optimization contributes positively to the gameplay experience.
“The optimization options in the menu allow for a highly customizable experience, letting players tailor controls to their preferences.”
“I love how the game provides extensive optimization settings, making it easy to enhance performance without sacrificing graphics.”
“The controls are incredibly responsive, and the optimization features ensure a smooth gameplay experience even on lower-end systems.”
Critic Reviews
Shadow Blade Reload PS4 Review
While nothing remarkable, Shadow Blade: Reload does at least do a solid twitch platforming job. When it’s hitting its lightning stride, it’s actually quite fun, but too often it trots along being bland and unimpressive instead.
55%Tedium - Shadow Blade Reload review
Shadow Blade Reload is a fun game, but it's not an interesting game. It has several things going for it, like the striking visuals, quick gameplay, and the level editor. But mostly it falters as the distracting voice acting and low-level difficulty hold the game back enough that it can't be considered all that impressive of a title.
70%Shadow Blade: Reload Review
83%
