Shadow Blade: Reload

70%
Game Brain Score Based on 88 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • story
Shadow Blade: Reload Game Cover
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.
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"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
  • Play​station 4
  • Windows
  • Linux
  • Mobile Platform
  • Play​Station
  • Tablet
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

70%
Audience ScoreBased on 88 reviews
gameplay15 positive mentions
stability7 negative mentions
  • The game features fast-paced, fluid movement and enjoyable gameplay, making it a fun experience for fans of ninja-themed platformers.
  • The art style and comic book cutscenes are visually appealing, adding a unique charm to the game.
  • It offers a good amount of replayability with multiple difficulty levels and a level editor for user-generated content.
  • The game suffers from various bugs and glitches, including issues with animations and gameplay mechanics that can disrupt the experience.
  • The combat system is overly simplistic, often reducing encounters to basic strategies that can become repetitive.
  • There are technical issues, such as the need for specific codecs to view cutscenes, which can detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.
  • gameplay26 mentions

    The gameplay of this game is characterized by fast-paced, fluid mechanics and tight controls, making it an enjoyable experience for players, especially in the ninja platforming genre. While some users noted minor animation issues and a lack of variety in actions, the overall mechanics and level design, including a level editor and multiple difficulty modes, provide ample replay value and challenge. Despite its short length and generic story, the engaging gameplay and beautiful graphics make it a recommended title for fans of the genre.

    • “Fast-paced, fluid movement, fun levels and mechanics.”
    • “The gameplay is really the 'meat' of the game, and the main reason as to why you would want to play it. The game 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 a lot of different aspects.”
    • “Super tight controls, fluid and challenging gameplay ... beautiful graphics and sounds ... just buy it already.”
    • “Didn't like the gameplay; the controls could be better.”
    • “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.”
    • “Although this game has some issues in animations and gameplay, they don't damage your experience because they are not very significant and you can easily ignore them.”
  • graphics20 mentions

    The graphics in the game are generally praised for their quality, featuring a well-executed art style that complements the gameplay and story. Many reviewers highlight the smooth animations and striking visuals, noting that they enhance the overall experience. However, some players have encountered bugs that detract from the visual enjoyment, such as invisible walls and collision issues.

    • “Simple ninja-gaiden-like game with great graphics and animations.”
    • “Great graphics and animations!”
    • “Super tight controls, fluid and challenging gameplay ... beautiful graphics and sounds ... just buy it already.”
    • “Too many lazy developers use blur technology for low-bit graphics these days to hide their unwillingness to invest in acceptable graphics.”
    • “Graphics and effects are pretty spot-on so far, if a little on the small side of things.”
    • “In fact, Shadow Blade's graphics are quite solid overall for the most part.”
  • story17 mentions

    The story in the game is generally viewed as simplistic and serves primarily as a backdrop for gameplay, with some players finding it generic or merely an excuse to progress through levels. While the comic-style storytelling is appreciated for its execution and fits the game's theme, the overall narrative is considered short and lacking depth, with no voiceovers during cutscenes. Despite these critiques, the engaging gameplay and visual style help maintain player interest.

    • “Plus, the story is greater than I expected.”
    • “Comic storylines are present in the beginning or endings of certain levels, which were done quite well for the short story a speed-running game was attempting to tell, and the art style fit the overall theme and didn't feel outdated.”
    • “Great ninja game, and a good story too.”
    • “The story is nothing more than an excuse to let you go through the stages.”
    • “The main story is fairly short, but each difficulty level changes the layout of the levels.”
    • “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.”
  • music8 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it catchy and fitting the game's atmosphere, while others feel it lacks depth and variety. Notably, the soundtrack includes a few enjoyable melodic and upbeat tunes, but some players experienced glitches where the music stopped entirely. Overall, while the music enhances the experience for many, it doesn't stand out as exceptional.

    • “The soundtrack is pretty good, too.”
    • “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.”
    • “The music is catchy, but nothing to write home about.”
  • stability7 mentions

    The game's stability is significantly hampered by numerous glitches, including game-breaking issues that detract from the overall experience. While some players find moments of enjoyment, many report that these bugs lead to frustration and ultimately cause them to abandon the game after a short period. Additionally, there are specific issues like freezing when returning to the main menu, which further complicate gameplay.

    • “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.”
  • replayability6 mentions

    The game offers significant replayability, with players enjoying the fun and challenge of revisiting levels, especially at higher difficulties. Its skill-based platforming, combined with a lengthy campaign and additional challenges, ensures that there is plenty of content to keep players engaged. Overall, it is praised for its high replay value and enjoyable gameplay experience.

    • “Pure fun and lots of replayability in the levels.”
    • “Tight 2D ninja platforming gameplay, masterfully accomplished audio, and tons of replay value with a lengthy campaign and a list of extra challenges.”
    • “Also plenty of replay value if so desired, at higher difficulties.”
    • “It's a really fun skill-based platformer with a ton of replayability.”
    • “A lot of replay value.”
  • humor1 mentions

    Players appreciate the game's humor, noting that its comic-style cutscenes add a fun and visually appealing element to the experience. Overall, the humor contributes positively to the game's enjoyable and brief gameplay.

    • “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

    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 abilities and traits, making each playthrough feel fresh and engaging.”
  • atmosphere1 mentions

    The game is praised for its visually appealing atmosphere and a generally soothing soundtrack, although some players found the sudden shift to dubstep during boss fights jarring.

    • “The game looks great and has a fantastic atmosphere, complemented by a soothing soundtrack that enhances the experience, although it can become jarring during some boss fights when it unexpectedly shifts to dubstep.”
  • grinding1 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious, with distracting voice acting and a lack of significant difficulty progression, which can detract from the overall experience.

    • “The grinding can be tedious at times, making the experience feel more like a chore than fun.”
    • “The voice acting is distracting, and the lack of a significant difficulty increase makes the grinding feel pointless.”
    • “Overall, the game suffers from repetitive grinding that detracts from the enjoyment.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

69% average critic score

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