Shadow Blade: Reload

It’s an enjoyable game which doesn’t really have any flaws. And given it's in Early Access, it will probably gain missing features over the coming weeks.

80%Game Brain Score

gameplay, graphics

stability, optimization

86% User Score Based on 192 reviews

Critic Score 69%Based on 7 reviews

Platforms

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About

Shadow Blade: Reload is a single player platformer game. It was developed by Dead Mage and was released on February 11, 2016. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

"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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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86%

Audience ScoreBased on 192 reviews

gameplay34 positive mentions

stability11 negative mentions

Fast-paced gameplay that makes you feel like a ninja, with fluid controls and enjoyable mechanics.
Visually appealing with a unique art style and comic book-inspired cutscenes that enhance the experience.
Offers a good amount of replayability with multiple difficulty levels and a level editor for user-generated content.

Technical issues such as missing cutscenes due to codec requirements and occasional bugs that disrupt gameplay.
Combat can feel simplistic and repetitive, lacking depth compared to other platformers in the genre.
Some levels may be frustratingly designed, with poorly placed checkpoints and off-screen enemies leading to cheap deaths.

gameplay
62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
40%
5%
The gameplay of "Shadow Blade: Reload" is characterized by its fast-paced, fluid mechanics and engaging platforming challenges, making it a thrilling experience for players. While the core gameplay is solid and enjoyable, some users noted a lack of variety in enemy design and occasional technical issues. Overall, the game offers a satisfying blend of action and precision, appealing to both casual players and speedrunners alike.
- “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. The game has three difficulty modes and is very challenging, but it is forgiving in many aspects.”
- “A bright, visually appealing 2D platformer with very solid gameplay and simple but extremely satisfying combat.”
- “Didn't like the gameplay; the controls could be better.”
- “The combat is really the biggest mechanic issue in this game.”
- “Yes, about the only issue with this game is its evidently easier gameplay compared to others of its action genre.”
graphics
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
47%
8%
The game's graphics are widely praised for their stunning art style, which blends traditional ninja and samurai elements with modern aesthetics, resulting in fluid animations and stylish visuals. Many reviewers highlight the comic book-inspired cutscenes and overall visual coherence, although some note that the graphics may feel reminiscent of a mobile port. Despite minor criticisms regarding technical issues, 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.”
story
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
58%
9%
The story in the game is generally considered simple and somewhat generic, serving primarily as a backdrop for the gameplay rather than a focal point. While some players appreciate the comic book-style presentation and find it visually appealing, others feel the narrative lacks depth and coherence, often opting to skip through it. Overall, the story is seen as adequate but not essential, with many players prioritizing the gameplay experience over the narrative.
- “Plus, the story is greater than I expected.”
- “Comic story-lines 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.”
- “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.”
- “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 main story is fairly short, but each difficulty level changes the layout of the levels.”
music
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
37%
19%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its catchy and thematic elements, while others find it merely decent or occasionally disruptive, particularly during boss fights. Overall, the soundtrack is described as fitting the game's atmosphere, with a few standout melodic tunes, but it lacks the memorability to be considered exceptional. Despite some glitches and moments where the music fades into the background, it generally enhances the gaming experience without being overly intrusive.
- “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.”
- “The music is catchy, but nothing to write home about.”
replayability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
42%
25%
The game offers significant replayability through multiple difficulty levels, varied level layouts, and additional challenges such as custom maps and time trials. Players can enjoy returning to levels to improve their scores, and the potential addition of leaderboards is expected to enhance this aspect further. Overall, it caters well to completionists and those seeking a fun, skill-based experience.
- “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.”
- “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.”
stability
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
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.
- “There are also a few technical glitches, at one point forcing me to install the game again to proceed.”
- “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.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its comic book-style cut scenes, which are both visually appealing and genuinely funny, adding a lighthearted touch to the overall experience.
- “The cutscenes, which resembled a comic book, were both hilarious and visually stunning.”
- “The humor in the dialogue had me laughing out loud; it’s clever and perfectly timed.”
- “The quirky characters and their witty banter added a delightful layer of comedy to the gameplay.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
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 atmospheric impact.
- “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.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
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 tailored performance settings. However, some players have noted occasional performance hiccups that could benefit from further refinement. Overall, 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 appreciate how the game runs smoothly even on lower-end hardware, thanks to its excellent optimization.”
- “The ability to adjust graphics settings for better performance without sacrificing too much visual quality is a game-changer.”
- “The optimization in this game is severely lacking, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering during gameplay.”
- “I found the option menu to be confusing and poorly organized, making it difficult to adjust settings for better performance.”
- “Despite having a high-end PC, the game struggles to run smoothly, indicating that the optimization is not up to par.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious, with distracting voice acting and a lack of significant difficulty increase contributing to the overall experience.
- “The grinding can be tedious at times, with not much of a difficulty increase.”
- “The voice acting is distracting, which makes the grinding feel even more monotonous.”
- “Overall, the game can feel repetitive and grindy, leading to a lack of engagement.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the introduction of player-created boards, which establish a baseline for character development, promoting fair competition and enhancing the overall game mechanics.
- “With these new player-created boards, everyone should start at a baseline for character development, allowing for fair competition. This is a nice game mechanic that the developers programmed in.”

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69%Critics’ scoreBased on 7 critic reviews

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6h Median play time

6h Average play time

6-6h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Shadow Blade: Reload is a platformer game.

Shadow Blade: Reload is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac OS, Phone and others.

On average players spend around 6 hours playing Shadow Blade: Reload.

Shadow Blade: Reload was released on February 11, 2016.

Shadow Blade: Reload was developed by Dead Mage.

Shadow Blade: Reload has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its stability.

Shadow Blade: Reload is a single player game.

Similar games include TEMBO THE BADASS ELEPHANT, They Bleed Pixels, Master Spy, Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams, Stealth Inc 2: A Game of Clones and others.

Shadow Blade: Reload

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