Shadow of the Ninja Reborn is a beautiful, hardcore action game from developer Tengo Project. It’s the fourth installment in Tengo’s 16-bit-flavored remake series, and arguably the most ambitious as well. Previous Tengo Project releases like Pocky and Rocky Reshrined and The Ninja Warriors Once Again were based on games that already existed in 16-bit format, making the transition easier to imagine, but this new game is based on an 8-bit NES game. As a result, everything had to be completely reimagined from the ground up. From gameplay to graphics to audio, this is a pixel art action masterpiece that you simply must experience if you love classic games.
To refresh your memory, the Tengo Project is a group of three creators who previously worked on classic Natsume games dating back to the 90s. Beginning with 2016’s Wild Guns Reloaded, the team has continued to create new versions of titles they worked on decades ago. The result is some of the best pixel art to ever grace a screen. Tengo’s latest releases answer the question: what would games look like if designers had continued to focus on 2D pixel art instead of polygons?
In Shadow of the Ninja Reborn, the developers take their art a step further. With previous releases, you could directly follow the visual lineage from the Super NES all the way to the new Tengo Project releases. However, the new game is a remake of a 1990 NES ninja action game. Essentially, this is the first time where the designer had to create an original art style from scratch rather than simply expanding on previous work. Rather than adding detail to existing art, the entire visual design was changed, bringing it more in line with other recent Tengo titles.
The NES original took advantage of black space to create deep shadows on a system with a very limited color palette, a technique employed by many big-name developers late in the system’s life, creating a sense of depth through careful use of color and shadow. The new game, by contrast, aims for a level more in keeping with late-’90s pixel art, the likes of which we might have seen in classic Capcom and SNK titles. The game breaks free from the grid-like structure of 8-bit illustrations and presents scenes that function more as a single, cohesive piece.
The level designs are also changed, and the placement of challenges and enemies is more nuanced and varied. I'd say the new level designs are inspired by the original game more than an actual remake. This extends to the boss battles, which are extended and feature additional phases. This first boss, for example, has very few attack patterns in the original game and can be dispatched quickly. However, the remake doesn't just increase the boss's size, it expands its arsenal.
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The second phase takes things up a notch – the opening segment follows the original game closely, and just like the original, a whole new set of enemies are introduced that require new strategies. The opening section leads to a showdown with this metal worm before reaching a vertical pit. This is where we start to see some unique mechanics come into play – there’s a new type of jump that’s triggered by tapping jump and down while in the air, and this gap is there to force you to learn it, which can cause frustration if you don’t realise that move is available. Detail has been increased across the board, spanning both sprites and animation. There are plenty of animation frames used for every character, including the burly bosses.
As you can imagine, the changes go beyond just the visuals. The gameplay has been altered as well. I think this is where players may struggle at first, but I suggest sticking with the game as there is a learning curve to the controls in this game. When you first pick up the controller, your first reaction may be that there is a delay in the jumping mechanics, but over time it becomes clear that this is all part of the design focused on engagement with actions. This is all intentional, in a way similar to the initially awkward jumping in classic Castlevania games. It's all about timing your moves and committing to the outcomes – learning to anticipate and go with the flow.
What I found was that with each new level, the initial attempt felt overwhelmingly difficult; however, after trying it a few times, you suddenly get into the groove and manage to speed through it. It’s challenging, but it’s not unfair, and that’s the key. The fourth level is an interesting example of this: it’s a completely new stage that’s not in the NES original, and it’s exceptionally difficult. I’ve seen negative reactions to this stage, and I felt that way myself at first, but, once you get the hang of it, you’ll realize that it can be beaten without taking any damage. That feels amazing and satisfying. In comparison, I think the original game is somewhat unpolished compared to Natsume’s later works, such as Shatterhand. Enemies often lunge at the player and behave erratically, and your range is very limited.
As you can imagine, due to the nature of the game, there are plenty of versions available to choose from. The good news is that unlike Pocky and Rocky, which had a couple of minor slowdowns on Switch, Shadow of the Ninja runs flawlessly across all machines. I tested it on Switch, Xbox, PS5, and PC and didn’t encounter a single hiccup or issue at any point. Like Tengo’s previous games, this is an example of what possibly went into Unity when creating this style of game. It feels authentic in a way that pixel art titles created with Unity don’t often do, and that makes all the difference.
As for the gameplay, I could shower it with compliments, but there are some criticisms as well. In the original 8-bit game, there were only a small number of weapons, and they changed depending on power-ups. With this remake, however, you always have access to your sword and chain gun, but you can also collect and use many different sub-weapons. I think it’s a pretty clever idea that can create moments for additional strategy, but there’s one big problem: the inventory menu. You have to hold R1 and scroll left and right. It’s pretty neat, but healing items are also buried, making them tricky to access mid-game. Perhaps this is intentional, as it ties into the “plan ahead” mentality of the design, but, still, I found it frustrating at times.
The number of moves available has also been expanded – there are longer jumps and wall runs, but also speed runs. At first, these moves seemed somewhat pointless, but as I got more accustomed to the game, I found ways to incorporate them into my gameplay. Ultimately, the key here is that you can’t rush – this game will punish you for playing carelessly, which is as it should be. Overall, Shadow of the Ninja Reborn is another triumph from Tengo Project. As with their previous games, it’s a challenging game with a learning curve, but I think it’s worth getting used to, as what’s here is simply a blast to play.