Shadow of the Ninja Reborn Review: A Revived NES Gem for a New Gen!

[@IDreamofIndie]

Note: I am aware I kinda messed up on the name pronounciations. My apologies it has been a long week 😢 will do better next time!

[@mljh11]

Tip: input the name in Google Translate and tap on the local pronounciation to hear how it's supposed to sound in the original language. I work with international colleagues / clients and this works most of the time!

[@IDreamofIndie]

@@mljh11 unfortunately I had put the name as ending with an A by accident in my script which I used throughout the reading. This obviously fudged up the translation. Stupid error on my end sorry about that again!

[@mljh11]

@@IDreamofIndie No problem :)

[@gjergjaurelius9798]

Fuck em! My favorite character in street fighter is Rye you, another good ninja game on nes is legend of CAGE!😂

[@greermcgreer8596]

Between this and the new castlevania collection, I am eating good this holiday weekend

[@mylastright]

Definitely

[@chirris3527]

castlevania a shitstain emulated ports buddy

[@michaelschneider1365]

Yeah old school games are fun. I never played this ninja game though but anything castlevania is cool. I wish it was modern like streets of rage 4 but oh well it’s still cool to get.

[@chirris3527]

@@michaelschneider1365 i would rather prefer streets of rage remake over 4 remake its what sega should have done 4 was ok but was not the same as the remake who is a perfect recreation of the classic streets of rage with new features

[@malcolmar]

Me too!

[@jonasking9587]

I've been anticipating this. Most anything with robot ninjas is most definitely for me. Cyber Shadow is also excellent!

[@IDreamofIndie]

Love that game, also tough!

[@MrSoftypolimer]

Looks more like 32 bit era 2D side scroller action for me. Lots of them got overlooked due to 3D hype at the time.

[@modology]

can't wait for Shattered Hand Reborn !! Natsume and Tengo project are absolutely killing it!

[@IDreamofIndie]

Agreed!

[@TheVgrey]

That would be a godsend add guardian legend

[@reinaldassulskis3663]

But please less cartoony style for shatterhand

[@mrmugen53]

"She seems to jump as if weights are anchoring her down." - Yes, and you can see both of those large weights on the title screen 😂

[@IDreamofIndie]

Ha I guess I was setting you up for that one!

[@ophidianmind333]

This looks like something I would enjoy and it also has a physical release at launch, so I might be picking this up soon.

[@RaymondoPerson]

I can't whine too hard about your item-switching system complaints since EVERYONE is doing that & saying it ruins the game, but it's 100% intentional & the levels & boss battles are clearly designed around it. You start to realize just how important it is to the core design the more you play & the better you get. It's all about routing out the levels & strategizing, so most of the switching is meant to be done during non-combat pauses (or scripted pauses during the autoscroll segments) - changing weapons or healing during combat is meant to be an extremely high-commitment risk-vs-reward thing. It's also part of the speedrunning challenge to minimize that stuff as much as you can.

[@soapyillusions7]

100% agree, I can see why they did it. The worst feeling for me though is picking up a crappy shuriken item and it throws my onigiri off the cliff. I learned to put whatever I don’t care about on the end of the item bar, or just avoid all the crappy weapons now that I know where they are.

[@CerealKiller]

Used to play this alot back in the 90s, both solo and in co-op with my cousin, hidden NES gem imo!

[@xDragonInstallx]

Faster walk speed does help in precise dodging so Kaeda has that. Also the reason you fall when hanging from a ledge sometimes is because you're pressing jump and up instead of just up.

[@IDreamofIndie]

Yup, that definitely takes a little getting used to!

[@CozyCoffeeLofi]

Loved the art direction of the remake ❤🎮

[@MaxwellsUnearthly]

I love this team of developers and have bought and now played all four of their games ( I believe 4). I hope they continue to make titles like this (please buy their games and support them) because they are extremely talented and know how to bring back the favorites with just the right amount of magic!!

[@orakaa]

I remember renting this game on the NES.... but the difference between the original levels (completely barren) and the ones in this new version (with TONS of details) and the overall difference of style between the two is so stark that I can't even recognize the game. *I am not complaining about it though, it looks great and I really enjoyed the demo. Will definitely buy it.*

[@IDreamofIndie]

I feel the same they did an unbelievable job updating the visuals!

[@BonitoJoe111]

I like how even without reading any bios of the two lead characters, you can already tell their personalities based on their attire and mannerisms. Hayate is the serious, traditional one, seeing as he wears typical unaltered ninja wear. He's straight-laced, stoic, and cautious but still brave and handles business. Meanwhile Kaede is more fun-loving, easygoing, and spirited, hence why she's usually smiling and wears a pink leotard and tennis shoes. It's not very ninja-like, but it's practical and comfortable for her. Even their movements reflect this, Hayate is slower and more precise because he's more methodical. And Kaede is faster because she's energetic, but not as good at jumping maybe because she's more reckless (or "thicc" as people pointed out.) Either way, they are kind of like human ninja versions of Atlas and Peabody from Portal 2.

[@longlivethesheet4561]

Natsume’s knocking it out of the park with their remasters lately

[@IDreamofIndie]

For sure!

[@chirris3527]

better than the shitty emulated cash grab ports from konami and capcom

[@jonf5975]

excellent review as always guys! this looks rad, i‘m still working my way through some similar retro indies like gravity circuit and vengeful guardian moonrider but i‘m downloading the demo as we speak 👍 also the original is on NSO for comparison which is cool

[@IDreamofIndie]

Thanks for watching :)

[@UNSTABLE111]

I want Tengo Networks to revive mischief makers...Also this remake is incredible, alot more technical than I thought it was gonna be..and multiplayer is a blast

[@IDreamofIndie]

Glad you like it!

[@Qwarky]

Tengo Project are now 4 for 4 with bangers. I loved Pocky & Rocky Reshrined so much and this one is tough but excellent.

[@IDreamofIndie]

Awesome!!

[@Mac_Omegaly]

I grabbed the demo to check out this weekend... Then you reviewed the game. Lol.

[@IDreamofIndie]

Awesome!

[@ShadowCthulhu]

This looks like a great remake just waiting for my copy to ship.

[@IDreamofIndie]

Awesome!

[@ShadowCthulhu]

@@IDreamofIndie did you know they were making a sequel for this back on Gameboy it got cancelled. However the cancelled game ended up being reused to make Ninja Gaiden Shadow.

[@IDreamofIndie]

@@ShadowCthulhu I did not that's some awesome trivia!

[@montzerattejones3823]

It would be awesome to see shatterhand get the same treatment

[@ninjabiohazard5]

its crazy to think that NatsumeAtari brought back three gems and they both are just as good as their original released titles. Wild Guns REloaded, The Ninja Savoirs ROTW, and now Shadow of the ninja reborn. I wonder what's next from them. Maybe a remake of lufia.

[@JopieHaargel]

Don't forget Pocky and Rocky Reshrined

[@firstnamelastname9725]

Them actually putting in a full effort to remaster this game made me but it. Never played it before and it was worth it, much better than I anticipated.

[@IDreamofIndie]

So glad you liked it!

[@HeroC14]

Those aren't weights weighing her down 😏

[@mithundias]

Back when I was 9, we had this video game outlet where you can play for 5 minutes by paying 10 cents. We just couldn't afford to play the whole game. Now we can emulate and even buy digitally. Time just flew by and I bought this game yesterday. It's a lot different from Kage AKA Shadow of the Ninja. I will definitely go back and play 3 Eyes Boy / Kick Master / Karnov / Batman.

[@SignOfTheTimes008]

I think the rental market mostly only effected the 16-bit+ generation.

[@MotherKojiro]

I was always a huge fan of this one on the NES - I will even blasphemously admit that I like it much more than Shatterhand - so it's good to see this one turn out so well! Pretty wild to even see it get a remake, really, since there were only one and a half games in the series, depending how you count Ninja Gaiden Shadow on the Game Boy.

[@IOSALive]

I Dream of Indie Games, This made me laugh so hard, thanks for sharing!

[@IDreamofIndie]

You are very welcome!

[@unchartedrocks1]

5:00 "she seems to jump as if weights are anchoring her down." Hm. I wonder why that is 🤔🤣😏

[@kylejohnson5386]

This was one of my favorite games on NES! Might even still have it somewhere? Lol! Nice review! 👏🏾

[@IDreamofIndie]

Amazing if you still have a copy!

[@kylejohnson5386]

@@IDreamofIndie Not for nothing, but I think it's in a closet at mother dearest's place. 😂

[@Damackism]

Thanks for the review!

[@IDreamofIndie]

My pleasure!

[@Look-at-the-ghost]

I was looking forward to this and iron meat….. I’ll probably have to wait a few years for a physical

[@IDreamofIndie]

I believe both games have/will have physical offerings!

[@pufnbal1744]

Which is better? Handheld mode or console? Pro controller? Been finding it's even harder with Joy con drift.

[@rafresendenrafresenden.1644]

10/10 masterpiece!!!!!

[@IDreamofIndie]

Glad you like it ☺️

[@lightelos]

i love the game , is perfect.

[@IDreamofIndie]

Awesome!

[@zevzero]

I had no interest in buying this game till I played the demo. The game is very addicting.

[@IDreamofIndie]

It really is!

[@richardmeerman6698]

Addictive too?

[@superpowerman4354]

Nice review man. Wait, what’s that silver lamp on your total ranking system?

[@IDreamofIndie]

Thank you! 🙏

[@superpowerman4354]

@@IDreamofIndie Hi, what’s your ranking system out of ? What’s a sliver lamp?

[@IDreamofIndie]

@@superpowerman4354 it means the game is great! Just one below our best ranking which is essential!

[@dragunov8007]

I really appreciate the main character's revamped death animation....instead of the pathetic face down ass up animation he explodes

[@michaelockerby]

You guys must be so busy with all these reviews coming through. How do you stave off "gaming burnout" with so many to work through? I feel a bit overwhelmed with the amount of backlog I have but keep being tempted by new releases when they seem to land so well and want to support the developers who have clearly poured time, love and effort into their products. Keep up the great work ❤

[@IDreamofIndie]

We have a great staff and support system around us to help keep going 🙏

[@Hyowatta]

I played this on the NES with my sister and my cousins. We used the invincibility code so we could play through the entire game together without getting the game over screen and having to start over all the time. Does Reborn have the invincibility code?

[@IDreamofIndie]

That's a good question I honestly did not try that!

[@andrew_stamps]

Yeah I was hoping the voices were toggleable 😑

[@atomicskull6405]

Kaede is pronounced "kay-ay-day"

[@IDreamofIndie]

Thank you pronunciation person!

[@moseslalmuanpuia8988]

My one big gripe is that they made the bosses oversized and they look ridiculous especially the hawk guy. He doesn't throw high kicks anymore and it looks ridiculous.

[@IDreamofIndie]

Fair enough!

[@Mohamedelattar24]

Dude i feel the game is easy u have a tons of extra weapons i feel it will be so easy on normal ? Is it a challenging on hard mode ?

[@easyegg9760]

Try the demo assuming it’s still available. You can test both normal and hard. I’m not great at these games so normal was fine for me. On hard, the main thing I noticed is that certain enemies are more difficult, so I would assumed the bosses are as well

[@Mohamedelattar24]

@easyegg9760 the demo didn't come yet to the ps But bro u find normal is fine wont u find it so easy with weapons?

[@easyegg9760]

@@Mohamedelattar24 they run out pretty quickly. After a level you can add a bunch to begin the next level, but you don’t have to utilize the system

[@IDreamofIndie]

No it's tough!

[@soapyillusions7]

The difficulty ramps after the first couple levels IMO

[@jeffreypeters5578]

Realistic playing as a woman this time

[@sophieedel6324]

This game is getting some awful user reviews. The difficulty seems to frustrate a lot of players.

[@IDreamofIndie]

It is tough for sure but it's based on an NES game so I would think that would be expected!

[@moseslalmuanpuia8988]

Wow. I found it a walk in the park compared to the original.

[@NeoKurow]

I think it was decent but the original game is better. They went to hard on levels 4 to 6 and the characters differences are bad.

[@clownboy853]

3rd view

[@IDreamofIndie]

Congrats!

[@septimus4762]

the art is trash

[@Fourhoursleep]

look at how they massacred my boy. The original was one of my favorite games.

[@greenheart5334]

Same

[@BrazenScull]

Massacred? I’m not sure we’re looking at the same game.

[@chrisbee1984]

@@BrazenScull we aren't - this doesn't look like the original and the character sprites are absolutely bizarre in their dimensions.

[@hairy_cornflake]

Massacred? No way, this looks gorgeous! Buuuuut it's a drastic change in art-style for sure.

[@BrazenScull]

@@chrisbee1984 It’s not trying to look like the original, and the pixel art is beyond amazing. We absolutely are looking at the same game, but I do get the impression you perhaps wanted it to be something it’s not. I mean, everyone has their own tastes but… I don’t see the point in remaking in the NES style when NatsumeAtari has already made a name for itself with these stylised rereleases. I certainly wouldn’t call this a massacre.

[@andyauthor2007]

I won't buy anything by Natsume ever again after they "bent the knee" and censored Pocky and Rocky Reshrined (I didn't buy that game either). I don't give my money to woke companies.

[@IDreamofIndie]

We thank you for sharing your thoughts!

[@chirris3527]

natsume is just pissing in konami and capcom shitty emulated ports collections with their revamped classics

[@IDreamofIndie]

Thanks for the comment!

[@P90XBowler]

Ok this is cool and all, but now I want a Ninja Gaiden remake!! Favourite game of all time! 🥷

[@IDreamofIndie]

Great game!