Mark of the Ninja's brilliant approach to stealth hits all of the right notes throughout, whether you're silently slaying guards from the shadows and stashing them in crevices, evading laser tripwires with a well-placed smoke bomb, or using darts to lure enemies into their own traps.
One of the best games I've played recently. Great atmosphere and controls, nice scenario so far, and improvements are really good for the game's longevity. This makes me reconsider playing Shanks which I bought during a promo but never really played.
Mark of the Ninja is a superb take on what a stealth game should be in 2D, offering some lessons to the veterans of the genre. Its visuals and animations reinforce the idea of being a ninja, creating an unmatched spectacle of lights and shadows, while its gameplay offers a growing sense of freedom that rewards imaginative and experimental players. A great triumph for Klei and their best game by far.
Mark of the Ninja is a very recommended choice on Xbox Live Arcade –it's one of those games that wouldn't exist without digital distribution. Level and artistic design are definitely worth mentioning. If you're ok with its price (1.200 MSP), we're sure you'll enjoy being a ninja.
Klei's Saturday morning cartoon style visuals intersect smoothly with your ninja's slinky animation and flowing moves, and the range of visual effects (position-betraying lightning strikes, a blurred fog of war-style filter on activity beyond your sight line) folds neatly back into the game's light-and-shadow based stealth systems. The result is a slick and striking game, one with presentation worthy of the potent and flexible set of powers at its core.
This game is great. The stealth is tense, but it moves quickly. Pulling of a difficult kill or knockout is gratifying, and the checkpoints are close enough together to allow you to be creative in your approach without risking losing a ton of progress. When it was over, I wanted more.
Let's get to the point right away. The most important thing Mark of the Ninja gets right, is that stealth is actually FUN in this game. Not unfair, not frustrating. Just fun.
Using your equipment in creative ways, and successfully executing your plans to take out multiple enemies has rarely been this satisfying. And it has to be, of course, since you're basically helpless against enemy firepower. This is not an beat em' up, by any means.
Controls are tight, game mechanics are easy to adopt, and the feeling of "one more time!" is almost always there if you happen to screw up (and you will). Checkpoints are plentiful enough too, which also makes testing all kinds of approaches much more enjoyable. The game also makes a good job of telling you what you did right or wrong, visual indicators are easy to understand, and they become your best friend in Mark of the Ninja.
Speaking of the visuals; this game is absolutely b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l to look at. It has a distinct personality of its own. Cut scenes reminded me a bit of Samurai Jack. The music is also good, creating atmosphere and excitement when it needs to.
Tl;dr: this is a game that every stealth-loving Xbox-gamer should definitely own.
Mark of the NInja does 3 things :
1. Defines what a sneak side scroller should be
2. Defines what a ninja game should be
3. Defines what an ANIMATED side scroller should be
1 To start, if you're not a fan of sneak, hide in the shadows games, than you're better off ignoring this game all together rather than giving it a bad review because it doesn't suit your "tastes". Simple as that. However, if you love or favor sneak games, you will love this game. I've never played a more fluid, fun, well rounded hide-in-the-shadows side scroller in... well ever. The people at Klei Entertainment have perfected this somewhat obscure genre. Stealth kills? Yep. Sneak past guards and hide in the shadows? (Like a true ninja) Absolutely. Utilize various tools and gadgets to gain tactical advantage? Yes. Everything you'd except from a 10 out of 10 game.
2. Getting onto the ninja aspect of the game, I would dare to wager that this experience exceeds that of any ninja based side scroller, ever. And even the majority of 3D ninja games. Why? It, again, perfects everything that a ninja game should be. Stealth kills, dodging guards, traps, pitfalls, hiding in the shadows... it has it all. I've never felt more like a bad ass ninja than in this game. The fluidity of the gameplay is unparalleled, and seamlessly ties together action, stealth, and skill. The controls are easy to pick up, due to it's relatively easy button scheme and helpful on screen tips and indicators. The most fun I had was being able to unlock costumes and upgrade your arsenal, which enhances the gameplay incredibly. The levels are well thought out and built for maximum re-playability. Going for achievements is fun, and trying to complete every objective is a well rewarded goal. One con I have about this game is the story is not outstanding, although still decent. It had some welcome twist and turns, but the overall story is just not that memorable.
3. Lastly, the animation is gorgeous. It's smooth, fluid, and paints the whole game together in a beautiful art style that sadly is not used very often. The cut scenes are a welcome animated experience, and some scenes use some pretty obscure artistic styles that pop to the eye, and give the game a more artistic feel (mainly the end of the game). More games need this kind of animated style. The sound effects and music are utilized well, and create a ninja game you can really immerse yourself into.
Seriously, there's a lot to love about this game, especially if ninjas or sneak based games are up your alley. And if not, give this game a try anyway and you might just become a convert. This is side scrolling gameplay and animation at it's best.
• Mark of the Ninja is a 2D side-scrolling stealth game where you play a ninja grappling from lamp posts and hiding behind plant pots in an effort to either avoid people completely of sneak up behind them for a silent kill.
• Early on the game presents some wonderful anime style cut scenes but does not deliver on their potential, being reduced to tiny bites as the game progresses.
• An interesting art style that combines with some well thought out user interface effects to convey exactly when you are hidden or visible and generally what will reveal your position to the enemy.
• While I struggle to find much wrong with the game mechanically, the entire package just feels un-exciting.
I think this is a pretty dull game. Mainly because I found it really hard to try beating this game, and I'm not talking about difficulty. It was fun for the first few levels, but after that it was quite repetitive. Crawl into a vent, kill some guard, repeat. This games really doesn't have much of a plot either, so nothing else could really redeem it. It isn't really something that you need to play or that you should really want to play.
SummaryMark of the Ninja is a side-scrolling stealth action game from Klei Entertainment that combines fluid 2D animation with intense stealth gameplay.