ID@Xbox Spotlight: Ninja your Way to Greatness in Shadow Blade: Reload

Although it made its debut on tablet, Shadow Blade: Reload has always been based on a console-style gameplay that is perfectly suited to the Xbox One controller. In this game, you slip on the mask of Kuro, the lone survivor of a ninja clan that was dishonorably annihilated by its rivals. It’s up to Kuro to not only exact revenge on the ninjas who destroyed his masters, but also to safeguard the ancient relics that protect the world.

To do so, you have to guide Kuro through multiple stages based on a variety of different aesthetic themes. Traditional Japanese dojos are here, sure – but so are vast cityscapes and seedy back alleys. Everything is drawn in a beautiful, manga-esque style, and indeed, Shadow Blade: Reload features interstitial, comic-book-style cut-scenes that tell its story.

The Xbox One version goes far beyond the original mobile release’s content: More levels are present in Reload, and each level has three difficulty options: Normal, Hardcore, and Master Class, all of which present different challenges for your reflexes, hand-eye coordination, and timing. This isn’t just about harder enemies; each mode changes level layouts and presents specific challenges. It’s close to triple the content.

Regardless of what difficulty you’re playing at, the core of Shadow Blade: Reload is a combination of speed and brutality. You need to get through levels quickly, collecting as much loot as you can, and scoring as many points as possible by laying the smack down on enemies using a variety of special attacks. These are simple to execute with the Xbox One controller… but the trick is in timing them correctly, and chaining your moves from wall jumps to attacks to dodges to counters, and so on. Make no mistake: Though this game was originally designed for touchscreens, it will test even the quickest of thumbs.

Shadow Blade: Reload is structured around short romps: play a few levels, get your score, and then try to improve on it with better combos, a sharper eye for collections, or a faster traversal time. At the end of the day, you’re your own toughest enemy. Of course, it helps that the colorful graphics will transport you to a ninja-fied world to compete in, and the techno soundtrack will keep your head bopping as you blaze through the levels.

Sharpen your blade, iron your black pajamas, and shine your shurikens, because Shadow Blade: Reload is coming soon to Xbox One via ID@Xbox!