We were rather taken by Cyber Shadow when it launched earlier this week. Bringing us an 8-bit ninja action platformer, the story focused on Shadow, last survivor of an ancient order of ninjas. Having awoken to a bizarre technological world, Shadow seeks to take down the threat which destroyed both his clan and the world.
Bringing a rather standard premise, we thought the story held more depth than expected, but as it turns out, the finished game's content barely scratched the surface.
Speaking to Goomba Stomp in a recent podcast, Yacht Club Games' marketing manager Celia Schilling revealed only 25% of the lore was actually used, confirming:
“What you guys get in Cyber Shadow currently is only 25% of the story that Aarne [Hunziker] had written for it. Aarne has so much backstory for Cyber Shadow. I remember we were working on the character profiles for it and I was like, ‘Okay Aarne, tell me more about [player character] Shadow, like what does he like to do for fun?’ And he was like, ‘Shadow, obviously, he has a sensitivity to essence. But before he went to the dojo where he met Master, he went on a journey of solitude to make sure he wasn’t being corrupted.’”
We gave Cyber Shadow high praise in our recent review, but our main complaint was that there just wasn't enough of it. Knowing this much lore went unused, it's possible Aarne Hunziker could look to explore this further later on.
Whether that comes as a sequel or DLC, time will tell, but we'd certainly love to see more of Cyber Shadow that makes use of this untouched lore.
Did you pick up Cyber Shadow? Would you be interested in a sequel? Share your thoughts down below.
[source gonintendo.com, via goombastomp.com]
Comments 12
I would definitely be down with the kind of approach Shovel Knight had for its additional content; free updates for everyone who have already bought the game, and increase the base price of the game as more and more content becomes available. It encourages early adopter mentality and makes you feel like you've made the right choice buying the game early instead of waiting for a sale.
25% only? Wow. Wonder what it will be at 80% then.
@Dazzle The only limit in 2D graphics is the planes of movement, artisticly speaking you can go all out, but yeah the obsession with 'retro' graphics limits desigsn, if you take the pixel art of Slain and Valfaris then you will see that artisticly speaking there is no limit.
I absolutely loved every minute of the gme and beat it in pretty much one sitting! It absolutely lived up to the hype and I'd be down for more of the same!
This is the best action platformer of all time, and I've played them all.
3D is very hard to get right. Platformers, and bullet hell games are still trying to figure it out.
I bet most of these people that complain about 2D or ‘flash games’ are really complaining the games are too hard.
Add another dimension like Returnal? Just make fun of the art and move on, because deep inside you know you don’t have what it takes. 🤷♂️
@nerdface When you consider how many centuries passed between 2D carvings on Egyptian stelae and the development of Renaissance perspective and lighting, it is not so perplexing or embarrassing to see that video games on 2D screens haven't perfected 3D for all genres.
I am currently enjoying Scramble, from the Konami Arcade Collection. A 1981 release that makes me worry about movement in just 2 axes, but with an intensity that few current games match. There is so much innovation yet possible, even without looking to the past! (And yeah, many complainers are simply not élite.)
Just downloaded this game on gamepass. It is a very faithful recreation of past ninja gaiden games. Love it. Can't wait for more.
@COVIDberry I fully agree. Creating 3D assets and rendering them in a pleasing way is only a small part of the problem.
How do you create a 3D spacial awareness, give your protagonist ways to maneuver, and perform different actions in that 3D space? Movements that make sense to the player, and are intuitive. How do you make the player totally comfortable, traversing all axis with ease? This where Nintendo first party stops. At comfort.
NOW you can ramp up the difficulty, and really challenge the player...WITHIN that fun space you’ve created. None of the game’s difficulty should be putting up with poor design.
Creating a fun 2D game is challenging enough, and the possibilities endless. I certainly am not going to pretend that as a player, I’ve mastered even 2D games...these titles are HARD!
I haven’t even seen the real boss for Dead Cells yet. 🥺
It's a good game. No Shovel Knight though.
Tough as nails, and reminds me of Ninja Gaiden
I hope this thing takes off and becomes a series! With Ryu Hayabusa and Joe Musashi seemingly on Hiatus for who knows how long the world needs a Ninja to fill the void. Cyber shadow will do nicely!
We need more games like this out in the ecosystem.
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