Recent reviews by Jiggeh

Excellent ninja action game which brings to mind many classics of the genre like Ninja Spirit, Shinobi, Kage no Densetsu and others. The atmosphere and presentation is absolutely top notch with stylish visuals and a fantastic soundtrack. The game controls very smoothly and has an overall nice difficulty curve, making it fun and engaging from beginning to end.

+ Great variety in boss fights, every encounter is interesting and memorable
+ Combat feels very satisfying, the weapons are all fun to use
+ Tight pacing, none of the stages or boss fights drag on or overstay their welcome
+ No spongey enemies that take forever to kill, the game always moves at a brisk pace
+ Excellent atmosphere and music

Overall I loved the game, but a few nitpicks/wishes for future updates:

-Scoring system and high score table are a bit confusing so getting a high score on a level or playthrough doesn't feel very rewarding
-No level select, high score tables for individual levels, score/time attack modes or other post-game content to encourage mastery of the game after completing it
-No higher difficulty levels or tricky achievements for those who'd want an extra challenge
-Some weapons feel significantly more powerful or easy to use than others
-A few odd spikes and dips in difficulty


I would love to see some additions to the game to make it more rewarding to keep grinding out better times and scores, and/or some kind of additional challenges, but as it stands it's still a great deal of fun. Easily recommended to fans of 2D action platformers!

Excellent side-scrolling action in the tradition of late 80's arcade games from companies like Sega and Data East! Shadow Gangs does a great job of replicating the look, feel and challenge of the games of that era, and with a wonderful presentation to boot.

The visuals speak for themselves, but I was happy to discover that the game plays just as good as it looks; controls are tight and the combat feels really satisfying. Level designs and enemy types show an impressive amount of variety, with each of the game's levels set in a different locale, with completely unique art assets. Aside from visual variety, the level layouts themselves are more varied than I expected too! Some levels are far more vertical than others, some focus on perilous platforming, and others feature foreground/background switching similar to some of the Shinobi games.

The enemy design is quite well done too, each enemy type has a distinct and predictable pattern, and none of them are usually much of a threat on their own - but if you allow them to gang up on you things get very hairy very quickly. The variety in level layouts and enemy attack patterns makes each level and even each enemy encounter a unique challenge, so the game never gets repetitive despite its simple mechanics. In other words: the game puts forth a simple set of mechanics, and through different level and enemy permutations it tests your skill and understanding of those mechanics - just like a good arcade game should.

The pacing and length of the game feels just right, with each level (and boss fight) requiring a decent amount of trial and error to figure out, but once you do it feels really satisfying to blaze through them quickly! I've completed the game on the lowest difficulty setting (which the game wisely advises you to start with), and now I'm enjoying the challenge of trying to make my way through it on the higher difficulties.

The game is quite approachable as far as diffiulty goes - people who aren't used to 80's arcade games will likely consider it very tough! But the easy difficulty setting provides a nice degree of leniency with some extra HP and lives, and with the Mission Select allowing you to start a new game from later levels, getting to the end is significantly easier than in most of the games that inspired this one. A 1-credit clear on the highest difficulty is a very serious challenge though, so there's definitely something here for seasoned arcade pros as well.

I do have a few minor issues with the game, probably the biggest of which is the somewhat finicky behaviour of the camera. It's totally fine most of the time, but in some spots the camera is scripted to move up or down, which can obscure enemy attacks and lead to some unusually cheap deaths. The ability to manually scroll the camera up or down would be a very welcome addition! I was also annoyed a few times when the game let me advance through the level after having missed a few of the mandatory hostages, even getting checkpoints - forcing me to awkwardly backtrack. I don't mind having to rescue the hostages to clear the levels, but with a few of the more open levels it can be needlessly easy to miss places you have to go. Finally, some of the difficulty tuning also seems a little off, with some early bosses seeming more difficult than the later ones.

All in all though, the few complaints I have with the game are very minor, and I had a ton of fun with it from start to finish! As a long time arcade game enthusiast it's awesome to see new games come out that embrace this style of game design, especially when done this well. If you're a fan of Shinobi, Shadow Dancer, Rolling Thunder, or any games of their ilk, I would definitely recommend checking out Shadow Gangs.

Awesome game!

Thy Sword is a fairly simple and straightforward arcade-style action platformer that's really well-made everywhere it counts - the controls are really tight, the combat feels snappy and satisfying, and the level of challenge feels just right. The game keeps introducing new elements and challenges at a steady pace in a way that makes sure the game never gets boring, and it keeps the difficulty curve just right throughout; just as you get comfortable with the combat, new areas will introduce new enemy types requiring different tactics, as well as new hazards and more demanding boss fights.

The combat mechanics are simple but responsive, and since enemies have clearly defined and predictable behaviours you never feel like you get punked by random bad luck, any failure is your own fault as a player - which is crucial in making a game like this feeling fun and challenging, as opposed to just frustrating.

I've seen people express disappointment at the game's size and length - I can absolutely understand that feeling if you come to the game expecting a roguelike action platformer in the vein of Spelunky or Rogue Legacy. I think of the game more like an old-school single-screen arcade action game - along the lines of the original Donkey Kong or Bubble Bobble - but with some very light RPG elements. In that light, I think the game's length, hidden secrets and difficulty feel just right.

While the game offers an easier difficulty with infinite lives that lets you sort of coast through the campaign, I think it's obvious that the one-credit, single life mode is the true way the game should be played. I've personally only managed to beat the game on the medium difficulty where you start with 3 credits (and can earn more) - but even that is a great, fun challenge to start with, and definitely required a good number of attempts to finish. Reaching the level of skill to consistently one-credit clear the game most likely will take many hours of practice, but to me that is the true heart of the game - reaching the end and beating the final boss for the first time is really just the beginning.

As a fan of arcade action games, I'm really loving Thy Sword and would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys these types of game. Buy it already!