Features like fluid animations and multilayered backgrounds give this game a very modern feel.
The retro-style visuals are great but match well with modern presentation elements. I love the way this game looks, and honestly, it’s led to me watching a lot of videos of people playing the game. As you look closer, the details and attention put into creating unique sprites is quite remarkable. The 8-bit style graphics of the game are the first eye-catcher. Now, let’s talk about the gameplay and visuals. Speaking of, playing this game is just as great as hearing about MekaSkull’s success story. Of course, we’re happy to see this story turn out so well, given the quality of the game. MekaSkull even notes the game’s influence on him before he began work on Cyber Shadow. The latter’s work on Shovel Knight launched a resurgence of titles like these. All credit and kudos to MekaSkull, and of course, to the publisher Yacht Club Games. While these elements might not be directly related to me writing this Cyber Shadow review, I think the story is too great to omit. As he began to fall in love with the process, the game turned into a much larger undertaking. He began the program in 2014 and initially intended the game to be a six-level experience.
In a great interview with Sony, MekaSkull explains that he started his work on the game with a “training” program for people interested in game development. It’s surprisingly great, both as a narrative and a world.Īll credit goes to Aarne “MekaSkull” Hunziker, the one-man developer who brings us Cyber Shadow. The journey forward is one of mystery and systems of power well beyond your first instinct. As a cybernetic ninja, Shadow has abilities that prove to be quite effective against the synths. Shadow, the last member of his clan, is set on figuring out what happened. His army of synthetic protectors guards the run-down Mekacity, which exists as a ruin of rubble. On second thought, it fell apart, and now an evil figure named Dr. In Cyber Shadow, the world is falling apart. Inside the Surprisingly Captivating World and Story of Cyber Shadow Here’s our Cyber Shadow review of this new release that we’re calling the first indie gem of 2021. The game, published by Shovel Knight team Yacht Club Games, is a love letter to some of our favorite action-platformers. That said, Mechanical Head Studios accomplishes this delicate balance with Cyber Shadow. In short, I find it rare that a developer nails both the visuals and gameplay of this genre of game. You also can’t simply reciprocate the gameplay elements we know and love from the era. It’s not enough to rely on 8-bit graphics to curb excitement from a certain audience of gamers. Overall, these games need to accomplish the best of the past and the demands of the future. These games that depict titles of the 80s and 90s aren’t just nostalgia trips. There’s an element of retro-style games that goes unnoticed by the larger gaming community.