Cyber Shadow Impressions

There is a tipping point — different for every gamer — where the juice just isn’t worth the squeeze in a game. I reached that point in Yacht Games’ newly released Cyber Shadow a little more than halfway through.

The game demands precise platforming and measured combat, harshly punishing even slight errors. There is so much to like about the game, but after running through the same section 20 30 40 times, I broke. I turned off the game and deleted it from my system.

Up until that point, I was mostly loving Cyber Shadow. It’s essentially a modern homage to Ninja Gaiden in the way that Shovel Knight throws back to Mega Man. The artwork is gorgeous; the soundtrack is entrancing, and the gameplay is simple and rewarding. The boss designs are interesting and varied, and the game is overall an exemplary throwback game in almost every way.

While you start with just the ability to jump and hit things with your sword, you eventually discover moves like wall sliding, parrying, and dashing. The game does a great job of introducing those concepts early on.

Cyber Shadow falls short in two areas. The main area is in its story, which is nonsensical and barely present. I say this with the caveat that I’m only about halfway through, but I honestly have no clue why I’m running through this post-apocalyptic environment smashing robots with a sword. Compare this to two of my favorite retro games — Shovel Knight and Celeste — that both feature excellent stories.

In Celeste, I had to see Madeline’s journey up the mountain all the way through. When the going got tough, I persisted because I wanted her to conquer her demons. And Shovel Knight is exceedingly charming, with a great cast of characters, a clear motivation, and a touching story.

Cyber Shadow has superb gameplay but is just missing some of the charm and magic of its contemporary-retro counterparts.

The other area that falls short for me could, admittedly, be user error. For a game that demands precision, my actions would often elicit different results. When you get a dash maneuver late in the game, the process to make the dash do what I wanted was extremely finicky. Sections became about trial, error, and luck. When I got through a difficult section, I felt relief for more than a sense of accomplishment. Because I felt like I finally got lucky.

Ultimately, those two things are what led to me deleting the game off my Series X prematurely. Cyber Shadow has great core gameplay but just doesn’t do enough to make it worth gritting your teeth through its difficulty and obtuseness.