Cyber Shadow is from Yacht Club Games, the creators of Shovel Knight!
Going back in time and fully reminiscent of Mega Man style games but without the classic Mega Buster.
From the graphics to the gameplay, and everything in between, it’s like playing a classic SNES game from top to bottom but showcased on modern hardware.
Cyber Shadow TimeStamps
- 0:00 Gaming Ninja Training Montage
- 1:11 Becoming the Cyber Shadow
- 4:20 Chasing the Monkey
- 9:11 Sliding on Walls to the Reactor
- 11:20 Chapter 4 – Breaching the Reactor
- 20:18 Every Games Amazing Commercial Break
- 20:25 Onward to the Boss
- 28:50 Taking on the MEKADRAGON
- 33:10 Is Cyber Shadow Amazing?
Cyber Shadow Article Links
- Cyber Shadow feels like a SNES game lost to time
- Cyber Shadow Wears its Gameplay HeadBand Proudly
- Is Cyber Shadow Amazing?
Cyber Shadow at a Glance
Join me as we dawn our Ninja Headbands, sharpen those Shuriken’s and jump into Cyber Shadow to see if it’s amazing!
Cyber Shadow feels like a SNES game lost to time
The graphics, the music, and everything come together to make a real impression and hit on all the nostalgia fronts.
The music is so good, it sounds like it was ripped right from the SNES and enhanced to be in this era.
Every area has a different tone, every boss has an epic battle song and the sound effects have the perfect amount of compression that just sounds right.
It feels as if this music would have been another game’s soundtrack back in 1990.
Now the thing is I’m not entirely sure if music like this could have been created back then but knowing Yacht Club Games; I guess that it totally could.
At 4:20 I meditated for the first time in the game which I didn’t realize would transport me to a completely new area.
But this is a prime location to talk about just how incredible Cyber Shadow looks with its art style and SNES feel.
Looking at the cherry blossoms falling from the sky to the way every character has a specific look and unique dialog the world feels lived in.
The cutscenes are nothing to gloss over either as they all come in letterbox style like an old samurai movie.
Think of Ghost of Tsushima style of cutscenes and you’ve got a solid comparison.
I was consistently impressed with all the visuals, the enemy designs, and the sheer amount of creativity that is jam-packed in.
Cyber Shadow Wears its Gameplay HeadBand Proudly
The gameplay in Cyber Shadow is very reminiscent of Mega Man-style side scrollers but instead of a Mega Buster, you have a Katana and some Shurikens.
This means that you need to get up close and personal with all the various enemies throughout the game, while also dealing with the many bosses.
One of the coolest aspects is how the enemies come into play to enhance the overall gameplay.
For example at 29:30 when I’m fighting the MEKAGRAGON you have to break flying enemies so you get a foothold to stand on the water and get some attacks in.
Diving a bit more into the overall experience you attack enemies with the Katana and you gather SP to use special attacks.
Special Attacks consist of Shurikens for further enemies and even a way to blast tons of fireballs above you.
As you progress through the game you accomplish feats that give you more moves like at 9:00 when I gain the ability to slide on walls.
You are constantly gaining new feats to get stronger and take down enemies easier, it’s got a fantastic flow that keeps you coming back for more.
Throw in the tools like the shield or blaster and you’ve got a full arsenal.
The thing to take note of is that if you take three hits then you lose it and have to die or retreat to a save point to get another.
There’s also a currency you collect as you take down enemies that you need to spend wisely to get access to them, it’s a nice bit of giving and take.
Is Cyber Shadow Amazing?
Cyber Shadow is amazing, it harkens back to just good old 2D side scroller SNES and NES goodness.
The platforming is tight and compliments the combat to meld the entire game into one fun time.
The upgrades come fast and frequent enough to keep you moving from one section to the next while always feeling rewarding.
Getting all the feats, fighting a bunch of bosses and stellar graphics makes this not one to be missed and I highly recommend giving it a try.
