![mark of the ninja outfits mark of the ninja outfits](https://thumbnail.imgbin.com/21/24/11/imgbin-mark-of-the-ninja-video-game-fan-art-ninja-g9iFWwejJhHj1Uy5Dtpkmuw3j_t.jpg)
The fact that it’s 2D and you can see ahead of you helps strengthen this, especially in outdoor areas where you can keep a close eye on patrolling guards (though you can often see a representation of the noises that enemies out of sight make too). You can sneak through, you can kill enemies, or you can blend them both together – there’s no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to play the game, but instead plenty of different approaches that all work. One of Mark of the Ninja’s biggest strengths is the fact that it offers a thrilling stealth adventure that genuinely allows you to approach it exactly how you please. Whatever approach you choose to take, it always makes for a lot of fun – it’s actually adds replayability to the experience, with my initial ‘kill everyone I can’ run through the game feeling much different than my pacifist one. Don’t forget to hide the bodies though, otherwise a fresh trail of blood will alert your enemies to your presence. Alternatively, you can kill everyone you see, with the hero proving to be quite efficient with a blade – if you react quick enough you can pull off a clean kill that doesn’t alert anyone, though if you don’t hit the kill buttons in time it can often be a bit nosier. Now it’s possible to evade most enemies in Mark of the Ninja, with plenty of hiding spots and areas to sneak through if you don’t particularly want to spill blood. That’s one area in which the player gets extra freedom, though: the killing of enemies. The gear you have does a good job of making you feel like a ninja though and shows you don’t just have to use your sword to survive in the game. I’ll leave most of them a surprise, but just be warned: some have heartbeat monitors, so killing them will alert every other guard around you… Oh, it’s worth mentioning that your foes are kitted out with useful tools too. They’ll also be used to solve basic environmental puzzles too, though Mark of the Ninja doesn’t really put too many tricky enigmas in the player’s path with a focus placed on the action (or, more fittingly, the avoidance of it).
![mark of the ninja outfits mark of the ninja outfits](https://i.pinimg.com/236x/66/60/ef/6660efa3eecc187c6b5608e030f66d01--the-ninja-ninjas.jpg)
Need to get somewhere quick? You’ve also got your grappling hook that can be easily swung to nearby areas with a quick button press to get out of sight.īesides the grappling hook, you’ve got other tools at your disposal too such as darts and smoke bombs – both of which are useful at not only taking out enemies, but also manipulating the environment to help you go unnoticed. Thankfully, you can sneak around freely, climb walls, dangle across ceilings and hide in the shadows as a means to avoid enemies, so you can certainly take the silent approach whilst heading across levels. Every action you make in the game has a sound that is clearly conveyed, and if the enemies notice it they’ll hunt you down. It also causes their mind to slowly deteriorate, which is something the hero suffers from as he sees a battle to protect his clan turn into something much more sinister.Īs mentioned, Mark of the Ninja has a strong focus on stealthily taking out your foes, so don’t expect to be like Ninja Gaiden’s Ryu Hayabusa and storming areas whilst slicing and dicing everyone in sight. The game sees you taking on the role of a ninja who has received the titular ‘mark of the ninja’ – a power which grants the bearer impressive powers. It received wide-spread praise when it originally launched back in 2012, but now it’s back and challenging gamers to sneak through levels and kill a ton of enemies without being seen in true old-school stealth action. That last point is the basis of Mark of the Ninja: Remastered – the 2D stealth adventure from developer Klei that has recently released on the Nintendo Switch in a remastered form. Plus, they’re sneaky as heck, so they’ve often killed their foe before they’ve even realised they’re there. I mean, besides the fact that EVERYONE wants to be a ninja (don’t try to deny it), they also just so happen to have the coolest weapons, the coolest tools, and even the coolest outfits.
![mark of the ninja outfits mark of the ninja outfits](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/markoftheninja/images/6/6a/Costume_path_of_the_hunter.png)
Out of all the stereotypical video game protagonists out there, I think ninjas are my favourite.