Mark of the Ninja: Review

There are games that do not strive to hit us in a hitherto unprecedented graphics, a nonlinear plot and falling eiffel towers. Such projects of distant stars from the sky do not have enough and do not revolutionize the industry. Their advertising campaigns are not distinguished by supernatural promises. Many players generally learn about them only at the time of exit.

But the appearance of these projects becomes a pleasant surprise for the gamers tired of high -profile novelties. Not distinguished by technological complexity, they capture the hearts of players with style and simple, but high -quality and thoughtful gameplay.

That Klei Entertainment He knows how to make such games, we have been convinced since the release of the magnificent Arcade Shank. Recently, the developers pleased the owners of the consoles stylistically similar, but conceptually different Mark of the Ninja. The game reached personal computers only on October 16. We will not murmur to fate and curse the consoles – the main thing is that I got.

Stop! Who is coming?

Mark of the Ninja -This is a stealth platformer. That is, we make our black shadow in the body of the ninja and carry out the quiet murders of the guards who were in the wrong place. Only opportunities for playing hide and seek with enemies are not realized in three -dimensional space, as in Thief or Splinter Cell, And in two -dimensional.

However, this circumstance does not at all deteriorate the power of stealth elements of the game. The levels are built thoughtfully and allow various options for passing. The protected area can be circumvented on the roof or through the ventilation shaft. Or try to quietly slip directly past the guards. Various kinds of interior items are scattered according to locations, behind which you can hide from patrolling guards. For example, having folded four times behind the flower, you can wait until the interfering patrol passes by and continue the path in the previously inaccessible direction.

In addition, c Mark of the Ninja Sources of light and sound play a large role. The guards are completely blind in the dark and will not see you even at a distance of a couple of meters in front. Safe movement in levels is provided exclusively by clicks from one dark corner to another. In the best traditions of the genre, some light sources can be extinguished by the most abandonment. True, in this case an unnecessary noise is created, notifying the guards about your presence. All actions of the player have a certain radius of sound. Our ninja can move slowly, but quietly or run headlong, but at the same time putting all the guards on the ears. However, sometimes the passage of the level is facilitated by attracting attention. Having sunk loudly at some door, you can make the sentry with her post from her post, and at that time slip past him.

In general, the passage of missions in stealth mode requires serious planning of all their actions.

Rambo methods

But the developers do not impose inconspicuous passage as the only possible option. It is quite acceptable to move around the game, throwing a glove in the face of each of the opponents. But in this case, they will quickly remind you that you are not a Shank here. Our hero does not have so many weapons. Gadgets like mines or smoke bombs are designed more to simplify the stealth process.

Our clever ninja goes to the forefathers after two automatic bursts, three dog bites or one shot of a sniper. And if at first it is quite realistic to stand in an open honest battle against a couple of guards, then in later stages the complexity of the game increases significantly. Enemies are increasingly starting to walk in whole detachments, covering each other, new types of fighters with armored shells appear.

Opponents have three levels of combat readiness. The guards who are not aware of the presence of the ninja will calmly bypass the routes set for them by the developers. Sensing something was wrong, but do not understand what exactly begin to go beyond their trajectories, turn their heads, studying the ceilings and walls. With full combat readiness, the guards will begin the fingername by the player and raise the alarm. True, not for long. After waiting for twelve seconds in the shadow of the seconds, you can be sure that the enemies returned to their usual measured life.

Ninja mark

But even for such an insignificant period, you should not bring opponents to stress. The game encourages inconspicuous and intact passage. For all the actions of the player, glasses are awarded for which the ninja will get involved in new abilities and devices. For example, you can learn to eliminate enemies from behind the door or kill them with a jump from above. And by acquiring poisonous darts, a ninja will be able to drive people crazy, forcing them to shoot around everything around, including their own colleagues.

The glasses of glasses are transparent: the more imperceptibly the player acts, the more improvements he can buy. So, opponents are allowed to be eliminated in two ways. You can sneak up quietly, giving the enemy an unexpected and ambulance death. If at the right moment he pulled the mouse in the wrong direction, the ninja, like a real executioner, shut the loser to the wrong point, which is why the latter will loudly awaken. The game does not exclude the humane path of passage in the spirit of the recent Dishonored – without murders. Higher aerobatics – reach the final point of the level without killing a single guard and never raising anxiety. Believe me, to achieve the perfect result, you will have to sweat seriously. But the reward will be as possible.

During the passage, you will receive additional tasks like “killing two guards, dropping a chandelier on them” or “get to the target without raising an alarm”. Glasses are also accrued for their implementation. In addition, different artifacts are hidden at the levels, when the cognitive audio recording is included, telling the history and philosophy of the ninja clan.

Sometimes additional locations will be found on the way. Their meaning is to solve the puzzle. The logic is approximately as follows: to get to the end, you need to turn off the laser;To do this, you need to get to the corpse of a guard;And before that you will have to go around another laser. I will not say that these tasks are too difficult, but for some time you will have to spend on their passage.

Klei for the plot

We will arm ourselves with a magnifier and try to find any serious flaws. Fortunately, it is almost impossible to find those in the game. Some aesthetes can complain about the simplicity of graphics. But here there is a stylistic semblance Shank – The same pleasant animation, the same animated videos. The level of bloodiness in games is approximately the same – when the enemy is eliminated, a short video is launched here, demonstrating a cruel reprisal against the victim. Such scenes Klei Entertainment prepared for all occasions: murders from behind, from above, from behind the door or from the ventilation mine.

The only reproach of existence can be made Mark of the Ninja. The story is too straightforward and simple. The ninja clan had serious problems with a very bad person Karazhan, and the main character is instructed to eliminate him. The salt is that, after the victory over the villain, a joyless perspective shines the brave ninja – according to the Code, he must commit suicide

. We will not disclose all the plot cards and we will only say that one day the game will try to set all events in an unexpected light. However, this move is too predictable and banal to name the narrative fascinating and original.

Another question is whether such arcades need in a well -thought -out and deep plot. The priority in their creation is a quality study of levels and the creation of solid logical mysteries for their passage. And with this task Klei Entertainment, As you already guessed, you coped with great.

Mark of the Ninja meets all examination requirements for its genre. Klei Entertainment proved that the ideal ninja is a two -dimensional ninja. Platformers in our time are always a gift for gamers, and stealth platformers are doubly tastier. This is the opportunity to take a break from high technologies, realistic three -dimensional graphics, psychological throwing of the character and other achievements of the gaming industry. The game is acute, stylish and bright, like a ninja weapon. In addition, she teaches us good and humanity. Joke.

Pros: stylish graphics;thoughtful stealth;variability of passage.
Cons: A rustic plot.