Regardless of what difficulty you’re playing at, the core of Shadow Blade: Reload is a combination of speed and brutality. This isn’t just about harder enemies each mode changes level layouts and presents specific challenges. The Xbox One version goes far beyond the original mobile release’s content: More levels are present in Reload, and each level has three difficulty options: Normal, Hardcore, and Master Class, all of which present different challenges for your reflexes, hand-eye coordination, and timing. Everything is drawn in a beautiful, manga-esque style, and indeed, Shadow Blade: Reload features interstitial, comic-book-style cut-scenes that tell its story. Traditional Japanese dojos are here, sure – but so are vast cityscapes and seedy back alleys. To do so, you have to guide Kuro through multiple stages based on a variety of different aesthetic themes. It’s up to Kuro to not only exact revenge on the ninjas who destroyed his masters, but also to safeguard the ancient relics that protect the world. In this game, you slip on the mask of Kuro, the lone survivor of a ninja clan that was dishonorably annihilated by its rivals. Although it made its debut on tablet, Shadow Blade: Reload has always been based on a console-style gameplay that is perfectly suited to the Xbox One controller.

Shadow blade gameplay