Ninja or Die: Shadow of the Sun starts out slowly, and lets you get used to the controls, but the moment the action picks up, you are in for an intense experience. You can pick up items such as health items and weapons by jumping into them, and you also attack enemies this way. Some enemies require weapons to be defeated but others just need to be jumped into. This may sound simple but the game actually provides a significant challenge that needs to be adjusted to.
Ninja or Die: Shadow of the Sun’s jumping-to-move mechanic means you will need to rethink how you move in a game, and wall jumping is key to getting around. You must position your jumps right and this takes some time to get used to as it is easy to miss the right spot you need to hit. Of course, the game is not just defeating enemies, as you need to find the right items to progress and with how hectic the gameplay can become, you will have your hands full.
The art style in Ninja or Die: Shadow of the Sun is interesting as it has both a minimalist design and yet also a lot of detail at the same time. that shows off the characters and environments with all its beauty. It is rather stunning actually and fits the nature of the gameplay and action well, and as someone who has issues with photosensitivity, I appreciated that this game seemed to be far less intense due to its visual style than other games of this nature.
In terms of audio, Ninja or Die: Shadow of the Sun is okay, but the music is nothing special. The sound effects do hit well though, and they manage to make your attacks feel much more impactful. This is a game where visual is stronger than audio and carries the presentation.
Ninja or Die: Shadow of the Sun is a bit of a mixed bag and is definitely not for everyone. The strange thing though is that I could not put it down for too long and kept playing even when there was other stuff I had to do. If you like roguelite action games that try something different, then this is most certainly a game to check out.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
