Shadow Blade - Android

Dead Mage - the studio behind the monster-slaying PC games, Garhasp, has published a new gameplay video for its upcoming 2014 Android/iOS title, Shadow Blade. The 2D action platformer, reminiscent of the beloved Shinobi and Ninja Gaiden games, puts you in the shoes of Kiro, a young ninja warrior on a quest to discover the ancient teachings of his master, and become the Shadow Blade.

As corny as the storyline sounds, most ninja-themed comics, movies and games have always treated the story as an excuse to cram as much ninja antics, swift acrobatic action, and gratuitous Asian cinema violence as possible into the final product. After all, you don't become a ninja to drink fine wine and elaborate on sophisticated philosophical concepts, you do it to combat enemies with flashy moves (at least that's what pop-culture has taught us). And Shadow Blade seems to offer a lot of the latter, portrayed with excellent graphics and exceptionally fluid animations. The static screenshots don't really justify the game's dynamics and visuals, so make sure to see how the game looks in motion in the new trailer.

Shadow Blade is expected to hit Android (including the Ouya) and iOS-devices this February.