![]() His moveset basically functions like a souped up version of the character in Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master that lacks the control quirks and drawbacks found in that game. Your character moves with speed and a high degree of precision – you don’t need to adapt to the controls, which changes things. Moonrider differs from games like Strider or Shinobi by removing a lot of that stiffness. Mastering the controls and recreating that image of the graceful ninja is part of what makes these games fun. The fluidity only materializes as a result of practice. Your character moves with slight delay, their attacks result in some lag time, and their jumps keep you in the air like you’re floating. Despite the typical video game ninja’s great potential, their basic controls often carry a degree of stiffness to them. In a ninja platformer, you recreate that image through skillful play. At least in my mind, the image that ninjas conjure up is one of fluid and skillful movement. Ninja platformers practice the hidden art of graceful rigidity. He merely functions like a ninja in spirit.įoregoing a literal ninja, ninja platformers require a certain kind of execution to be what they are. The titular Moonrider that you play as isn’t a ninja in a traditional sense – he’s more like a robot guy that happens to use a sword. More importantly, that criteria would disqualify Moonrider. What makes a platformer a ninja platformer? You’d think that it must simply star a ninja to be one, but that’s way too simple. I’m essentially judging this game by two criteria: how it measures up to other ninja platformers, and how well it utilizes the Mega Man structure to differentiate itself from them. In Moonrider’s case, it borrows in ways that exceed just genre and mechanics, which constantly invites comparisons. If you stick too closely to your sources, you bury the more personal touches. Games that do this risk obscuring their own identity. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with mixing and matching from other games this way, it just comes with a caveat. Moonrider blends the ninja platforming action of games like Shinobi and Strider with the feel and progression of a Mega Man game. In some cases, however, a game borrows so heavily from its inspirations that separating them would simply not be telling the full story, as is the case here. The simple fact that a game borrows elements from other games should not dominate the conversation around it. No matter how original one claims to be, everyone draws inspiration from something for any kind of creative endeavor. I want to see a game on its own terms and highlight what makes it interesting as an individual experience. Normally when I write about a game, I avoid directly comparing it to others as much as is practical. Rather than a double-edged sword, it may be more accurate to describe Moonrider as a double-edged pastiche. Despite the obvious craftsmanship behind it, Moonrider’s blade cuts with a duller force than I anticipated. While I certainly like it, I ultimately came away from my time with Moonrider feeling dissatisfied. It combines elements of many of my favorite games, so in theory I should love it. Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider unsheathes a double-edged sword: one that cuts with the strengths of its inspirations while also reflecting its weaknesses in its sheen.
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