Stealth Blade

by Mikhail Feb 7, 2024 | 1 Votes | 61 Played | 0 Reviews

6 rate

Genres:

Action , Platformer

Graphics:

Labels:

Ninja , Dark Fantasy , Medieval Age

Platforms:

Publishers:

66games Stealth Blade is an action platformer where you play as a father on a mission to avenge his wife and rescue his son. Take on powerful enemies and deal with traps that can take you out in a single hit. Upgrade your skills and abilities, and find secret scrolls hidden in various areas. Play Now Similar Games

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Summary Plotline Gameplay Graphics/Sound Conclusion

Summary

If you plan to release a side-scrolling game on Steam, it is a requirement to have controller support. After all, we’re no longer in the Flash game era where we play 2D action games using a mouse and a keyboard. Stealth Blade belongs to this category, and although its lack of controller support is not game-breaking, we can safely say it sorely needs this to elevate the entire experience.

It’s not always to start a review with a gripe, but thankfully, Stealth Blade is still fun despite its many challenges. For a game that costs under $5, it is full of passion and excellent ideas with a difficulty level comparable to challenging Metroidvanias. However, it can’t shake off its many limitations and somewhat outdated gameplay mechanics. Regardless, you’ll feel compelled to finish it when you get your hands on it. After all, it’s a short experience you can complete in a couple of hours.

So, should you play Stealth Blade or let it quietly sneak around? Well, before you start slashing your katana and throwing shurikens, let’s check out what it has to offer:

Plotline

Stealth Blade is not what we would call a narrative-driven game. Apart from occasional cutscenes, the game focuses more on its gameplay than the story.

However, it does have a tale to tell - you’ll play as a father who lost his home and family to the devil and his minions. Although your wife has passed on, your son is still alive. As a skilled warrior honed in the art of stealthy warfare, you will be on a mission to save your son and unleash retribution - or justice - on the devils responsible for this atrocity.

Gameplay

There are several levels in Stealth Blade, and the main goal is to reach the end while collecting scrolls along the way. Sounds simple enough, and it would be easy were it not for the countless obstacles and enemies you will encounter along the way. There are a variety of traps and foes you will have to deal with, and since all it takes is one hit to kill your character, you will have your job cut out for you. Moreover, many of the scrolls you have to collect are hidden in inconspicuous locations that are relatively easy to miss. In a way, finding them can prove to be more difficult than actually fighting enemies.

In terms of combat, disappointingly, your blade isn’t your primary weapon - it’s your shuriken. Like in other games and movies, this enables you to take out enemies from a distance. Thankfully, you’ll be able to use your blade; pressing the corresponding weapon lets you execute a dash and strike. This is handy, especially when you start taking on stronger opponents that can block frontal attacks. Finally, the third way you can fight in Stealth Blade involves not fighting - you can activate a disguise that will make you appear like a log in a puff of smoke. This makes you undetectable to enemies you encounter, enabling you to slip by unnoticed.

There are several levels in Stealth Blade, and they progressively get harder. Thankfully, the game has an upgrade mechanic where you can strengthen your skills and make dealing with various obstacles a lot easier.

The controls are rather difficult to deal with; it’s just incomprehensible to me that an action platformer on Steam does not have controller support. In addition, given that this is a $5 experience, the game doesn’t exactly provide a seamless experience - there’s a lot of jank, especially in the movement and controls.

Moreover, it’s also needlessly difficult in some parts - dying by simply touching a red waterfall seems a little too much. There are instances wherein you won’t know if you’re touching a trap or otherwise since what appear to be spikes on the ground are actually just background art assets. There are also instances wherein you die from an innocently placed torch. This feels frustrating and can drive you insane, even if there are ample checkpoints to go around.

Graphics/Sound

Stealth Blade looks decent for an affordable under-five-bucks experience. The animations feel rather smooth, while the animations and interface are fairly intuitive. However, you’ll need to expect a budget experience since the game doesn’t provide variety in terms of art and animation.

Conclusion

Overall, Stealth Blade might be a good purchase if you’re looking for an action platformer on a budget. Though I found it a little hard to enjoy, I can see its appeal - its difficulty, ninja themes, and low price are difficult to ignore. Despite my gripes and the jank I’ve experienced, we can safely say it’s a passion project and is worth considering.

New Game Added: Stealth Blade

by Mikhail Feb 7, 2024

Stealth Blade is an action platformer where you play as a father on a mission to avenge his wife and rescue his son. Take on powerful enemies and deal with traps that can take you out in a single hit. Upgrade your skills and abilities, and find secret scrolls hidden in various areas.