50
Within the Blade brings us an action platformer with stealth elements under the guise of a ninja-themed adventure. Beyond the good presentation, the game's appealing nature gets difficult to enjoy, as the implementation of movement and combat will often put the player at odds with the game. This is a pity, because there are ideas in Within the Blade that are worthy developing but as it is, the game's mechanics need to be reviewed and executed differently.
50
With a nice pixel-art style, Within the Blade may look like the perfect side-scrolling ninja adventure. While it offers huge replayability, its basic problems make it feel like you are fighting with a dull blade.
50
No, it’s not perfect. With its clumsy dialog, touchy controls, and occasionally broken U.I., Within The Blade sometimes feels like a game that’s designed to work against the player. However, if you can overlook its faults, there’s an exciting and surprisingly deep experience beneath its many bumps and bruises. You just have to be willing to sift through the grime to uncover its finer parts. As for whether or not it’s worth doing so, that’s for you to decide.
4
It is borderline unplayable. I got this game for $3, but I still feel ripped off. The gameplay just doesn’t want to function with the player at all. The ninja tends to just fly all over the place while just trying to get from one spot to another. With a game the requires, at times, perfect platforming, you can’t have the character flying all over the place, especially in moments where you cannot see below you. I understand what they were TRYING to do, but they couldn’t get the basic gameplay correct. I bought the game because is was something more light after playing something as emotionally heavy as Clair Obscur, but this game is just frustrating because the controls do not want to function properly. An example is I cannot understand why they decided it was a great idea to have the ninja auto jump off the wall while wall running. The hit detection is also terrible when it comes to combat. You can start a combo, then the ninja just eventually passes through the enemy, so they then start ambushing you. This game is clearly not finished, and I am writing this review years after the game came out, so I doubt they are ever going to fix the problems it has. Even at a discount, I do not recommend it at all, it is just way too frustrating.
0
Unplayable. The character will leap where you do not want to go. The control scheme is a joke. Shame, I like the concept.
5
The quality and ease-of-use **** controls is one of those things you tend to take for granted. That is, until they become an active problem. While the low-res platforming and ninja action of Within the Blade is reasonably good, and has a pretty satisfying old-school feel, unfortunately its needlessly cumbersome control scheme absolutely, and with great regularity, gets in the way. The thing is, this is pretty well-trodden territory, and the wall scaling and various attack and traversal mechanics aren't terribly revolutionary. Fumbling to execute critical moves becoming a headache then becomes all the more painful. When getting through the tutorial means struggling to do things that feel more like simply breathing in other games... it's a bit of a problem. ****/2021/07/mini-reviews-july-16th-edition-nintendo.html
Within the Blade
Released On:
Jul 16, 2021
Metascore
Mixed or Average
65
User score
Generally Unfavorable
2.3
My Score
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All Platforms
Metascore
Mixed or Average
65
10% Positive
1 Review
1 Review
90% Mixed
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Jul 19, 2021
75
Combining sharp visuals, smooth animations and tight, responsive controls, Within The Blade is all-round a pleasure to play. The pleasing variety of weapons and tactics invites players to experiment and perfect their skills and execute levels as quickly and stealthily as possible. While it might be a bit thin in terms of story, it has a lot to offer for those who are looking for a challenging stealth platformer and have an appetite for destroying the hordes of evil.
Jul 26, 2021
70
Within the Blade is full of action and stealth, just like what you would expect a ninja to be good at. Unfortunately some of the levels become quite repetitive, but the game offers a unique weapon crafting feature that you don’t usually see in games like this.
User score
Generally Unfavorable
2.3
0% Positive
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
25% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
75% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
Dec 17, 2021
5
The quality and ease-of-use **** controls is one of those things you tend to take for granted. That is, until they become an active problem. While the low-res platforming and ninja action of Within the Blade is reasonably good, and has a pretty satisfying old-school feel, unfortunately its needlessly cumbersome control scheme absolutely, and with great regularity, gets in the way. The thing is, this is pretty well-trodden territory, and the wall scaling and various attack and traversal mechanics aren't terribly revolutionary. Fumbling to execute critical moves becoming a headache then becomes all the more painful. When getting through the tutorial means struggling to do things that feel more like simply breathing in other games... it's a bit of a problem. ****/2021/07/mini-reviews-july-16th-edition-nintendo.html
Aug 9, 2025
4
It is borderline unplayable. I got this game for $3, but I still feel ripped off. The gameplay just doesn’t want to function with the player at all. The ninja tends to just fly all over the place while just trying to get from one spot to another. With a game the requires, at times, perfect platforming, you can’t have the character flying all over the place, especially in moments where you cannot see below you. I understand what they were TRYING to do, but they couldn’t get the basic gameplay correct. I bought the game because is was something more light after playing something as emotionally heavy as Clair Obscur, but this game is just frustrating because the controls do not want to function properly. An example is I cannot understand why they decided it was a great idea to have the ninja auto jump off the wall while wall running. The hit detection is also terrible when it comes to combat. You can start a combo, then the ninja just eventually passes through the enemy, so they then start ambushing you. This game is clearly not finished, and I am writing this review years after the game came out, so I doubt they are ever going to fix the problems it has. Even at a discount, I do not recommend it at all, it is just way too frustrating.
Jul 20, 2021
70
Very neat, it is based on classic foundations, but is full of interesting ideas.
Jul 16, 2021
70
Within the Blade is an intricate blend of fast-paced stealth and action that we don’t see too often in this genre. While it falters in repetitive level design, it makes up for it in stylish and satisfying gameplay. There’s a high skill ceiling for players who’d like to challenge, and the experience of utilizing the stealth systems makes for interesting bouts of action gameplay.
Jul 14, 2021
70
Unlike Wildfire, though, Within the Blade works marvelously on the Switch and seems perfectly optimized for the platform, although the speed of the game does make more sense when docked on a nice TV. Little control and camera niggles - inputs to activate skills are constantly stumbled on Joy-Cons, and orienting the camera during stealth attempts is a pitiful chore - don’t compromise what is a weirdly deep, potentially satisfying low-rez action ninja sim. Elaborate and overflowing with optional content and a snappy narrative, Within the Blade should be a hit with the Sengoku set.
Aug 17, 2021
50
With a nice pixel-art style, Within the Blade may look like the perfect side-scrolling ninja adventure. While it offers huge replayability, its basic problems make it feel like you are fighting with a dull blade.
Aug 4, 2021
50
No, it’s not perfect. With its clumsy dialog, touchy controls, and occasionally broken U.I., Within The Blade sometimes feels like a game that’s designed to work against the player. However, if you can overlook its faults, there’s an exciting and surprisingly deep experience beneath its many bumps and bruises. You just have to be willing to sift through the grime to uncover its finer parts. As for whether or not it’s worth doing so, that’s for you to decide.
Apr 16, 2022
0
Unplayable. The character will leap where you do not want to go. The control scheme is a joke. Shame, I like the concept.
SummaryIn the game Pixel Shinobi you play as a Ninja from the clan "Black Lotus". You have to confront the 9 demons of hell and the clan of Samurai "Steel Claw" who want to enslave the whole world.
Rated Mfor Mature
Platforms:
- PC
- Nintendo Switch
- PlayStation 4
- Xbox One
- PlayStation 5
- Xbox Series X
Initial Release Date:Jul 16, 2021
Developer:
- Ametist Studio
Publisher:
