Image: JKM corp

Shadow Gangs Zero takes on the guise of a "long-lost Neo-Geo game" (thanks to my colleague, Dom, for that one) and does so with visual flair and colour that is a treat for the eyes. Reminiscent of classics like Ninja Gaiden and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Shadow Gangs Zero does a phenomenal job of recapturing that now-mostly-lost game format and style of pure, fluid 2D platformer action.

Shadow Gangs Zero puts you in the shoes of Dan or Monika, two ninjas looking to fight and take down the titular "Shadow Gangs", and lets you brawl across 43 hand-drawn pixel-art levels solo or with a friend, taking on waves of enemies and facing 6 formidable bosses and 6 mini-bosses. As you might expect, you defeat them by throwing shurikens and unleashing various "ninja powers".

These "ninja powers" include swift shuriken throwing, katana slicing, and transforming into a machine-gun-firing ninja, ready for anything thrown at you. These powers serve to mix up how you play and give variety to many of the combat encounters, and give you an edge in certain situations (a machine gun sounds pretty useful against the bosses, I must admit).

Developed with "Neo Geo hardware at heart", Shadow Gangs Zero really does recapture that golden age of arcade gaming, but at the same time improving on it 10-fold; having no time limit on levels, more health pickups, faster respawns, and enhanced visuals on the Steam version (as it is also out on the Mega Drive / Genesis) means the experience still feels like what you remember, but just better in the ways you perhaps don't want to remember.

If you are constantly reminiscing about the past and are longing for that one game that will bring you that classic feeling back, I would highly recommend checking out Shadow Gangs Zero – and if you want the real, full, authentic experience, then check out their Kickstarter to see versions of the game for legacy consoles here.