Mark of the Ninja proves that when stealth games are made by people who like stealth, they can be brilliant.
Things needed to change, and so it is that Klei Entertainment, makers of cartoon violence fest Shank hit stealth out of the park with Mark of the Ninja, probably one of, if not the best stealth games ever made. It does have a couple of issues, but the act of stealthily getting through levels is not one of them.
Klei have sat down and really looked at the genre, and what players actually need to be able to plan strategies, remain undetected, and take out targets. Of course, the fact that your character is a Ninja, and one with special tattoos that grant him special powers at the cost of his sanity, allows for nimble navigation of the levels laid before you.
The levels themselves are all brilliantly made though, and give you any number of ways to complete objectives and get to the end. It is entirely possible to not kill any guards and go totally undetected through a whole level, and the feeling of satisfaction when you do is immense.
Remaining undetected, sneaking past guards, killing them, using bodies to terrify other guards, setting off traps, using traps meant for you against enemies all grant you points that allow you to unlock upgrades at the end of each level, giving you further ways to manipulate the environment and enemies to your advantage.
It is simple additions to the formula that make this such a genre revolution, things like being able to see the radius of the noise your footsteps make when you run, the exact distance an enemy can see in front of them and exactly where a lamp shines and in what direction, as well as easily knowing when your character is completely hidden from view, all give you the correct feedback required to plan your navigation/attack.
Not only does the game revolutionise the stealth genre, it looks great doing it. Klei have always been known for their excellent, stylised cartoon artwork, and Mark of the Ninja is no exception. Everything is smooth and looks extremely cool, and could definitely be made into an animated movie or TV show. The sound is just as excellent, with a nice low key score that ramps up when needed but doesn't interfere with being able to hear enemy movements.
Unfortunately, there are a couple of problems. I had the game glitch on me a couple of times and stop me progressing, and the end of the story is so totally anti climatic that it might as well have been pointless putting any context into the game at all. These and an overall short length stop Mark of the Ninja achieving instant classic status, but it is an amazing game, one that all future stealth titles should take note of, and for that Klei Entertainment should be immensely proud.