Mark of the Ninja successfully balances rewarding old-school stealth and modern accessibility.

User Rating: 9 | Mark of the Ninja PC
Pros: Slick, satisfying stealth; Lots of replay incentives; Modernizes stealth without oversimplifying it

Cons: Lame story; Scoring feels a bit inconsistent

I absolutely adore stealth games, but sometimes it feels as if I am the only one among my friends who does. And although I adore the careful planning and execution that goes into a good stealth scenario, the classics tend to be slow, brutal, and tough to read, which is a devastating trio if you aren't used to the genre. But on the flipside, many modern games that have tried to fix the plodding, punishing nature of old stealth games lose a lot of the appeal of the genre in the first place (see: Splinter Cell Conviction, Assassin's Creed). For the first time, ever, however, I feel there's a game that can appeal to stealth veterans and newbies alike. That game is Mark of the Ninja.

At its core, Mark of the Ninja is a classic stealth game: you must get in and/or get out of a location, while trying to remain undetected. This means analyzing each scenario, using your tools and your wits, and then executing a plan and hoping all goes well. Like classic stealth titles, Mark of the Ninja is all about the options. You could stab every guard in sight, or you could distract them and slip by. Or maybe you'd like to scout out an alternate route. In that way, Mark of the Ninja will make stealth diehards very happy: there are no real concessions to the stealth aspect of gameplay-no oversimplification or forcing the player to kill when they don't want to.

But, Mark of the Ninja does a couple of things that lower the barrier of entry significantly. For instance, everything is visualized. By that, I mean guards have visible sight cones, sounds create circles demonstrating where they can be heard, and you can tell exactly how much longer each guard will be on alert, and where they will be searching. It seems a little hokey at first, but having everything spelled out for you in a black and white manner makes it very clear what the rules are, and the game feels much more fair as a result.

It also works with the slick movement engine to help the game keep a nice pace. Mark of the Ninja allows you to move incredibly quickly through its environments. You can run, jump, grapple, climb up walls, crawl through vents, and much more, very quickly. And should you die, (itself a fast process) you'll restart quickly, typically not very far back. Unlike most classic stealth games, you rarely find yourself waiting for too long in Mark of the Ninja, and movement is incredibly satisfying, which makes a well-executed stealth plan even more enjoyable.

So it's a stealth game with the depth of the classics, that is faster, easier to read, and slightly less punishing (within reason). As if that wasn't enough to love, there's also pretty great replay value. In each stage there are three optional objectives to complete, such as sneaking through an area undetected, killing all guards in a location, or perhaps not using your tools for a section of the level. Each objective is categorized, and you unlock new play styles when you complete enough objectives in a category. There are also three scrolls that give you more details on the forgettable story. More importantly, they are well-hidden throughout the stages, and one of them is usually preceded by a fun challenge room. And when you beat the game, there's a more difficult new game plus mode, which allows you more tools, but makes the opponents tougher.

Last but not least, you get scored on each level. Anything you can do without getting caught will net you points. Kill an enemy? Yes. Scare an enemy? Yup. Avoid killing an enemy? Only if you kill nobody else. It feels inconsistent, since it rewards you for conflicting play styles, and punishes you for trying to go halfway between two styles, but still I'd be lying if it wasn't kind of fun to shoot for high scores.

And that petty scoring complaint is really the worst thing I can lobby at Mark of the Ninja. In fact the only other complaint that comes to mind was how weak the story was, which didn't really affect my enjoyment of the stealth gameplay. With slick core gameplay, smooth animations, and tons of replay value, there is a surprising lot to like about the unassuming Mark of the Ninja. This is absolutely a fantastic game that everyone should give a chance. You may find that, like the ninja, this one sneaks up on you and catches you buy surprise in the best way possible.