Shuriken and Aliens is a premium action game from Glass Bubble Software. In this indie platformer, you play as a ninja in a world taken over by aliens. As the last hope of mankind, you’ll have to traverse different biomes, eliminate enemies from the shadows, and hopefully liberate the world from its otherworldly overlords.

Shuriken and Aliens, despite its well-crafted levels and a unique premise, feels like it was released during the early 2010s, thanks to its low-quality textures and janky animation. Still, it is both fun and challenging to play. It feels like an Aragami 2-inspired Chex Quest HD.

Slash aliens from the shadows

The first thing to note about Shuriken and Aliens is its visual quality. If you’re into playing retro titles, then this is a good entry, considering that it’s an indie project. Otherwise, you might want to check out Nioh: Complete Edition or Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. With that said, it’s still a fun game with cute designs for the aliens and a cool default outfit for the main character. 

One point this game gets right is the set design. Its varying aesthetic works to create a global scale in your adventure. The animation, as mentioned, also adds to the retro vibes because of its blockiness. The movements are very angular and not lifelike, which surprisingly works with some of its more stylized elements, such as the smoke for disappearing items. 

For the gameplay, it lets you face enemies head-on for fast-paced, reflex-heavy gameplay or a more strategic stealth-based approach. Be warned, though, that the line of sight for the enemies is quite counterintuitive, although it’s not that difficult once you get used to it. Also, to make the game more challenging, it has a hardcore mode that has permadeath enabled.

A fun, short hack and slash

Overall, Shuriken and Aliens is more polished and engaging than most indie action titles, especially with its visual quality. Still, it’s not perfect and still suffers from a couple of restrictions, such as the janky animation and the use of dated, low-texture graphics. The worlds offer some variety and once you’re accustomed to it. Feel free to try the permadeath option for a challenge.