Oniken: Unstoppable Edition

I suspect that others with less patience might call it quits at this point, or maybe even earlier. With Oniken, what you see is what you get, and your first impression of the game is probably spot on. If you miss your friendly, Tecmo ninja man, you might want to give this one a look. For everyone else, leave this one in 20XX.

Oniken is a child of the 1980s, born in the 2010s. It's built by and for people who relish the golden age of arcade action, 8-bit graphics and sound, and 80s action movie tropes. For fans who treasure old-school action-platformers like Contra and Ninja Gaiden, it may be something worth buying. For modern gamers used to smoother controls, greater accessibility, and fancier assets, it's a non-starter.

Oniken does a few things right, but flounders when it comes to the most important parts of the experience. The visuals and audio of the game are a faithful and accurate tribute to the style of classic NES action games, sure. All of the artistic flair in the world can't help a game that simply isn't fun to play, though.