Stealth games are a mainstay in video games in this day and age and offerings range wildly, but it always wasn’t so. Ten years ago, an independent game studio released an interesting title calledMark of the Ninjaon theXbox 360. The game was a true stealth game at heart, but it offered something new in an unforeseen package.
The stealth genre has long roots and people attribute the origins to a lot of games. Early stealth game ideas can be found inPac-Man, where players try to avoid getting hit by ghosts, and a more complete implementation was created in the late 80s with the release ofMetal Gear. However, it wasn’t until the late 90s that the modern stealth game genre was fully realized. After the massivesuccess of games likeMetal Gear SolidandThiefin the late 90s, the stealth genre seemed to have a blueprint.
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Mark of the Ninja Broke the Stealth Game Template
The legacy of these games continued to the aughts whereHitmanandSplinter Celladopted stealth almost identically, although with varying degrees of violence and skill. Stealth games seemed to have a nearly set-in-stone formula. During the 2010s, the genre had gained even more momentum, but it was largely similar game mechanics within different cultural and narrative contexts. This changed withMark of the Ninjain 2012.
Microsoft Studios published Klei Entertainment’sMark of the Ninjaexclusively on Xbox 360. The game was inspired by legendary ninja games, of which there are many. However, the lack of stealthy ninjas andfocus on killing in games likeNinja Gaidenperplexed the developer. While popular stealth games didn’t include ninjas, it wasn’t the only revelation inMark of the Ninja.
The game’s predecessors and inspirations in the stealth genre had one striking similarity. Whether it was the cloak-and-daggerThief, the hired killer aspect ofHitman, or themedieval characters inAssassin’s Creed, they all were serious and dreary.Mark of the Ninjaoffered a more light-hearted style that was refreshing and didn’t take itself too seriously. The cutscenes combine well-crafted styles of Saturday morning cartoons with visual novels, and the animations are slick but slightly comical.
Mark of the Ninjawas one of the few games that at the time veered away from the classic blueprint, but many others have followed suit since. While the game is purely a side-scrolling 2D experience, at the core, it is as much stealth as any of the aforementioned 3D titles. The combination of platformer-like simplicity with environmental actions makes it easy to pick up but non-trivial to master. The players have to navigate light and sound while avoiding or eliminating enemies.
There is no killing the enemies if the ninja is spotted, which makes it the ultimate stealth game.Hitman-like emptying a building with a hail of bullets is out of the question. Not having the extra dimension means that the player has less room to maneuver. The player is forced into a situation where they have to be precise and rely on their reflexes. It’s the simplicity that also makes it addictive, which is why games likeUndetectedare now recapturing the magic of early stealth games.
In the footsteps ofMark of the Ninja, many others have offered theirunique takes on the stealth genre.Alien: Isolationis a role-play forward stealth game in a massively popular movie franchise setting,Little Nightmaresoffers animated horror, and the recently releasedStrayis an adventure of a lost cat in a beautiful rendition of a Cyberpunk-themed city.
Furtherbreaking the mold seems to beLord of the Rings: Gollum, due later this year, in which players assume the role of one of the most famous creatures in the shadows. Stealth no longer requires cloaks, daggers, and deadpan hitmen, andMark of the Ninja, celebrating its 10th anniversary today, was certainly a part of that change.
Mark of the Ninja Remasteredis available on the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.
