Swords, stealth and action: A ninja is born.
From shadow to shadow, your blade shining in the moonlight, ready to pounce over an unsuspecting victim, ready to strike and return to the darkness. Or maybe just straight up take out your katana and yell while you bisect a lamppost, a giant robot and a guy standing behind them, all at the same time. Either way, that’s really cool, don’t you think?
If you’re looking for a truly ninja experience without all the intense training, health risks, morality questions and Japanese classes, here are 11 games that will make you feel like an expert assassin and sword-master extraordinaire without ever leaving your PC.
11. Mark of the Ninja (2012)
Mark of the Ninja Trailer
- Developer: Klei Entertainment
- Genre: Stealth, action, side-scrolling, indie
- Theme: Stealth Ninja-ing.
In Mark of the Ninja, you start one day when you are resting after receiving an ancient poisonous tattoo that gives you superpowers. So, your typical Saturday. But suddenly, your dojo is under attack! And they have guns! What to do?
*Splurch*… Good choice.
In this 2-D platformer, it is your task to become one with the shadows and reach the end of the stage. To do this without been shot to death or mauled by the occasional angry dog, you need to be stealthy. There are many ways you can do it: approaching an unsuspecting enemy and one-hit killing him, hiding behind the always convenient objects, being silent and not running around like a lunatic, turning off the lights… or straight up scaring people senseless with a tasteful hanged corpse or two.
If all else fails, claim to be Spiderman. That’ll confuse them.
With fluid and impressive stealth gameplay, hidden goodies and scrolls, great music and visually impressive with a distinctive cartoon style, I cannot think of a single reason to not play this game.
Mark of the Ninja - Stealth Gameplay
10. Strider (2014)
Strider - Launch Trailer
- Developer: Double Helix Games
- Genre: Action, Sidescrolling
- Theme: Lightning Fast Ninja-ing with Platform Elements.
Is all that skulking around boring for you? You want not only to stand in front of your enemies, but shout at their faces while slicing them to death? Well then, Strider is your game. A side-scrolling battle frenzy, Strider foregoes the stealth approach to give you a high-tech ninja that can juggle enemies in the air while jumping from platform to platform.
Beautifully chaotic.
With action being the obvious focus, Strider gives you a wide array of cyphers (you don’t use a sword, you silly, you use a cypher: we’re high-tech) moves and techniques. From deflecting bullets like a Jedi, to literally freezing your enemies, there’s always a fun little new way to make you feel like a tempest on the battlefield.
There’s no kill like overkill.
You’ll barely notice anything that isn’t your character dodging, slicing and sliding through the enemy ranks, preparing for the mandatory but entertaining boss fights. All while having a perpetual wind-makes-my-red-scar-fly effect. What’s not to like?
Strider - Gameplay Trailer
9. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (2014)
[EN-US] The final trailer "cut" by Hideo Kojima himself! - [RISING]
- Developer: Platinum Games
- Genre: Action
- Themes: Action ninja-ing and cyborg swordplay
A collaboration from Platinum Games and Kojima Productions, this game shines as a prime example of what a katana in the hands of a 3-D cyborg ninja can look like.
Mainly flashing lights and scattered body parts.
Taking the role of Raiden, you find out that you should have never tried to sneak in previous games, as your main ability is to slice through human and robots as if they were butter. The story is quite heavy with the usual Kojima themes, so you’re going to be hearing a lot about war torn economies and dystopias, just before resuming the action in a world where all the cool kids are wearing cyborg suits and killing each other with futuristic katanas.
That’s not how physics work, but who cares?
But if something shines through the most, it has to be the precision cutting aspect of the game: you can slow time and choose just how you want to bissect any and all solid things in the world. So you can choose to spend your time chopping body parts or reenacting Fruit Ninja with a random watermelon, and you’ll still play for hours on end.
Boss fights.
8. Shadow Warrior (2013)
Shadow Warrior You've Got Wang Trailer
- Developer: Flying Wild Hog
- Genre: First Person Shooter, Action
- Theme: Katana and guns with supernatural elements
So there seems to be a lot of ninjas out there that use swords again bullets. And that’s fair. But why not both? That’s the same question katana-enthusiast Lo Wang asks after being hired to find an invincible sword, just to discover he has to battle a demonic army. He then proceeds to shoot and cut everything in sight.
Maniacal laughter is optional.
Variety is the name of the game, so you’ll find plenty of different firearms and upgrades for your mandatory katana. The physics of enemies and environments are good, and the transition between gun, sword and magic makes navigating through the blood-soaked levels an enjoyable experience. All while racking up a body count enough to frighten even the toughest demon.
He doesn’t seem to like showering; we’ll be safe here.
With its main attraction being the FPS aspect, you won’t find yourself gliding through the levels with grace, but instead will hear Lo Wang loudly cuss at enemies while you dismember them with both bullet and katana. Fun and bloody, this is one great experience for any modern would-be ninja.
Shadow Warrior Wangtastic Features
7. Shadow Blade: Reload (2015)
Shadow Blade: Reload Trailer
Developer: Dead Mage
Genre: Action Platformer, Indie
Theme: Agile ninja-ing
We’ve already covered two side-scrollers that focus on the stealth and action elements. This time, however, Shadow Blade: Reload is more a platformer than anything else. You are in the shoes (ninja sandals?) of Kuro, another last remaining hero of his clan who must protect a relic and save the world. The story, that might’ve been bland if told otherwise, is rendered in a comic-book style that helps with the suspension of disbelief when you find that rooms are built rather impractically.
I mean, is there even a toilet in this building?
As with any good platformer, the levels themselves are the stars, so you’ll find plenty of traps, moving platforms, spikes and floating collectibles to satiate your thirst of jump-based action. You start the game pretty much with every ability and tool you’ll ever need (no upgrades for you, Kuro), but the variety of hazards and enemies with different weaknesses will keep things entertaining. And if you get bored, there’s the level editor.
Design tip #1: That bonsai tree isn’t going to last in the cold.
So after you beat the story and still crave for more, you too can sadistically design murder rooms and share them with friends. Nice.
Shadow Blade Reload Gameplay
6. Kenshi (In development)
Kenshi v0.90 Beta Trailer
Developer: Lo-Fi Games
Genre: RPG, Strategy, Simulation
Theme: Swordpunk, unforgiving world with fantasy elements
Heads-up: This game is still in development. So with that in mind, let’s continue our adventure.
You don’t enjoy potatoes unless you’ve ripped them from the earth with your bare hands? I have a game for you. Self-described as a free-roaming based RPG, Kenshi allows you to be whatever you want to be in a world full of deserts, ruins and good old fashioned swords. Or at least try. You have to work for it. And if you are captured and left for dead, well, tough luck.
Someday I’ll escape and find out what the rest of the game is about.
But once you learn to stay alive and manage all the menus, you’ll find that this is a hybrid of a RTS and RPG game, where freedom is encouraged. You can be a lone samurai or just build a city in the middle of nowhere: you can tailor your experience towards combat or SimCity, and no one will say anything against it. They’ll just stab you and steal your food.
You really should invest in protection, is what we’re saying.
With much of its features still in development, this is one game that deserves attention from all the hardcore ninjas out there, who understand that being alive is a privilege, not a right.
Kenshi Gameplay - Forming a Party - Part 2
5. Assassin’s Creed: Rogue (2014)
Assassin's Creed Rogue Launch Trailer
Developer: Ubisoft
Genre: Action, Adventure
Theme: Assassins, conspiracy, high-seas combat
Ninjas and assassins are, of course, the ultimate bad boys, anti-hero types. So what could be more hardcore? A ROGUE assassin, that’s what. When you control Shay, be prepared to forfeit all previous loyalties, for all rules are gone and you’ll be hunting down your former allies.
A sword and a dagger overkill? You’re such a bad boy, Shay.
Of course it’s still an Assassin’s Creed game, so you’ll find plenty of mechanics that are nearly identical to previous incarnations, such as viewpoints with eagles, sneaking around with your hidden blade, counter-moves in combat, crazy parkour, hunting, and even naval combat (no diving levels because the water is too cold, though).
So you can rest from being a ninja by being a pirate. Awesome.
Even if it is quite similar to previous incarnations, that’s not a bad thing if you had a quality product before. Plus, being a Templar and intercepting assassins is an overdue change of pace that will have you feeling guilty for how much you enjoy being so… rogue.
Assassin’s Creed Rogue River Valley Land Gameplay Walkthrough [North America]
4. Attack on Titan (2016)
A.O.T. WINGS OF FREEDOM - ACTION TRAILER
Developer:Koietec
Genre: Action
Theme: Action ninja-ing with giant monster slaying
This is anime-based, so expect over-the-top action sequences with giant monsters and improbable hairstyles. Attack on Titan is coming to the west, and it seems as fun to play as it is to watch. Your home is the last bastion of humanity, being protected by a huge wall from the Titans, humanoid beings that are really big and like to eat your friends. So with a pair of gas powered hooks with cables and two sharp blades, you aim to kill any and all naked monstrosities that threaten your city.
It's not healthy walking around with no skin, dude. Go home.
It all occurs in a fully destructible environment, so Titans can actually punch you through the roof of a house if you get too cheeky. It follows the anime, so if you’re familiar with the story then you’ll be quite comfortable here. However, if you’re as lost as that Titan’s pants, you can just follow the cut-scenes and quick action that this game constantly throws at you. You’ll be fine.
You know you’re fast when the scenery blurs like that.
So if you thought your enemies were too small, the destroyed buildings too scarce, and your blades too few, be prepared to swing on top of giants with the only purpose of cutting them down. And that, kids, is life.
Battle System
3. Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China (2015)
Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China Launch Trailer
Developer: Climax Studios
Genre: Action, Adventure
Theme: Parkour assassins in historical settings
Here is a new spin on the Assassin’s Creed franchise. We are presented with a hybrid game that combines side-scrolling 2D action with some 3D elements, where combat, stealth and platforming are equally developed for a great experience.
Don’t look down, don’t look down…
Shao Jun is our girl, and when you control her, you have a vendetta (don’t you always?) to settle. So no groundbreaking story elements here. However, the historical frame and the integration of 2D and 3D as possible routes for action, makes it quite an interesting and satisfying game.
Plus, you get to irresponsibly burn sites of historical significance.
The hidden blade, sword combat, parkour and story makes it feel like an Assassin’s Creed game, even if not that full-fledged as the main titles. But all in all, and with a distinctive Chinese ink visual style, this is one little gem to check out.
Assassin's Creed Chronicles China Gameplay HD
2. Dishonored 2
Dishonored 2 – Official E3 Gameplay Trailer
With a new engine that, in Bethesda’s words, allows the game to feel like a “painting in motion”, Dishonored 2 promises to give us back what we loved from Dishonored and just crank it to the next level. Who says ninja-like assassins are only from feudal Japan or a high-tech dystopia? Steampunk and magic work as fine together as they did in the first game. And now you can choose two characters, so twice the fun, right?
Oh impractically built steam robots, how I yearn to break you into pieces.
Using tools, blades and supernatural powers, you traverse the streets, roofs and buildings of beautiful and decadent Karnaca. The upgrade system has also been revamped, and you can choose exactly how to approach the game, from a brutal killer to a stealth infiltrator, with plenty of options, combos and opportunities to choose from. Best of all, the narrative scenes feel the impact of your actions, and now that they are able to be interrupted, it only adds to the experience.
Even if your experience is just killing everything in sight.
So to recap, best ninja steampunk warlock game of the year.
Bethesda Showcase (2016) - Dishonored Gameplay World Premiere
1. Assassin’s Creed 2 (2010)
Assassin's Creed 2 E3 Cinematic Trailer | Official HD [North America]
Developer: Ubisoft
Genre: Action, Adventure
Theme: Renaissance assassins
Well, here’s where the series really took off. Assassin’s Creed 2 consolidated everything that was great about the first game, and laid the foundation for the rest of the series. You take control of Ezio Auditore, a young and inexperienced noble and parkour master as he hunts down the Templars, a.k.a. the organization that killed his family. With great historical figures like Leonardo Da Vinci and Rodrigo Borgia, you have a great game that’s still enjoyable even if many have come after it.
You could say it sweeps you off your feet. Sorry, I’ll stop.
Plenty of the now established Assassin’s Creed mechanics make their first appearance here, like the double hidden blade. But what makes it stand even now as a great game in the series is the carefully and beautifully world at your fingertips. Renaissance Italy is not only a backdrop, as you fully interact with its historic buildings, buy some history-defining art, and jump to the canals from improbable heights.
I believe I can fly! Come on, I couldn’t resist.
With a great blend of combat and stealth, it doesn’t exaggerate as much as many titles on the list, and it gives you an opportunity to feel you are part of a living, breathing world (with its own economy, to top). The game even has some mandatory parts where you have to forego direct approach and instead remember your Prince of Persia abilities, and some other cases where you just have to kill everything in sight. So even if you just decide to take a casual stroll on the streets, pickpocket random people or hurry along and kill your enemies, you’ll have a fantastic time.
Assassin's Creed 2 - Vignette
If you want more gaming suggestions (why wouldn’t you?), check out these other articles:
21 Best Assassin Games to play in 2016
11 Best Stealth Games to Play in 2015
13 Awesome Games to Play in 2016
15 Great Platformer Games for PC
