My first mistake with Spike’s Shinobido 2 demo for PlayStation Vita is that went head-on toward the first enemy I saw. He killed me. I was told by a Spike representative that I was overlooking the stealth aspect of the game. I wasn’t being very ninja-like, in other words. And no, this is not Tenchu.
My second attempt was a bit more successful. I made better use of the various control methods the Vita provided, making it easier to sneak around feudal Japan on my assigned killing mission. Touching the back of the Vita’s touchpad instantly kicks the game into a first-person look mode, which lets you get a better feel for your surroundings to cover your back, or throw weapons. The front touchscreen lets you access a map and other guide features for your mission.
Most of the heavy action is done with classic buttons and pads, though. Holding down the R button let me creep up behind enemies, and the triangle button could then be used to take them out for good. I used swords, stars, grappling hook and bombs to work my way through a short demo level, moving from outside to in, taking out paper doors and walls to find my target to kill. It wasn’t a particularly exciting demo, but it did a good job of showing where Acquire and Spike are headed on this action game.
While there’s no solid release date yet, we were told that Shinobido 2 should be cleaned up and ready for release close to the Japanese launch of the PlayStation Vita.
