This fills in a chapter of the saga nobody had told, and it plays like the arcade games people remember rather than the ones they actually were.

Ryu is not there

Hayabusa has gone to America to honour his father's will. While he is away the barrier between the human and demon worlds breaks and an army comes through at Hayabusa Village. Kenji Mozu, a young ninja from the village, is what stands in the way.

Easy to pick up, hard to finish

The pick-up-and-play feel of the classic games is intact, with new layers underneath for anyone who wants to push at it. The mechanics are clean enough that failure always reads as yours.

Pixel art with money spent on it

The animation and effects are the best argument for the whole revival, and the boss fights are built to be looked at as well as beaten.