The Legend of Kage 2 is a sequel no one expected. It’s a total blast from the past – the sequel to a 1986 NES game. Kage 2 feels and plays like a hardcore game from the 8 or 16-bit era, albeit with some of the niceties of modern game design. It’s tough, it’s satisfying and it stars ninjas – awesome ‘80s, here we come.

The game is steeped in Japanese game design principles (and storyline tropes) straight out of the SNES 101 guidebook. At the outset, you choose your ninja – the studly, silent Kage, or the bubbly, yet deadly Chihiro. Each hero starts off with his/her own blade for close range attacks, and a longer-range attack (Kage throws shurikens, while Chihiro has a fundo), and both are tasked with escorting the powerful princess Kirihime.

Of course, something goes wrong, and an evil demon-wielding bad guy kidnaps the princess, meaning that Kage (or Chihiro) needs to go rescue her. But this is no Mario title – Kage 2 is all about slicing and dicing, with a ton of vertical platforming thrown in for good measure. You embark on missions, with each level featuring several sections of mowing down enemy ninjas (and ridiculously lethal animals – Ninja Gaiden must have been an influence) capped by a boss fight. Play occurs on both screens, and the game moves very fast. You soon learn that sailing through the skies (both characters can jump like they have rocket-powered sandals on their feet) racking up crazy combos is the best part of the game.

The boss battles are tough, requiring the patience to learn and master each of the baddies’ patterns and slowly wear him/her down over time. It’s enormously satisfying to take down these guys, especially when you just spent 20 minutes figuring out the right attack pattern.

It’s all very old school, but it’s also successfully married with more modern gameplay concepts such as upgradeable skills and a cool customizable magic system. You learn new skills (like new attacks and upgrades to existing attacks), and can find “element orbs” in the stages and combine them to create “ninjitsu”, which are basically special attacks (or “magic” in the usual RPG parlance). The lure of finding orbs encourages exploration, though the focus of the gameplay is certainly good old-fashion ninja butt kicking. Also, you are awarded something for nearly every completed stage, be it upgraded skills or unlocked art, keeping the incentives for progression high.

I never played the original, but I had no problem following the narrative – which itself is charmingly retro, presented in a talking heads/anime style reminiscent of older 2D games. Really, all you need to know is that you play a badass ninja on a quest. You’ll beat up some fools, blow by scenery inspired by Feudal Japan, fight demons, and yes, you’ll encounter homicidal birds.

The visuals and music are inspired – the scrolling backgrounds depict all the haiku-worthy majesty of Japanese landscapes, with gorgeous moonlit vistas and autumnal forests, and the darker, danker locations are appropriately forbidding as well. The music is soothing and vaguely Asian-inspired, and perfectly complements the art style. The whole aesthetic is pretty Zen, and almost relaxing – you may not notice it as you cut through 12 ninjas in a row, but you will later.

Of course, old-school gameplay means that average players will run into some old-school frustrations. The boss characters are immediately challenging from the game’s outset – with huge health bars and fairly strong attacks. Anyone weaned on action titles of the 8 and 16-bit era will find themselves right at home - providing that your retro muscle memory hasn’t atrophied. Be warned that your thumbs will get a serious workout, and your pattern-memorization skills will be tested.

Also, there is occasional control sluggishness that infuriates, especially for such a fast-paced game. There were more than a few instances where my stupid ninja didn’t turn fast enough and took a shuriken in the backside, despite my furious whaling on the D-pad. That’s another retro frustration, one that many gamers will shrug off with a sort of affection, but it certainly killed my ninja buzz a few times.