In portable mode, that’s scaled down to 720p, and the game unquestionably loses some of its luster visually - it’s also exceedingly dark when playing it on the go. Of course, the full 4K treatment is only available on the Xbox One X and PS4 Pro, whereas the Switch version outputs at 1080p when docked. Whether skulking through the shadows with the camera pulled back or when it automatically zooms in for a brutal kill, Mark of the Ninja looks and animates beautifully. Klei’s angular characters and cel-shaded style have been re-exported for full 4K resolution, making an already good looking game absolutely pop off the screen. Context-specific prompts in which one button handles multiple functions is a legacy issue from the original release and continues to be the source of occasional frustration. It still handles capably on the Switch, but the small shoulder buttons felt a little unwieldy when trying to move quickly through sections. We played both the XB1 and Switch versions, focusing most of our efforts on the latter as a handheld, and we found it felt more natural on the XB1. Even in the midst of gaming’s busy season, we couldn’t pass up a chance to embark on a little ninja action once again. Now, six years later, the game is getting a fresh coat of paint as Mark of the Ninja: Remastered, and in addition to an updated release on Xbox One, it’s also gracing the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch for the first time. One of the standouts from that time was Klei’s Mark of the Ninja, an excellent side-scrolling stealth game released in 2012. Given today’s marketplace it’s almost hard to believe that Microsoft used to be at the forefront of console Indies through Xbox Live Arcade, which dropped quality content onto its service week after week, easily lapping what Sony was doing on the PS3. Blowing people up is a good way to distract them.

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