Gaming

Shadow of the Ninja – Reborn comes with unlimited ways to perish

Unlimited tries means practicing the ninja way a bit more

Published

September 30, 2024

Gab Orlina

I’ve always been used to seeing ninjas in more traditional settings. That’s especially considering that their fighting style requires elusiveness most of the time. There are a slew of games out there that touch on ninja story arcs. These push the boundaries of one’s emotions while testing their reflexes in high-stakes environments. And yes, there is a lot of button mashing involve: to get the combos right, to use items at the right time, and to escape death at every point.

Shadow of the Ninja – Reborn on the Nintendo Switch is mostly the latter but you remove the whole ninja story arc and historical setting in play. It adds a modern twist to an otherwise traditional way of combat in a fast-paced environment filled with perils and obstacles. Even the style of the graphics, in a way, still follows a simplified direction. It’s more 2D-looking similar to the original on the NES.

Is it enough to play the game all the way through? If anything, it depends on how far you’re willing to go.

A taste of modern ninja combat

The entire game rests upon the idea that the way of the ninja is that of a simple one: attack when needed and be aggressive with it. Overall, the way you fight off waves of enemies and obstacles revolves around short and long-range attacks timed perfectly. When going on the defense, you could only avoid attacks instead of having items to protect you.

Speaking of items, Shadow of the Ninja also comes with various items you can use to aid your progression throughout all six stages. From healing items to weapons, they’re quite helpful. That’s especially true against some of the tougher bosses or harder to clear obstacles down the line. You can find these within each stage by breaking metal containers, so they’re not that hard to miss.

It’s a high-risk, high-reward system that makes you adapt your strategies the moment each stage or sub-stage begins. You’ll assess the environment, figure out which enemies you can hit with short or long-range attacks, and get by obstacles while beating the 1000-second timer. For a casual player, it can be overwhelming no matter how you slice it. Thankfully, you can play the stages as many times as you like.

Two modes, unlimited possibilities

Where I spent most of the time playing Shadow of the Ninja – Reborn was in Arcade Mode. There’s a six-stage gauntlet that puts your ninja skills to the test. Of course, the first few levels are there to serve as a way for you to get used to the controls. But it only gets harder from there. As customary to any game with a timer, you will lose your life trying to get through all six stages. And that’s just part of the experience.

As you go through Arcade Mode, you will carry over any items you acquire along the way and earn a score depending on how much you cleared in one go. At the end, you also earn some of the items as consumables, which you can purchase when you replay the same level in the other mode, Time Attack! However, every death within the stage resets the score and removes the items, but not your progress!

In order for you to unlock Time Attack, you’ll have to get through just the first stage of the game. Honestly, that’s all good but you can only unlock the rest if you’ve beaten them in Arcade Mode. So. you will spend a lot of time trying to beat the game. If only you could purchase items before starting stages in Arcade Mode, you could get it done a lot faster.

Overwhelming stages reinforced by trial and error

Now, these six stages are, in my opinion, carefully designed to do a lot of trial and error on. In terms of overall art design, it only made sense to do it with 2D sprites and desolate backdrops given an apocalyptic setting. What stood out to me was how they made certain stage elements pop out, especially for the platforms you’ll be climbing or scaling up on.

Although, there were some instances during my playthrough wherein I couldn’t tell platforms apart. It took some guess work to go through stages and grab items when the design doesn’t illustrate it as a platform. As a result, you will end up spending more time making guesses on platform design as you progress through the stages without meeting certain death.

Once you get used to the environment, you can breeze through a lot of the stages and enemies with ease. All it really takes is repeatedly falling off said stages or getting knifed to death!

A daunting task to finish

Admittedly, Shadow of the Ninja was a pretty interesting game to go through from start to finish. While it does come with game play mechanics that require repetition for perfection, it’s done in a short and rather fast-paced manner. For me, it’s action-packed and will make you think on your feet without having your survival instincts kick in.

I am appreciative of the fact that you can continuously replay the stages whenever you get a “game over” because of the difficulty. It doesn’t make you feel completely dumbfounded over making mistakes, and you don’t lose a ton of progress, too. Plus, the stage design is set-up nicely and ups the ante as you progress further.

It’s a solid pickup if you’re looking to just pass the time anywhere you are. It’s doable in terms of playing all the way through. But you don’t need to beat yourself up if you fail!

Gaming

Dune: Awakening makes it way to the PS5 and Xbox Series X

Surviving the harsh land of Arrakis one sandstorm and bloodlust at a time

Published

September 22, 2026

Gab Orlina

Back in June of 2025, Funcom released its multi-nominated open world survival game, Dune: Awakening. Inspired by the renowned movie franchise, the game takes place within the deserts of Arrakis as players survive and thrive through intense combat and strategic decision making. Now, in the big 2026, Funcom is finally bringing that experience to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S players as Dune: Awakening officially launches on console!

For the newbies finally getting it on console, here’s all you need to know:

Take the lead or do it together

Dune: Awakening takes you into the desolate land of Arrakis, and gives you the option to do it on Single Player or Multiplayer upfront. Through your own bidding in strategy, combat, and resource management, your goals are simple: survive the terrain, make more allies than enemies, and conquer the land through your affiliation to the powers that be.

This version of the game is as exact and as one-to-one as it possibly could with the PC version released last year, down to the story arcs, quests, and PvE/PvP areas you take on. Since launch, Funcom has introduced new weapons, areas, and cosmetics through DLCs that will be available to console players, as well. Also, several key features in story and mission progression that have changed on the PC version will take into effect.

If you want to engage with multiplayer, it is still a viable option when you want to gather more resources and reinforce your bases against other players and the natural elements. However, you still won’t be able to host your own server on a console just yet, as it is more stable to do so on the PC version.

Become whoever and whatever to survive

Character customization became the game’s bread and butter through its extensively library of features and unique take on story progression. As you begin your journey, Lady Jessica welcomes you in and asks you on your origin story, mentorship, and initial skill set — all of which are to your choosing based on your play style. Honestly, none of these completely influence the difficulty in progressing the story too much but it will give you full control of the experience.

As you progress further into the game, you will unlock more skills and abilities to aid you in your quest for power and survival. These will help you earn XP, along with accomplishing tasks, gathering resources and researching newer technologies, plus engaging in combat both within the PvE and PvP areas. Ultimately, you and, potentially, other players must build enough rapport and influence to shape the world of Arrakis to your liking.

Consistent visual expectations

For most players on the PC version, graphical fidelity relied heavily on the hardware of choice. When transitioning the game into a console-friendly environment, Funcom worked out the details seamlessly by adding a Performance and Quality mode. In this fashion, you can opt for crystal-clear graphics at a decent 30 FPS or go for a constant 60 FPS to keep up with the action.

Left: Performance | Right: Quality

No matter which mode you choose, the overall visual identity of the game doesn’t change drastically. Environments look rich and vibrant, while the tiniest of details within character models are preserved. Although, given frame rate differences, rendering of background elements also reflects that but it won’t ruin the gaming experience.

Dune: Awakening will be available on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on September 22. For Xbox Game Pass owners, this will also be a Day One release with Play Anywhere support and cross-play within Xbox and PC players upon launch.

Funcom has also planned an exciting map update later this year plus potential DLC tie-ins to the upcoming Dune: Part Three theatrical release in December.

Gaming

Valve unveils price of the Steam Frame

The VR headset starts at US$ 1,059.

Published

September 15, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

The trifecta is complete. Almost a year after announcing their new hardware, Valve has finally unveiled the price tag of the Steam Frame, complementing the Steam Machine and Steam Controller revealed a few months ago.

Whereas the Steam Machine is a console of its own, the Steam Frame is a traditional VR headset with a pair of controllers for both hands. Unfortunately, despite being in a different segment, the headset is not immune to the rising prices of technology. The Steam Frame will start at US$ 1,059 for a 256GB model and can go up to US$ 1,299 for the 1TB model. On the plus side, each box will come Half-Life: Alyx packaged along with the headset.

Here’s a more detailed rundown of what you’re getting. The Steam Frame will ship with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, paired with 16GB of RAM. Each eye comes with a 2160 x 2160 LCD screen, putting out images at up t0 a 144Hz experimental refresh rate. As mentioned above, the headset will start with 256GB of storage but can go up to 2TB. It will come packaged with SteamOS 3 and a rechargeable 21.6Wh battery.

This might be a hard buy for some. The industry currently has more affordable options, for one. Also, virtual reality isn’t the most thriving segment of gaming today.

If you’re still decided on buying one, however, Valve is using its lottery system. Interested customers can sign up from now until September 17. The company will then randomize the purchasing order. Those who draw the first ones in the lottery can get a purchase email as soon as September 18. Meanwhile, anyone who registers after September 17 will automatically be put at the back of the queue.

Gaming

BlizzCon 2026 announces World of Warcraft: Forever and Diablo V

StarCraft, Overwatch, Hearthstone, and more also get news

Published

September 14, 2026

GadgetMatch

Blizzard Entertainment kicked off BlizzCon 2026 with a packed Opening Ceremony featuring new games, major expansions, updates, and other announcements across its biggest franchises.

Blizzard Entertainment President Johanna Faries opened the event at the Anaheim Convention Center, celebrating the community behind the company’s games and the teams that bring its worlds to life.

World of Warcraft: Forever and Diablo V

The biggest announcement was World of Warcraft: Forever, a new World of Warcraft experience launching November 5 AEDT, with its beta beginning September 18 AEST. The new experience will feature three zones, more than 1,000 quests, nine dungeons, two raids, and a new Skyborne race.

Blizzard also officially announced Diablo V, marking the next era of the franchise. The game is set to launch in North America in Spring 2029, with Sanctuary having fallen and Diablo having won.

StarCraft is also returning with a new story-driven, open-world shooter. The game is currently planned for a Spring 2030 release in North America.

Beyond games, Blizzard revealed that an animated series set in the Diablo universe is in development with Netflix. The company says this is only the beginning of its plans to expand its universes beyond gaming.

For Warcraft III Reforged, the new Forsaken Kingdom campaign is available today. It marks the Warcraft RTS series’ first new storyline in more than 23 years and explores the fall of Lordaeron and the origins of the Undercity. The accompanying 3.0 update also brings graphical improvements and a revamped World Editor.

Heroes of the Storm is adding Xal’atath as its newest Hero. She arrives in the Nexus on September 29 AEST, with her PTR release scheduled for September 15 AEST.

Existing games updates

Meanwhile, Diablo IV is preparing for its next major content drop. Season of Hell’s Legacy begins September 16 AEST and celebrates the franchise’s 30-year history with the return of the Prime Evils and Deckard Cain, alongside themed rewards and gear.

The legendary Amazon class will also arrive in the first half of 2027 as part of Diablo IV’s first class pack. The Diablo IV: Age of Hatred Collection is additionally coming to Nintendo Switch 2 on September 16 AEST with cross-platform play and cross-progression.

For World of Warcraft, Blizzard teased the next major update for Midnight. Eclipse (12.2) will see Xal’atath move closer to her goal of claiming Azeroth’s Worldsoul. Blizzard also offered another look at The Last Titan, the next expansion in the Worldsoul Saga and a major culmination of more than two decades of Warcraft storytelling. More information is coming early next year.

Overwatch is getting a major update with Season 5. The season introduces new Support Hero Doctrine, reworks for Sombra and Roadhog, and the new Watchpoint: Grimsvötn map. It will also conclude The Reign of Talon, Overwatch’s first year-long narrative arc.

LE SSERAFIM & YOASABI

BlizzCon also featured performances from YOASOBI and LE SSERAFIM. YOASOBI will perform during the first-ever esports halftime show at BlizzCon, while LE SSERAFIM will return to the Main Stage to close the weekend. A new LE SSERAFIM in-game collaboration is available now, with another Overwatch Spotlight scheduled for February 2027.

Finally, Hearthstone is getting its first new class in more than six years. The Monk arrives in 2027, while the upcoming Reign of the Black Empire expansion takes players back to the earliest age of Azeroth. It introduces the Assemble keyword, which combines two cards into a new one. Battlegrounds is also adding Aberrations as a new minion type.

BlizzCon 2026 is now underway, with Blizzard promising more announcements and details throughout the weekend.