All of us who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s have had a decent amount of time to ponder what it is that really makes the video game ninja such a special thing. It’s the hard strikes and the proximity to magic, sure, but it’s also something else. A ninja moves with a particular lightness. No need for a foley artist to mix in footsteps, because when these characters move it’s as is icing sugar is being dusted over the soft earth. So there’s a lovely contradiction at the heart of it. Cor, it hurts when one of these people kicks you through a wall, but cor, they’re so nimble and and deft and precise – so gentle – you kind of have to forgive them for everything.
