When you’re making games that harken back to earlier eras, there are a number of approaches that can be applied. Some developers are happy to simply emulate the looks and sounds of earlier generations, but others tackle the riskier path of having the titles play somewhat authentically to the time as well. While retro fans may love this, there are also sometimes elements of design implementation that are better left in the past. Shadow of the orient feels somewhere in the vicinity of a well-implemented modern retro action platformer, but it doesn’t quite come together.

The most notable area where the game knocks it out of the park has to do with its visuals. Feeling like a value-added 16-bit era title, it simply looks great as a whole with plenty of colorful detail and personality. To some degree the action also feels of that era, though not entirely in ways that are positive. I do appreciate the abundance of tougher-to-reach spots that can reward your efforts, but the downside with them is also pretty steep. With typical stages being pretty lengthy affairs, and the cost of failure being a need to start over again, the game feels a little too punishing when some of these sections are hard enough to get to and through in the first place, without an additional need to worry about surviving through to the end of the stage.

Tied to the concerns with the somewhat punishing level of challenge is the fact that among its contemporaries on the Switch, you simply don’t feel quite as capable as usual. The controls are just about right, but they’re just a little off somehow in execution, just lacking a tight feel. Especially when up against tougher opposition you can also feel a bit ill-equipped, with a pretty short base reach, and slightly less nimble moves. Upgrades at least help out a bit, but again there’s just something in the overall feel that’s not quite right. 

Keeping in mind that how people feel about games and their controls is completely a matter of opinion, it could very well be that the problem is me, and that other folks see no issue. That said, how a game controls and feels is an area I’ve become very sensitive to, having sampled so many titles on the Switch. If you’re a big fan of retro-ish titles and don’t mind some challenges, this could very well be a charmer, but if you’d prefer something with higher odds of approachability, there are likely better options out in the eShop.