I had a brief play of Sega's 3D re-imagining of Shinobi on the Tokyo Games Show floor, and was pleasantly surprised with how visually vibrant it is.

Kind of bright for Ninja clothing

Using simple contrasting colours, it gave this old classic a completely different feel. The best comparison I can come up with is to Killer 7, but I mean that in a good way.

I can also tell this game is going to be rock hard, just like the older games. Within three seconds of starting the first level I was being pelted with ninja stars and had to jump with B and slash with Y, sometimes mid-jump to take out my attackers as soon as possible.

He's about to have a bad day

I came across a burning old Japanese-style house that blocked my path, which was the demo's way of teaching you to use the grappling hook. A quick tap of X and I shot up to the rooftops and continued my katana brand of justice on the ninjas waiting for me there.There were also obstacles that required skillful double jumps and diagonal grappling to succeed.

Grappling hook

I like the look and the controls, and I think fans of the series will appreciate what new life this could breathe into the franchise with this visually striking style and hard as nails gameplay.

The 3D was nice but didn't add much. I'm also pretty sure in a hectic platforming area, most people would want to turn it off anyway.

Overall, it's a perfect fit for the 3DS. I also appreciate the effort to make this completely different from the old games and give it a whole new look, while still appealing to the fans. Take notes, Nintendo!