Yacht Club bringing Aarne 'MekaSkull' Hunziker's "Cyber Shadow" to Switch

We’re very proud to announce Cyber Shadow, the newest project from Yacht Club Games. Developed over the last decade by Aarne “MekaSkull” Hunziker , Cyber Shadow has spent more than a year being polished under our watchful eye, and it’s shaping up to be what we believe is the next quintessential Ninja Action game!

The Details

Product: Cyber Shadow

Release Date: TBD

Price: $14.99 MSRP

Available on Switch, XB1, PS4, PC

The world has been taken over by synthetic lifeforms. A desperate plea for help sets Shadow on a journey to uncover what started the path to perpetual ruin. Slash through the techno hordes, leap past traps, and nimbly navigate the ruins of Mekacity in Cyber Shadow.

Features

Dash, slice, and leap through masterfully designed levels filled with sharply honed ninja platforming action.

Authentic 8-bit presentation with hand-crafted sprites, a detailed pixel aesthetic, and perfect controls. Modern touches like fluid animation, multi-layered parallax backgrounds, and evolved game design.

Take down more than a dozen apocalyptic bosses, from enormous war machines to your synthetic clan rivals.

Relive the authenticity of classic 8-bit challenge or experience it for the first time.. with an added convenience or two.

Rescue your clan to unlock permanent Ninjutsu skills and abilities, combining them seamlessly as only the warrior of legend could.

Search for secrets as you explore the ruined world. Return to your old haunts to find supplies, items and upgrades.

Experience the gripping story, told both in-game and through animated cinematic story scenes between the action. Who can be trusted? How far will Shadow go to protect his clan and the one he loves?

Pulse-pounding soundtrack by Enrique Martin, produced by Jake Kaufman.

Why Cyber Shadow? What is Yacht Club’s role?

We reached out to Aarne two years ago about being involved with Cyber Shadow. He’d been developing it on his own for years with no intention of going with a publisher – but YCG was the only team he’d ever consider to help him hone his creation. Aarne described Cyber Shadow to us as an NES-style game that had the level design principles of Mario, the skills and action of Ninja Gaiden, the enemy designs of Contra, and the dark visual aesthetic of Batman. What we played was a brilliantly elevated take on classic ninja action. After 6 years and 5 Shovel Knight games, YCG has become associated with authentic 8-bit fun, and we were confident we could use our experience and expertise to take Cyber Shadow to the next level. Shovel Knight and Cyber Shadow are both destined to present the trials of NES games without the tribulations!

In this way, the game became a bit of a codevelopment. YCG is handling the marketing, porting, business side, and typical roles of a publisher so Aarne can focus on the core game development. Additionally, we’re also deeply involved in giving design feedback, imparting our lessons from developing the Shovel Knight saga so Aarne can create the best version of his game possible.

As we polish Cyber Shadow, the gameplay, action, and set pieces continue to come together in exciting new ways. Will think this will be a game that’s really special, and we can’t wait for everyone to give it a try!