That old-school ninja feel comes through immediately, but the game has enough of its own ideas to keep it from feeling like a museum piece. The jumping, sword swings, and wall movement feel good right away, then the time-travel mechanic gives earlier areas a second life and suddenly makes backtracking worth doing. The NPCs and bosses have plenty of personality too. The fully unlocked version lets you play through the whole thing without the usual restrictions, leaving you free to just keep moving, exploring, and occasionally stopping because some dumb little joke caught you off guard.