Speedrun Fast: Mark of the Ninja

It’s that time again. Time to watch another game get annihilated in no time flat, except this time it might be more accurate to say assassinated. That’s because this segment features a stealth platforming game called Mark of the Ninja, developed by Klei Entertainment.

In Mark of the Ninja, keeping out of sight is paramount if you wish not to be gunned down in two seconds, and the only supernatural ninja powers you have are given you by the titular mark you bear, and function more as utility than for combat. As a special bonus, we have two speedruns to show you – a regular any%, and an obake (no killing or being detected).

Okay, for any%, first you do – oops, we’re past that already. Then, there’s a – wait what? Slow down, Akitaka, I can’t type that fast! When running Mark of the Ninja, the main thing is to quickly recognize which movement cycle the enemies are on and to time your actions correctly. The key glitches you’ll see are clipping out of bounds and focus flying (time-stopping repeatedly in the air to gain height).

In this run, focus flying and boundary clipping are barred, but Akitaka still employs time-stopping at points to gain height. Since that’s a mechanic and not a glitch, doing it once-off is allowed. There is almost always more than one option for solving a puzzle or getting past an enemy in this game. It’s simply a matter of using the right tool for the job.

Klei Entertainment made a winner with this one. The gameplay is engaging and presents a fine difficulty curve, and the story, while simple, is memorable and throws in a surprising twist toward the end. Mark of the Ninja is available on Steam for PC, Linux, and Xbox 360. And now, grasshopper, bow to your sensei and take a look at this previous Pilotwings run.