<s>
Mark	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Ninja	I-Application
is	O
a	O
side-scrolling	O
action	B-Application
stealth	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Klei	O
Entertainment	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
Studios	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
announced	O
on	O
February	O
28	O
,	O
2012	O
and	O
later	O
released	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
via	O
Xbox	B-Device
Live	I-Device
Arcade	I-Device
on	O
September	O
7	O
,	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
on	O
October	O
16	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
Linux	B-Application
and	O
OS	B-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
on	O
September	O
11	O
,	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
remastered	O
version	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
October	O
9	O
,	O
2018	O
for	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
,	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
macOS	B-Application
and	O
Linux	B-Application
by	O
Klei	O
Entertainment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
follows	O
the	O
story	O
of	O
a	O
nameless	O
ninja	B-Application
in	O
the	O
present	O
day	O
,	O
and	O
features	O
a	O
conflict	O
between	O
ancient	O
ninja	B-Application
tradition	O
and	O
modern	O
technology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mark	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Ninja	I-Application
consists	O
of	O
stealth-oriented	O
2D	O
platforming	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unusual	O
for	O
a	O
platformer	O
,	O
Mark	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Ninja	I-Application
employs	O
a	O
line	O
of	O
sight	O
mechanic	O
,	O
meaning	O
that	O
enemies	O
which	O
would	O
be	O
invisible	O
to	O
the	O
character	O
are	O
also	O
invisible	O
to	O
the	O
player	O
,	O
though	O
their	O
sounds	O
are	O
represented	O
on	O
screen	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
manner	O
as	O
the	O
player	O
character	O
's	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
receives	O
points	O
for	O
executing	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
tactics	O
such	O
as	O
silent	O
kills	O
,	O
passing	O
by	O
enemies	O
without	O
being	O
detected	O
,	O
successfully	O
preventing	O
the	O
discovery	O
of	O
bodies	O
,	O
terrorizing	O
opponents	O
to	O
cause	O
them	O
to	O
fall	O
into	O
disarray	O
,	O
and	O
achieving	O
optional	O
goals	O
such	O
as	O
recovering	O
artifacts	O
and	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
haiku	B-Language
which	O
tell	O
the	O
history	O
of	O
the	O
ninja	B-Application
clan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
story	O
begins	O
with	O
an	O
attack	O
by	O
a	O
heavily	O
armed	O
force	O
on	O
the	O
dojo	O
of	O
the	O
Hisomu	O
ninja	B-Application
clan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
unnamed	O
ninja	B-Application
protagonist	O
,	O
resting	O
after	O
receiving	O
an	O
extensive	O
irezumi	O
tattoo	O
,	O
is	O
awakened	O
by	O
a	O
female	O
ninja	B-Application
named	O
Ora	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
distant	O
past	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
Hisomu	O
ninja	B-Application
to	O
receive	O
the	O
Mark	O
became	O
incredibly	O
dangerous	O
,	O
but	O
increasingly	O
deranged	O
,	O
leading	O
to	O
a	O
lengthy	O
reign	O
of	O
terror	O
that	O
only	O
ended	O
with	O
his	O
demise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Therefore	O
,	O
to	O
receive	O
the	O
Mark	O
,	O
a	O
ninja	B-Application
swears	O
to	O
commit	O
seppuku	O
once	O
the	O
madness	O
begins	O
to	O
take	O
hold	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
protagonist	O
receives	O
his	O
second	O
tattoo	O
,	O
he	O
and	O
Ora	O
are	O
tasked	O
to	O
take	O
revenge	O
on	O
the	O
PMC	O
responsible	O
for	O
the	O
attack	O
on	O
the	O
dojo	O
:	O
a	O
corporation	O
called	O
Hessian	O
,	O
run	O
by	O
a	O
ruthless	O
Eastern	O
European	O
plutocrat	O
named	O
Count	B-Application
Karajan	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Finally	O
,	O
he	O
ordered	O
that	O
the	O
last	O
of	O
the	O
sumi	O
ink	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
Mark	O
one	O
final	O
ninja	B-Application
,	O
whose	O
strength	O
would	O
enable	O
the	O
heist	O
and	O
save	O
the	O
clan	O
itself	O
from	O
extinction	O
at	O
Hessian	O
's	O
hands	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dosan	O
uses	O
the	O
remains	O
of	O
the	O
sumi	O
to	O
give	O
the	O
protagonist	O
his	O
final	O
tattoo	O
,	O
shortly	O
before	O
some	O
of	O
Azai	O
's	O
high	O
tech	O
ninja	B-Application
stalkers	O
ambush	O
them	O
and	O
shoot	O
Dosan	O
to	O
death	O
as	O
he	O
and	O
the	O
protagonist	O
attempt	O
to	O
escape	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
the	O
player	O
chooses	O
to	O
kill	O
Ora	O
,	O
the	O
protagonist	O
disembowels	O
himself	O
with	O
the	O
ritual	O
sword	O
and	O
Ora	O
dissolves	O
into	O
inky	O
nothingness	O
as	O
the	O
Marked	O
ninja	B-Application
sputters	O
his	O
last	O
breath	O
and	O
dies	O
in	O
the	O
courtyard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lead	O
designer	O
Nels	O
Anderson	O
has	O
stated	O
that	O
his	O
principal	O
inspiration	O
in	O
making	O
Mark	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Ninja	I-Application
was	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
stealthy	O
ninjas	B-Application
in	O
games	O
like	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
,	O
which	O
he	O
felt	O
should	O
be	O
the	O
norm	O
,	O
and	O
Klei	O
Entertainment	O
founder	O
Jamie	O
Cheng	O
said	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
important	O
to	O
the	O
developers	O
to	O
make	O
nonlethal	O
tactics	O
rewarding	O
to	O
the	O
player	O
"	O
It	O
took	O
a	O
lot	O
of	O
experimentation	O
to	O
allow	O
players	O
to	O
feel	O
like	O
a	O
badass	O
ninja	B-Application
while	O
at	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
feel	O
the	O
risk	O
of	O
being	O
exposed.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Whereas	O
Klei	O
had	O
previously	O
released	O
Shank	B-Application
and	O
Shank	B-Application
2	I-Application
on	O
multiple	O
platforms	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
unveiled	O
Mark	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Ninja	I-Application
as	O
an	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
exclusive	O
with	O
Microsoft	O
Studios	O
as	O
its	O
publisher	O
after	O
a	O
pitch	O
video	O
was	O
created	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
Klei	O
's	O
announcement	O
on	O
February	O
28	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
developing	O
Mark	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Ninja	I-Application
,	O
the	O
game	O
featured	O
at	O
the	O
Penny	O
Arcade	O
Expo	O
East	O
in	O
Boston	O
,	O
Massachusetts	O
in	O
April	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
expansion	O
called	O
Special	O
Edition	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
August	O
16	O
,	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
2018	O
high-definition	O
remaster	O
is	O
named	O
Mark	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Ninja	I-Application
:	O
Remastered	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
its	O
release	O
Mark	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Ninja	I-Application
received	O
critical	O
acclaim	O
from	O
both	O
mainstream	O
and	O
video	O
game	O
journalists	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
Metacritic	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
holds	O
an	O
aggregated	O
review	O
score	O
of	O
90/100	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
51	O
critic	O
reviews	O
,	O
for	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
one	O
of	O
91/100	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
14	O
critic	O
reviews	O
,	O
for	O
PC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
's	O
Ryan	O
McCaffrey	O
felt	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
"	O
easily	O
a	O
contender	O
for	O
Xbox	B-Device
Live	I-Device
Arcade	I-Device
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
reviewer	O
from	O
GameTrailers	O
compared	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
a	O
combination	O
between	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
game	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
and	O
the	O
modern	O
open-world	O
game	O
Batman	B-Application
:	I-Application
Arkham	I-Application
City	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Official	O
Xbox	B-Device
Magazines	O
Andrew	O
Hayward	O
also	O
gave	O
high	O
marks	O
for	O
the	O
visual	O
atmosphere	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
further	O
praised	O
the	O
"	O
wealth	O
of	O
options	O
"	O
to	O
complete	O
missions	O
.	O
</s>
