Short version:
Worth buying at 75% off, if you have friends to play it with. Not worth full price. Don't expect to find people to play with online.
Long:
Black & White Bushido is a game heavily based on stealth. You can play either Light (white ninjas) or Shadow (black ninja). There are four character models, though (ironically for a game so heavily based on the popular idea of ninjas), none of them are in stereotypical ninja garb. You then choose to play online or offline.
Offline, you can play either against bots or (presumably, since I've never tried it) couch two player. The stage is small, so there's no need for split screen. Online, you can try to find a match, but the matchmaking is extremely barebones. I play with my fiancee, and the only way we can find each other's matches is by coordinating over the phone. There is no indication of who else is playing, even once you're in the match. You don't see screen names, just "Player 1." Also, as many other reviews have noted, there is virtually no community for this game. If you want to play against a human, bring a friend.
You will want to play against humans, too, because the bots are particularly idiotic. Gameplay is heavily dependent on stealth. If you break stealth, every bot will simultaneously converge on you. I'm not a particularly good gamer, but my kill-death ratio against the bots is usually 20-1, even outnumbered 3 to 1. If you go into stealth, the bots just beginning patrolling their platform with no attempt to locate you or use stealth themselves. This makes them easy pickings even for a new player. Really, the bots are just good for learning the controls.
So what about the gameplay? That's where this game shines. Primarily, you'll attack using your melee weapon, a very simple one-button attack. The twist comes with the stealth mechanic. The levels continually shift between light and shadow (white or black backgrounds, in other words). The ninjas can, when standing still, blend into the background, making them impossible to see. They can also move in this stealth mode, though at a greatly reduced speed. Jumping will give away their position, as will fast movement.
The stealth is the key part. Trying to sneak up on an opponent while your character is invisible to both you and your opponent is a lot of fun. The game throws in a few twists for you, too. Tired of waiting? There's a taunt mechanic to reveal your position and lure adversary out of cover. Smoke bombs, a special item, allow you to mark a location, and then basically teleport back to it later. Drop a smoke bomb, move somewhere else, and attack from hiding. Go back into stealth after the attack and teleport back to your old spot. Your opponent now has no idea where you are. On the defensive side, there are caltrops, effectively three-pointed tacks that cause your opponent to bleed when he walks over them, giving away his position. You also can pick up shurikens or spears to give yourself a ranged attack against a melee-based opponent.
Because of all this, there's a lot of flexibility against a skilled human. Do you want to silently stalk your opponent and strike from hiding? Do you want to depend on fast movement and aggressive attacks to get you through? Both of those are options.
There are at least three game modes that I've tried: deathmatch, capture the flag, and challenge mode, where you try to score kills based on challenges. If I run across others, I'll add them here. Up to four players can play in a match, and each player can choose if they'll be light or shadow.
The art style is stark, but appealling. It's heavily influenced by traditional Japanese art, contributing to the feel of the overall game. It's simple, but it's a key part of this game, and it works.
The overall result is good, but feels like a high quality flash game. There is literally no story, no campaign, and no way to "beat the game." There are no ranks. It's just pick up and play. If you have friends who will play this with you, then the 75% off price is worth it. I've played it for an hour so far with my fiancee, and it's worth $3.24. It is not worth $12.99, however. There's just not enough here to justify that price.
So, to reiterate: Buy on sale, play with friends.
