Beat on normal. I found the first 2 levels fairly laid back but after that the game became very difficult to the point of needing a bit of save state scumming. Since dying makes you start the level over and health is not restored between levels, I found it a good idea to deliberately die at the beginning of a new level if you are not in good shape. I only died a few times. I found the bosses easier than the levels. Hardest part for me were the melee enemies; I almost always took damage from them and did a lot of save state trial and error to figure out how to deal with them. Seems to need a perfectly timed and positioned melee strike, which is much easier said than done and is the worst part of the game. I also found it difficult to hit moving targets and was not sure how much leading the target (if any) is needed. The shooting seemed a little bit inconsistent with all the different ranges, enemies, motion and cover.

One of the more interesting shooters with solid gameplay. Much more my style than any Ninja Gaiden.