Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master

"The double jump is badly implemented and sometimes the platforming is annoying, but the good bosses and very good variety of gameplay make up for this"

Shinobi III is a great 2D Ninja-action game for the Mega Drive.

First of all the controls. Shinobi can run, dash, jump, throw shuriken, attack with his sword, do diving kicks, jump off of walls and cast special moves. I must particularly compliment the diving kick as you can use it over and over again in midair to repeatedly give out damage with the penalty being you're really close to the enemies with little ability to escape quickly. There's a limited number of shuriken which is nice as it forces you to be careful with how many you use instead of spamming them as happens in most games. The special attacks are very well designed as well and vary from a move that makes you invulnerable for 5 seconds to a move where you sacrifice a life to refill your health bar (which is a great idea in my opinion). Also the controls are very tight…mostly…

The reason why I say mostly is due to a particular move I haven't mentioned yet which I believe is badly implemented – the double jump. The main problem I have with the double jump is that there are only a couple frames in the jump where you can activate it which makes it very hard to activate…this is made worse by the fact that it's a crucial move you need to be able to use at a moments notice to survive.

The enemies are pretty good though I must say they definitely need to be more common. There are loads of enemies during the first couple levels, but occasionally you do feel that there's a bit too much focusing on the platforming. About the platforming, it varies a lot. Sometimes it compliments to action well, but other times the need of double jumping is frustrating as is the fact that the platforming can sometimes be poorly designed. The bosses are really good. They are massive, vary a lot and are very challenging. Visually the bosses look absolutely fantastic and they're quite challenging.

One of the often applauded pros of this game is the astonishing variety of level designs in this game. Yes you have traditional run forward attacking enemies levels, but you also have to ride horses, ride motor powered surfboards, work you way through electricity mazes carefully using wall jumps to avoid damage, climb up falling rocks, working your way past traps and ride lifts. It is ASTONISHINGLY varied and this really improves the game hugely.

The graphics are VERY good and among the best you'll see on the Megadrive. The game is exceptionally colourful, the characters are detailed and the animations are fluid. The music is very good, it varies quite a bit between levels and can be quite catchy. The sound effects are also good, particularly the shrunken clanging when they hit walls.

In conclusion this is a great game. For those who like 2D action games, check this out now, and if you're a fan of ninja games then trust me when I say this is one of the best available.

Gameplay = 9/10
Graphics = 10/10
Music/Sound = 8.5/10
Final Score = 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/08/08

Game Release: Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master (EU, 1993)