Kasumi Ninja

"Pushed to the back by Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter"

Fighting games that feature blood and gore on a grand scale seem to run in the dozens these days, though the Jaguar game of Kasumi Ninja is something of a mystery. Although it never did get the press, it’s a cross of Mortal Kombat and Mace The Dark Age all in one neat little package. With several fighters, plenty of blood and some interesting game play options that you can unlock and work with, what makes this game so underrated? Well, for starters, it appears during the time of other, more publicized fighters such as Mortal Kombat and its endless sequels, which means a game such as this gets a back page.

The story is pretty basic in which you are the lone hope for the human race and only you hold the key to defeating a powerful wizard who has been taken by a horrid demon. Because of your training and because of some ancient prophecy, you alone must overcome the enemy and defeat the wizard to ensure the survival of both your people and the rest of the Earth. Although the story has been done to death in several fighting games, this time around there is a small story mode that accompanies and tends to help you understand your characters as they develop throughout the game.

-The Game Play-

The game play is pretty straightforward in which you take the role of one of eight different characters, and fight your way through matches that are based on a best two out of three setup. As you progress through the matches, you can use character specific special moves that will both do heavy damage and create combinations for you to deal out some true pain. When you finish the final round, you’ll have the ability to destroy your opponent with a rather grotesque Death Move that will spew blood and guts all over the screen.

These types of moves and the basics that the game forces you to learn really aren’t all that hard to use. You’ll find that the game has plenty going for it in terms of the amount of characters that you can use and even the special moves that you can pull off. However, you’ll find that the special moves and even the Death Moves are a pain in the ass to pull off if you’re not paying attention to the way they have to be done. As a side bonus to those fidgety parents out there that don’t want their kids witnessing blood and guts, you’ll find that the Parental Lock gives the parents the ability to turn the blood and gore on and off.

As you move through the different characters and the control, it takes a little bit to get used to, so you’ll have to learn how to use the directional pad and then either the punch or kick button to get the right effect. The special moves and pressing the C button and then a directional movement, which will unleash something more powerful than your normal moves, does the Death Moves. Learning the characters isn’t all that difficult and most of what you’re attempting to do is learn how to effectively use the combat interface in the heat of battle.

-The Visuals-

The first thing that you’re going to notice is that the game just doesn’t have the crystal quality of other fighting games out on the market. Although the characters look nice and they move fluidly, it seems as though they are transplanted onto backgrounds that aren’t all that impressive and seem slightly out of place, much like Ultra Vortek. This doesn’t necessarily destroy the games visual presentation, but it does tend to make the game harder to enjoy. The further that you get through the game, the more backgrounds and more impressive moves you get to see, with some of the Death Moves taking the cake and making even me cringe.

-The Audio-

What you have is plenty of hard rocking tunes that just don’t stop. Though you really won’t find too much here that will keep you remembering after you’ve shut the game off, the soundtrack is good enough to instill the theme of ass-kicking in your ears. Each stage has a good tune and you’ll find that Thundra’s tune is actually one of the best in the game. The sound effect that you find on the other hand are your standard mesh of grunts and groans that really don’t do much other than fill in the weak spots that the music can’t cover and simply round out the rest of the game.

-The Verdict-

Kasumi Ninja is a game that you have to play just once to see what you missed on the Jaguar when it came to fighting games. With the limited number being restricted to Fight For Life, Ultra Vortek and now this one, there are few options for a Jaguar owner to go in before finding nothing. Though it reeks of Mortal Kombat and the blood, gore and otherwise seems to be pressed upon the gamer with little regard, it still is a solid fighting game when placed against other fighting games. If you’re a Jaguar owner or a casual gamer, you’ll still find some joy and reasons to pick up this unknown fighting game title.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/30/02, Updated 09/30/02