Ninja Masters

"kareeda ni karasu no tomari keri aki no kure"

An austere contrast to the often colorful world of SNK’s Samurai Spirits, the ADK-developed 2D fighter Ninja Masters is decidedly somber in presentation and tone. Japan has been sundered by constant civil war as various daimyo vie with each other for control until the ruthless Oda Nobunaga stands poised to unite the country under his rule after striking a bargain with demonic (read: foreign) powers; predictably, a modest cast of ten characters embark on a journey to defeat Mori Ranmaru and Nobunaga himself. As per the game’s more serious tone, these characters are generally more believable than those of most fighters: the kind-hearted thief Goemon steals from the rich while eluding the burly flame-haired bounty hunter Raiga; Unzen is a massive Buddhist priest prone to drunken rages, Houou a spiritualist with the power to expel demons, and Tennou fits neatly into the province of “wise old man.” The game’s title promises ninja and ninja we shall have, including the teenage kunoichi Kasumi and the bouncy blonde Natsume; curiously similar to the future Samurai Spirits game Amakusa Kourin, our protagonist is the outcast ninja Sasuke- having left his clan to pursue Nobunaga, he is constantly hunted by assassins that include his cold-hearted friend Kamui, who knows that the only way to ensure that his childhood playmate receives an clan-approved Honorable Death (tm) is to do it himself. As fun as Sasuke’s life must be, the most arresting character of all is the aptly named Karasu, an emaciated, menacing wanderer guided into the fray by his flocks of hungry crows and seemingly sentient blade.

The heart of a fighting game is invariably its gameplay, and ADK incorporates several elements from other fighting games for its engine, generally with successful results. A warrior from Samurai Spirits could lose his weapon in the heat of battle and would be severely hampered until retrieving it; in a unique twist, Ninja allows each character to fight effectively both with or without his chosen weapon. Indeed, certain combatants (particularly Natsume) are better suited for unarmed combat - all fighters employ two sets of special moves and combos depending on whether or not they are packing cold steel. The developers also encourage aggressive tactics by implementing a super meter that rises only by making a successful attack on an enemy; a character with a full meter can either activate Hyper mode or use a super combo. Hyper characters are temporarily stronger and can also use super combos, but their super meter will quickly drain away; alternatively, a character with a full meter can use powered-up version of his normal moves by pressing both punch or kick buttons instead of the usual single button, similar of to the first two Samurai Spirits. These powered-up moves can be used infinitely as long as the character doesn’t exhaust his meter with by using Hyper mode or a super combo. Taking a page from King of Fighters, a character who is low on health is able to use unlimited desperation and powered attacks, leaving a near-death player far from helpless.

Unfortunately, Ninja falters when it comes to its combo system as it relies heavily on “dial-up” chains that are activated by pressing seemingly random pre-determined buttons to keep the combo going and drain the opponent’s life bar; remember Mortal Kombat 3? It takes little skill to pound the same button repeatedly for an easy seven-hit attack that can’t be broken, and it’s even more frustrating when the AI proceeds to destroy you by returning the favor. Contrary to the deceptive simplicity of Samurai Spirits, it is this unfortunate focus on button mashing that keeps Ninja out of that earlier game’s league. Button-mashers will like it; purists will probably balk. Further, the only way to see a character’s ending is to set the difficulty level to 4 (MVS), which would be far less demanding if the battle system wasn’t so random.

Combo issues aside, ADK nevertheless delivers an entertaining fighter that believably evokes medieval Japan. Well-detailed (if small) character sprites battle it out in various forlorn locations ranging from a tranquil snow-capped mountain complete with sacred trees and a torii (Shinto gate) to an open courtyard littered with the corpses of the slain, from a quiet pond and lightly pink sakura to barren farmland surrounded by noisy corvines. There is also a real sense of the passage of time as the game keeps track of the total time elapsed and adjusts the stages accordingly, so each background can be encountered either during the day, at sunset, or in the middle of the night, always accompanied by the soft voice of the female announcer and brooding music that lends itself to a universally dark feel rather than distinct character themes. The sub-boss Ranmaru is a very feminine young man (yes, a man) who calmly stands in a still-smoking battlefield while wielding his slender sword in graceful arcs with both eyes closed. As for Nobunaga, today’s well-dressed shogun prefers to repose at his golden palace in hulking black armor and an unusually damaging cape in addition to his two massive blades. A simple code unlocks both Ranmaru and Nobunaga as fully playable characters complete with their own endings, raising the roster count to twelve and treating those gamers who always want to play as the bosses. Character moves are well animated and interesting: Karasu swoops forward to claw at his opponent with a seething hiss, Natsume flips into the air and proceeds to drive home multiple kicks in a flurry of cloth and skin, Ranmaru teleports across the screen to launch an unwary ninja into the air, slash him back down, and then blast the fool to the other side in a trio of pain . . . and looks good doing it. Powered moves are often noticeably different from the original animations, soaring higher, showcasing larger blasts, and inflicting a greater number of hits. Fighters also receive multiple victory poses for both their armed and unarmed stances that correspond to their remaining health. Aesthetically, Ninja Masters is quite pleasing.

Regrettably, the most notable characteristic of this game is its extreme rarity even among the often scarce ranks of many Neo*Geo titles – a good-condition AES (home version) cartridge, case, and manual often sell in excess of $700 on the overpriced free-for-all that is eBay. Fear not, for the MVS (arcade) cartridge is very common and can be picked up for as low as $50, making it an inexpensive, readily obtainable game for any owner of a Neo*Geo arcade cabinet or a home system equipped with the Phantom-1 converter to play arcade carts. Never reaching the heights of SNK’s own weapons-based fighters, Ninja Masters is nonetheless an underrated title sadly ignored by most. Look past its dial-a-combo cheese and elusive rarity and Neo*Geo fans will find a well done if overlooked fighter for their library.

Asshou.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/26/03, Updated 06/13/03