Red Ninja: End of Honor

"One of the best stealth-ninja games ever made!"

Shadows move on the edge of your eyesight, lurking just out of view. You look around but see and hear nothing but the breathing of your comrades. Suddenly, a flash of light appears just before a blade of steel is planted in your skull...a stealth kill...

This is how you'll make the enemy feel in the feudal era of Japan as a vengeful young lady named Kurenai, and her weapon the Tetsugen.

Graphics: 9/10
Red Ninja: End of Honor has some of the most refined graphics I've ever seen in the whole ninja-game genre. The fluid motions of Kurenai stalking her victims, swimming, climbing, swinging, even seducing makes you feel like you really are Kurenai out there in the fires of warfare.

When running at highest speeds, Kurenai's body trails some shadowy afterimages, making her look like a blur as she runs by enemies. The animation sequences when Kurenai executes a stealth kill aren't choppy as they are in the Tenchu series, nor are any of the vital visualizations blocked out by the character bodies.

The landscaping couldn't be better. There aren't any 2D or backfall graphics in any of the forests, villages, or caves. Shadows are cast appropriately as light sources become introduced or your point of view changed.

Control: 7/10
In some instances it could be rather difficult to control Kurenai's actions, especially during wall climbs or runs. The movement control is the left analog stick and your speeds vary directly upon how much you have the stick pressed. If you push the stick all the way forward you move Kurenai forward at a dead run rather than moving slowly and silently.

Kurenai's stealth movements have to be done by slight pressure forward, or by crouching in which case joystick pressure doesn't matter. To execute a forward stealth roll you have to be crouched and push X while moving forward. You can roll in any direction but keeping your point of view to keep track of all the enemies around you while you roll.

Gameplay: 10/10
The overall gameplay of Red Ninja: End of Honor is some of the best I could imagine for this genre. Vivendi Universal did an excellent job with the storyline and backgrounds for each character involved.

The main character, Kurenai, was traumatized as a child by watching her father get murdered before her for a special weapon he was building. The ninja who assassinated him hung Kurenai from a cherry tree with a steel wire, leaving her for dead. The head ninja of one of the two major ninja clans find her and adopts her as a daughter, and trains her in the life of ninjutsu. Kurenai uses her memory as motivation to become the cold-hearted killer any ninja should be.

Kurenai's weapon, the Tetsugen, has many uses in itself. It can be thrown from a distance to impale, snag, or hang your unsuspecting victims. The blade is used for impaling as well as melee attacks. Simply throw the blade and yank it out to separate your victim's torso at the waist. The wire can wrap up your target for a series of melee attacks. Finally, the blunt head called the fundo can crush a guard's skull or just hang them.

To make Kurenai's dream of revenge a reality, you must slay all of the ninja and samurai in the opposing clan. If you decide to make it as bloody and gory as possible, you want to master throwing the Tetsugen and ripping it out of your target. If you want to make a life of killing clean and interesting, you should master the art of Seduction. Kurenai has from what I've seen thus far four different Seduction animations.

Overall: 10/10
Red Ninja: End of Honor really is one of the best games ever made for the whole ninja-stealth genre. Like any other game it has its drawbacks but they are very minor and hardly noticeable unless you're really looking for them. This game is definitely a potential for the "Greatest Hits" label and should definitely be bought if you're into the stealth action.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 10/26/05