Ninja Warriors

"No better ninja way to pass the time..."

I found this game on alleged Ninja Day 2006 (December 5). On that same day, I read the history of the ninja, the biographies of certain famous ninja, played Ninja Gaiden until I found out that I wasn't too good at it, and watched Revenge of the Ninja.
All that aside, this game is not very well-known. Not something that 5 out of 10 random people at school would know about, not like Ninja Gaiden or Final Fight. Apart from its lack of popularity, it is a pretty good game. Let's not call this title among the greatest games of all time. It has its small flaws.

Graphics: 10/10
Best resolution capabilities for the time. As for the design, it was outstanding. Each of the three main characters were drawn with as much detail and ingenuity as possible. The outift worn by the Ninja character is a very accurate portrayal of a variation of a blue ninja uniform, the color signifying a high-ranking elite. The enemies are also well-designed. As for environment, I was impressed by the work that went into it. Not too much repetition and good variation. The motions and actions were well-put together, with almost no choppiness and a good incorporation of martial arts and sci-fi explodey stuff.

Gameplay: 8/10
While the blaster system is unique, it didn't make the game too genuine in my opinion. Gameplay overall can be awfully repetitve, if not worth a good laugh every now and then. I myself was quite amused as I saw an 8'-tall robot ninja blast through a concrete wall just to pursue the course of a very casual frontal assault, menacingly trodging his way through the legions of knife-wielding cannon fodder with one steady hook punch. Aside from that not being the way a ninja would approach the situation at all, I like the unstoppable feeling it gives you when playing the hulking strong robot ninja, being able to not only annihilate enemies quickly, but to also hoist them up with complete ease and toss them across the screen like a helpless rag doll. It's not too long before you finally get hit, which I think psychologically is quite dramatic. Throughout the game, the feeling of invincibility withers and you are faced with the inevitable fact that perhaps this game isn't too easy after all. But you soon think that that's okay, and you take advantage of its challenging nature by learning the special moves and when to use them. At times it seems that bosses can be rather aggravating, but with a well-woven strategy and some know-how about some cheap techniques that can protect you from being hit by that irritating deadly move that they do every four seconds, a boss can easily be beaten. In fact, a quite effective way would be to hide in a corner in your guard stance, wait until your blaster charges up, and use it. A fusion of the player's technique and the game's premise can prove to be a great source of enjoyment, which is what the game accomplishes the most in.

Storyline: 7/10
It wasn't much for storyline I must confess. It was legitimate, yes, but it wasn't woven throughout the game and I find myself inquiring often upon certain bosses. Why am I fighting them, what are their names, and why do they rock so hard but I barely know anything about them? I really liked the white-haired tiger master chakra user, but they won't tell me squat about him and that kinda bugs me. At times I think, they could've at least put little sequences in between levels.

Sound: 9/10
The music was pretty good. It wasn't totally something I would try to find remixes for to put them on a CD and listen to them every night, but they weren't unbearable. The sound effects were nicely done, very good for the time.

Overall: 9/10
Yes, overall, I'd say that this game is good to play if you're thoroughly bored and need to test your video game skills, but it's not healthy to indulge in this game every day of your life. And if you have a game that's just better than this one, don't hesitate to play that particular game. But if you've got a craving for a little ninja-robot action, then feel free to play this wonderful game.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/02/07