Welcome to another edition of Playing With Power. The review article that looks at all things Nintendo Entertainment System. And this week, it’s time to cover one of the true legends of the console. A game so challenging, so daunting, so finger-achingly hard that you truly have to be a ninja to take it on full force. That game of course is Ninja Gayden… err, Ninja Guydin. Wait, how exactly was it pronounced again? Oh wait, I remember how they pronounced it in The Wizard.
Ninja Gai-Den. Hai.
Is this truly an honorable ninja adventure, or will it make you want to commit seppuku? Let’s find out with the review.
YEAR OF RELEASE: 1989
PUBLISHER: Tecmo
GENRE: Action Platformer
Tecmo was starting to etch their name out in the video game world by the time they released Ninja Gaiden on the NES. Ninja Gaiden had first started off as a beat-em up arcade game, which itself proved to be a hit. But taking into consideration the popularity of ninjas in the US at the time, Tecmo would start working on an NES port of the game at the same time as not just the arcade game, but another hit title for the console, Tecmo Bowl.
However, instead of just porting over the arcade beat-em-up, the game’s director, Hideo Yoshikawa wanted it to be a more of a platformer in the vein of the ever-popular Mario series. But it definitely drew bigger inspiration gameplay-wise from Castlevania, but we’ll get into that when we talk gameplay.
Yoshikawa also wanted to make sure that this game was far less mindless than most games at the time, and put more emphasis on story, which was told in the game with over 20 minutes of animated cut scenes, to which they referred to as Tecmo Theater. The company made sure to pull out all the stops.
Ninja Gaiden was released to the US in March of 1989, and in the UK (Renamed Shadow Warriors due to the infamous censorship of the word Ninja in the UK at the time) in 1991. The game proved its worth by being a huge hit. It would go on to spawn two more sequels for the NES, plus subsequent other games. The franchise even got rebooted in the mid-2000’s, and that franchise itself has seen a trilogy. But how good is the first game? Let’s push onward.
COVER STORY
The Ninja Gaiden box arts are some of the best for the NES, and the first one is definitely no exception. You have Ryu Hayabusa front and center on he cover with his weapons out, looking like a true bad ass., while the city behind him is on fire. How can you not be drawn in to the awesomeness of the cover? This one is a definite eye catcher that works on so many awesome levels.
STORY
The story of Ninja Gaiden stars a ninja named Ryu Hayabusa. When he learns about the death of his father Ken (Yes, Ryu and Ken. Think about that), he sets out to avenge his father by defeating his killer. But his journey is filled with twists and turns, as he has to find an archaeologist, and discover the truth about powerful statues, while also dealing with an evil being known as The Jaquio, and a woman named Irene Lew. Can Ryu solve this mystery, and stop an ancient evil from being awakened?
GAMEPLAY
Ninja Gaiden is a one player action platformer. You control Ryu Hayabusa as he must go from level to level to put a stop to the evil Jaquio and his minions. You move Ryo with the D-Pad, jump with A, and attack with the B button. You can also use alternate weapons by holding up and the B button.
The gameplay of the game is very similar to that of Castlevania. Stages are broken into different segments, and each end with a big boss to deal with. Another element that is similar is the extra weapons you can use. Each level has a multitude of items you can slash that will drop random items (one level they’ll be lanterns, or others birds). These include Spiritual Strength icons, which add to your special attack power, similar to hearts from Castlevania. You can hold 99 spiritual strength icons at one time.
The special weapons Ryu can possess include small throwing stars with a decent range, a boomerang shuriken, a screw-attack style jumping spin-slash attack, and a fire wheel shot. Each of these special weapons take up to five points of strength to use, so they’re definitely not worth spamming as they can run out fast.
Other items Ryu can find include 1-ups (albeit rare), health bottles that restore Ryu’s health by six points, an hourglass that will stop all enemies for a short amount of time, bonus point bags that deliver either 500 or 1000 point increases. And there’s the invincibility wheel, which can make Ryu untouchable for a short period of time.
Another ability Ryu possesses is the ability to cling to walls, like any skilled ninja should. Just jump atany wall, and he should stick right on. However, therein lays a rather annoying issue. You can’t physically climb up or down with the up or down button. Instead, you can only ascend by jumping upwards, which feels really awkward and hard to do. Also, if you’re clinging on a wall, and an enemy like the falcon attacks you, you’re a sitting duck. This is thankfully fixed in the later games.
The game is broken into six stages, and 20 in-game levels. You’ll travel through streets, temples, jungles, and other hazardous areas filled with everything from Ninjas, zombies, bazooka blasters, and the most deadly enemy of all, the falcons. These devilish enemies will swoop at you, and almost always manage to take you out. And almost always conveniently near an open pit. Each stage ends with a boss battle, and they range from really tough, to surprisingly easy if you get the predictable pattern.
You start with three lives, and have 16 hit points. When you either lose all your health, or the timer runs out, you will of course lose a life. Lose all your lives and it’s game over. And trust me, you will be losing a lot of lives really fast. Enemies respawn quickly and are all over the place. In later levels there will always be at least one or two inconveniently placed enemies that may lead to your doom on multiple occasions.
You do get unlimited continues, which are a godsend for a game so challenging. However, you’ll have to start at the beginning of that section of the stage if you die. However, if you die against a boss, even with lives left, you’ll end up all the way back to the first of the stage. Which is a massive pain if you make it to stage six and get to Jaquio, who has three forms to deal with. The game has very few hit detection issues, and the controls all feel responsive. The jump is a bit hit and miss, but compared to games like Castlevania, it’s far better handled.
GRAPHICS
The game has amazing graphics for its time. Levels are well detailed in their backgrounds and sprites. But the most impressive thing is the animated cut scenes. They all look incredible, and for the first major cut scene heavy game on the NES, it’s knocked out of the park. Even the first scene in the game with the two ninjas facing off with one another is still an incredible and memorable scene. Tecmo knew their stuff with graphics, and this is definitely one of their finest.
SOUND
The game has some great tunes. Some of the finest on the NES. Very energetic and action filled. There are also quite a few tunes in the game that are definite ear worms as well. Tecmo also knew their stuff with quality soundtracks, and their finest works came out of the Ninja Gaiden games, especially the first.
TUNE OF THE GAME
So many great tunes in this game, but if I had to pick the one that stands out most for me, it’s easily the boss fight music. main reason being that it actually sounds daunting, and it helps add to the awesomeness of the battles in the game.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUaLw5qqOHE
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Ninja Gaiden is a tough game, but really one of the most fun games on the NES. The graphics are beyond top notch for the console. The controls work fine save for some mild jumping issues and the wall cling. Music is excellent and keeps you immersed, and the story is one of the strongest for its time and still holds up quite well.
But what makes it work the most is the fact that despite its high challenge, it still feels far more beatable than many legendary hard games for the NES like Battletoads or Ghosts and Goblins. Heck, even I managed to beat this game, albeit after quite a few days of trial and error. But I never hated the experience, and that’s the sign of a good challenging game. If you can find this game, it’s definitely worth the play. Though you’ll definitely need some ninja training before you can truly take on this challenge.
RATING: Thumbs Up