Snes - Ninja Warriors Review

The Ninja Warriors again is the sequel to the Arcade game the Ninja Warriors so do not attempt to look for the prequel in the SNES game market. The game is based around three experimental androids created by rebels to battle the evil armies of Banglar. Unfortunately Baglar's armies overwhelmed the rebels and the three experimental androids were released to assassinate Banglar. If you do get the game, get the Japanese one because everything is in English with Japanese subtitles and you can see green fluid spurt when you hit someone.

Gameplay 10/10

This is the bench mark game when it comes to gameply. You get three fighters who are not (like many games) well-disguised clones of each other but have distinct fighting skills, moves and methods.

For example, the Kamaitachi is fast at attacking so you should jump in and attack as fast as possible even when the odds are against you because your quick attack will make fast work out of the enemies and you can use your hopping attacks to bounce away.

The Kunoichi however is average at attacking, has a shorter range and can not hop away after attacking. So you should use her triangle kick to keep the enemies away or jump in and keep pounding.

Finally the Ninja is powerful, has a long range but slow so your best bet is not to jump in because he is really heavy and can not jump properly but to wait for the enemy and punch him out.

It is important to note a series of normal attacks ends in a special move like the Kamaitachi spins his arms around. This special move does two thing. One, it removes the enemies by smacking them to the floor thereby clearing the area for you to move and two it renders you temporarily invincible. The invincibility may seem unreal but it ensures that any one coming from the back can't have a cheap shot. In most games while you are engaged fighting one enemy the other's come from behind and get a free blow which is annoying because you can't disengage yourself from the opponent infront. This sort of evens it up greatly increasing my opinion of the gameplay.

There is of course a destroy everything in the screen attack which takes time to charge up but does not use up life which is good and unlimited continues. Trust me, those are sorely needed when you are starting.

Graphics 5/5

The graphics are excellent. While not computerised like Donkey Kong or Primal rage they are clear, smooth and dare I say well drawn.

Sound and Music 4/5

The sound is futuristic and fast paced but at times can be repetitive and annoying. Still, considering this is Sci-fi game the sound fits. The cries of the enemies could use a bit variation too.

Game Design 5/5

One thing you notice is you can't actually walk up and down the screen nor are there any platforms to jump across but this actually improves the design and gameplay because you can focus on two sides rather than four making the action more intense and you don't have to worry about falling in a pit and losing all your life after plowing through all those enemies with narry a scratch.

Also the enemy types are predictable which may seem dull but because you know how they fight you can mentally prioritise and judge whether you should leap in or stay further away.

Longevity 4/5

Ninja warriors again will be last a fair time, longer most other games because of the unique abilities of each fighter rather than the clone moves of most other fighters. It's quite challenging as well even on Normal so attempting to finish the game without cheating or using a continue is a feat in itself. The only problem is the fact that there are no new stages or different areas where you can choose to fight which is a bit of a shame because it would be interesting to have 3 areas and be able to assign a different ninja to clear a different area.

For: Unique fighting moves, good graphics great gameplay, more replayable than similar games.

Against: Sounds and music sometimes annoying.

Game: Ninja warriors Again (Japanese name), the Ninja warriors (USA name)
Genre: Action

Produced by: Natsume

Platform: SNES

Runs on: Zsnes

and SNES 9x

Year: 1994

Scoring summary

Gameplay: 10/10

Graphics: 5/5

Sound and Music: 4/5

Game Design: 5/5

Longevity: 4/5

Total: 28/30

Rating

93%

Platinum Award!

-Reviewed by Barnabas