The Revenge of Shinobi (1989)

I forgot to review this 4 months ago, so I did a short play through to remember the game and review it. This is probably the first quality Sega Genesis game released in the early period of the console. it is a great all rounder while still having its own draw backs, it doesn't effect the game as much as the rest of the early Genesis games lineup.

It felt something made first for the home console, which is not something the early line for the Genesis is known for. you run at your own pace, discover secret areas, grind if you want, there is a sense of metroidvania, and early beat'em ups in the gameplay, and it feels balanced in the right way. it ticks all the boxes for an early hit.

However, I find it extremely absurd, ridiculous, and wild that you play against the likes of Hulk, Batman, Spiderman, and Godzilla, yet no one cared to sue Sega for copyright infringement or whatever. Like, you play against Spiderman and Batman at the same fight!

Preliminary: I'm worried to read that the game gets unfairly difficult later, but I enjoyed the first segment (I got a victory sounding tune and a black screen, not sure if that was the end of a level or what). I like using projectiles in platformers, tho I hope ammo won't become an issue (it hasn't yet). And the Sound and Look are great. Here goes nothing.

Ugh yea it's starting to get frustrating. But the music is so good! I thought a jump on Stage 2 was impossible but turns out there is double jump. And ahhhh I was about to call it quits cuz the collision masks for the flying enemies is so bad but the dim city part of Stage 2 is so great looking.

Why exactly do my shurikens do no damage just because an enemy is roll jumping? lol. This dance place boss is really frustrating this may be where I stop

Oh wait I used some sort of power up and it got much more tolerable of a boss (ironically him as a shadow was easier than the first part imo). And now I'm on Stage 3. But yea if it weren't for the great music this would just be a status update and a 2 star, but this might be worthy at least of a 3 even if I call it quits early. That seems to be a more common thing as I get into the era I love so much (Genesis, SNES) where the Look and Sound are just too nice to simply give a 2 and move on, and the Play has moved on from the mid-80s to where I probly should raise my expectations but like, I was raised on SNES and early PS1, so clunkiness is.. tolerable haha.

Yeaaaa Stage 3 is too hard for me. Like I said, seems a lot of games gonna be getting 3 stars despite not finishing them, but just seems to be the way as I transition into the 90s.

Look: 7.5/10 I really should start giving this type Look a 7 because it's the standard. I think starting in 90 I will, but for now it still has such a "ahead of its time" vibe tho it's very much so of its time haha

Sound: 8/10 The highlight for sure. It possibly could even be higher if I had gotten more into the game.

Play: 7/10 I can't deny action platformers. Didn't like how confusing some of the level design was but it's basically a platformer with projectiles and magic available so I can't complain. Well, can't complain until it got too hard :-p

Feel: 7/10 Again, I'm thinking I will have to start recognizing that games like this and Final Fight are that special for their time, and that thought in the back of my mind definitely influenced both their Feels.

Attachment: 7/10 The music alone is worth returning to, but yeah. Doubt I will be replaying it.

Overall: 7.3/10

Completion: Stage 3

Playtime: ~30 mins

Cmon late 80s games, just start giving me a difficulty option setting like the old Atari games!!

This game is a classic, and rightfully so. The gameplay can be rough but is extremely fun and quite addictive, the story's cool. The (mostly) unlicensed cameos from pop culture characters can be funny, and the sprites have aged really well. Yuzo Koshiro strikes again with a phenomenal, catchy soundtrack that utilizes a limited sound system and is still able to sound amazing, what a feckin' genius Koshiro is. Then again, the final stage is one of the main negatives of the game. It's downright impossible without a guide, with no tips on how to get through it whatsoever. Some of the enemies' attacks can be really hard to dodge, which sort of ruins any 'no damage' speedruns. The final boss is nigh impossible with a guide, you have to be really precise with how you hit him, but the Wig Samurai fight is quite rewarding when you finally beat him. I'm giving the game a 'good and a half' 7/10. I heavily recommend it to all retro game fans who like Ninja Gaiden or side scrollers in general.

I really love Shinobi III, and also enjoyed Shadow Dancer quite a bit. But loads of people say their favorite Shinobi on the Genesis is the first one, Revenge of Shinobi. I finally played through it in an effort to figure out why that is, but in the end I'm still not sure. Revenge is a vastly clunkier, less-polished game than III.

Of course, Shinobi has always been the slower, more methodical series of ninja games -- but the ninja's moves in this one are too limited for my liking, and I could never get the hang of that double-jump. Levels look all right, but are generally uninteresting to fight through. I do like the music, and I do like the memorable bosses (though a couple were a real pain). But for the most part I just found this game a slog, and having the last level be a giant maze of random doorways was not a good note to end on. I'll stick with III and Shadow Dancer for repeat visits.

After the jump in quality from Shadow Dancer, Shinobi decides to hop on consoles. While comfortably adjusting to console mechanics, it seems to make decisions that make it even more frustrating and difficult to love.

Three years after the first Shinobi, the Zeed organization (renamed Neo Zeed) kills Joe's master and kidnaps Joe's bride! What will Joe do? Spanning 8 worlds with three stages each, there's something less brisk and more sloggy about this iteration. Joe now has limited kunai (for some reason?) It's not particularly a problem if the player's shots land where they need to but can be a pain if the player needs some shots to get around a tough defense or play defensively. No dog comes to the rescue here.

The main event for Joe's new moves is his double jump. By tapping the jump button at a very specific point in time after the first one, he can do a rolling second jump that can spread a wide arc of kunai. This seems cool at first, but the timing of the double jump can be infuriating - this forces the player to get stuck jumping in a very specific way instead of being able to strategize where they can double jump. The platforming also requires the most perfect double jumping - imagine pits where if the player is jumping at a running start from the very edge of the platform without falling off, they still might fall off. Lastly, the wide arc is a useful attack but wastes kunai.

The visuals aren't quite on the level of Shadow Dancer, but the later levels feature animated waves that look at least a little gorgeous. The bosses feature shameless ripoffs of The Terminator, Spiderman, Devilman, and even Godzilla. Most of the time they're cruel and tough as nails but the cameos make this game somewhat of a curiosity. The music uses the Genesis audio to its finest work but still manages to be somewhat forgettable. The ringing sound effects that feel inspired by Sonic are cool enough.

I had high hopes for this game after the high on Shadow Dancer, but Shinobi seems bent on forging a new and frustrating path. Here's hoping another iteration will make it more enjoyable.

About the Game:

Revenge of Shinobi is a game about a high-jumping but slow-moving stealth assassin in a bright white ninja suit who gets hit by cars.

I've never played a Shinobi game before this one, but I've always been familiar with the pedigree. I know it's been compared to greats like Ninja Gaiden and Strider, and I was really excited to finally play it.

Gameplay:

The premise is simple and functional; your master is killed and you're out to take revenge on the organization responsible. I wasn't expecting too much from the story department from a game like this, despite Ninja Gaiden setting a solid precedent for ninja game storytelling, and I was happy to get to the game.

It's immediately obvious that Shinobi is NOT Ninja Gaiden or Strider. Sprites are large, movement is slow and combat focuses on throw projectiles as opposed to swinging a melee weapon. These design choices are fine, but you certainly never feel like a ninja as you plod through stages. You start the game with 50 throwing knives, and can pick up more throughout the levels by smashing open crates. Said crates can contain extra throwing knives, health, lives and a power-up that sets your knives on fire and allows you to use a sword in melee range, but honestly about half the crates in any given stage just contain a bomb. Honestly I found this to be extremely tiring, as it forces you to remember which crates will inexplicably kill you and takes away a certain amount of reward from playing.

The game mostly handles okay with one major flaw being the double-jump mechanic. Pressing the jump button at the peak of your jump (which seems to vary based on the actual jump) will cause you to double jump. Attacking while double-jumping allows you to launch a barrage of eight knives in a 90º arc. Double-jumping is also a requirement to progress through most levels. The problem is how inconsistent the double jump can be, and that missing it often means falling into a pit.

You can also used ninja magic, often once per stage. These abilities can grant you an invincibility shield, fill the screen with fire, double your jump height or cause you to self destruct (but not die). These abilities can be extremely useful in getting through stages, but you'll often want to save them for the difficult boss encounters.

Presentation, Music and Sound:

Visually, especially for a 1989 title, Revenge of Shinobi is quite impressive. Detailed spritework, parallax scrolling and a good use of colors make this one very easy on the eyes. I will say that I think everything is a bit too large for a platforming game though, which can make avoiding enemies and projectiles difficult. Even before the game actually starts you're treated to an impressive little sequence that has the main character deflecting shurikens with his sword before fading into the title screen, and it's unfortunate we didn't see more scenes like that during the game to help tell a story.

The music is fine but forgettable, and the clinks and clangs of various weapons sound good.

Fun & Relevance:

Despite looking forward to it, I really didn't enjoy my time with Revenge of Shinobi. I found the game to be slow and unexciting, and missing that double-jump was extremely frustrating. Turning on the infinite ammo cheat and setting the difficulty to easy actually made the game a lot more fun, but not enough to keep me engaged. That said, this game looks really amazing compared to others of the era, as the graphics could have easily passed int he early-mid 90's and we haven't even reached that decade yet!

Review:

Playthrough: