Ninja Saviors looks primed to be an instant classic, with a slick and gorgeous redrawn remake of the original with new moves, new mechanics, and new characters. Sadly, not all of it works but there's some fun to be had within!

Choosing between one of five ninja androids, the player is part of a rebel faction sent to overthrow the evil tyrant Banglar. The player moves along a single plane (no belt) but advances in typical beat-em up fashion over eight stages. Players can do moves like jumps, grabs, blocks, and a variety of attack moves based on character, and the movesets/capabilities can vary dramatically from character to character. There is also a rechargeable battery meter that can be used for special attacks or a screen clear, which can help in a pinch (but depletes if hit too hard).

The character movesets here are truly the star of the show, with characters having unique boost dashes, spin throws, shuriken, back spikes, transformations, and large tentacle arms to dispatch foes. Learning movesets are crucial, as most characters have some weaknesses that makes them a little irritating to play. Having little to no air, movesets heavily limited by battery meter, and pathetically short range can hamper a lot of playthroughs, but thankfully there's one or two characters (read: Kamaitachi) that can be relied upon.

The stages are exciting to play through at first but are fairly long for a beat-em up, making replays and 1CC practice fairly repetitive after awhile. Most of the difficulty comes from managing a bunch of foes at once, using throws and other moves to crowd control and act as extra damage to tougher enemies and bosses. Bosses vary wildly in difficulty, with the majority being either fairly manageable/cakewalks to massive spikes that will almost always end a run. Luckily there are continues to push past these but there's a lot of repetition and dullness for those looking to go the old-fashioned route. The final boss in particular is a unique standout challenge on its own but very cruel to those fighting for over an hour and for some characters (Raiden) just a miserable time. The game feels designed for only a specific type of character and new additions fit poorly into this puzzle. There is co-op for friends but the game adopts a peculiar design with a shared health/battery bar that makes it even more difficult to manage and should be for more casual playthroughs only.

For presentation and those just looking to have a carefree fun time the game is deliciously smooth in visuals. Enhanced sound quality and soundtrack is energetic and carries hints of Japanese folk music (for the ninja part!) and the animations and stages are works of art to behold. Whether it's embarrassingly large android breasts or sleek insectoid physiques, the characters are lovingly detailed and rendered.

Ninja Saviors is a pretty decent comeback for Ninja Warriors and beat-em ups in general, but has quite a few character balance issues and repetition/frustration that keeps it from reaching the heights of better beat em' ups today.