Two retro 2d ninja games so similar so close but the presentation styles are indeed: July 31st is the release date of Koei TECMO’s “Ninja Gaiden – Bond of Fury”
July 31st is the release date of Koei TECMO’s “Ninja Gaiden – Bond of Fury”, and it is also the day when the trial version of SEGA’s “Shinobi Counterattack: Slash” is released.
Two classic ninja masterpieces from the past suddenly reappeared in front of old players, which can be described as full of emotions! (There is no trial version of Ninja Gaiden for home consoles, so we have to wait for the release date) The “Ninja Gaiden” trilogy is a FC work. Although there is an SFC version ported, the graphics are actually only a little better, and the Super Nintendo performance is not fully utilized.
In 1991 and 1992, SEGA rented TECMO’s “NINJA GAIDEN” (the name of the overseas version of “Ninja Gaiden”) and launched it in the Game Gear version and Master System version. However, SEGA already had the “Shinobi” brand in 1987, so it is unknown why it did not use its own Ninja brand.
The first generation of “Shinobi” was an arcade game, and the second generation was “Shadow Dancer” with a ninja dog. “The Super Shinobi” that went to MD is the first episode of the new generation (the overseas version is “The Revenge of Shinobi”). Basically, the SHINOBI home orthodox series is recognized by players from this generation, and the gameplay and system have begun to be established.
The Super Shinobi and the second-generation Super Shinobi II performed well on the MD console. However, in the SATURN era and the era of 3D CG popularity, this “New Shinobi” (overseas version of Shinobi Legions (also known as Shinobi EX / Shinobi X) It adopts a live-action tokusatsu ninja style, and the picture is inspired by the Mortal Kombat of the year. In addition, the SS video is very bad and looks very shoddy…
The game was obviously not bad, but in that era when CG and 3D polygons were emerging, Shinobi was naturally inconspicuous…
After that, Shinobi’s new work was going to SEGA’s discontinued console. As the third factory to develop works for PS2, Shinobi (2002) and Kunoichi (2003) (overseas version of Nightshade) were launched. However, it seems that the response was not very satisfactory, and Shinobi disappeared after that… The response to the Ninja Gaiden reboot in 2004 was much different… (According to information, the total sales volume of Shinobi’s full series of peace platforms is only about 4.6 million units. The total sales volume of the full series of Shinobi platforms is about 7.5 million units)
The two new works are so similar yet so easy to separate…
I often say that SS and PS lack 2D side-scrolling games. You see, CAPCOM didn’t even port FINAL FIGHT back then. Everyone focused on 3DCG and the new polygon market. Even in DC, there are no standard-definition (640×480) 3D side-scrolling games.
So this kind of work seems to be missing in both the PS1 and PS2 eras… leaving veteran players with a hole in their hearts that cannot be filled.
Fortunately, the players who were moved by these back then have joined the game development industry. In the high-definition era, they have cooperated with these established manufacturers to make these classic games high-definition or remake them, and even develop a new generation of sequels! The previous Street of Rage 4 (Street of Rage 4) is a successful example. Anyway, the game producer back then may have retired… The game company itself does not want to develop it, so it is a good thing to pass it on to the new generation.
I had already written an article before when I was playing the trial version of Renjiu. It was basically a jumping game on a high-speed road! The picture style is the 320 × 224 picture of the NEO GEO 16BIT or SS 32BIT era, while Shinobi uses 2D high-definition picture quality.
The operation and appearance of Shinobi try to give you the feeling of “Ninja Gaiden” back then, but the operation of Shinobi is actually different from the previous three games! Moreover, the operation configuration and actions of Ninwai and Shinobi are very similar. The only difference is that the main character Kenji’s moves have been fixed and he has not upgraded to more powerful moves! You can only buy equipment that increases the effect. Instead, the heroine Jiu Seal Shuriken can purchase equipment with different attributes to attack. Of course, some of the abilities of Jiu Seal can be displayed on Kenji.
The protagonist of Shinobi, Joey Musashi, does not have the ability to jump twice to launch a row of shurikens like in the old game in the trial version. However, he does have light slashes and heavy slashes like the XBOX Ninja Gaiden. The combination can be used to create powerful combos! You can upgrade and add new moves by purchasing it, and it feels like a Ninja Gaiden-like punch.
This Shinobi game feels refreshing to me. Although I thought it was an old version of the game just by looking at the picture, it feels much more flexible. At least it feels much better than “Ninja Gaiden – Bond of Fury”! Both shurikens are consumables. Joey makes the grappling hooks cling to specific walls and ceilings, otherwise they will slowly slide down… Kenji, on the other hand, can cling firmly to walls and mountain walls without worrying about falling.
Shinobi is still in charge of the development studio of “Strikes of Rage 4”, so the character design style is somewhat similar, but the style of Joey’s wife Naoko is too similar to the “Fist” manga author Fujiwara Yoshihide, right? (smile)
Speaking of Naoko, there is a white dog in the opening screen, which should be the ninja dog from “Shadow Dancer”. This game has been officially confirmed to be the second episode of the arcade version of Shinobi, and the protagonist is the same Joey Musashi. Although the ninja dog in the picture is a puppy, you can see from the promotional pictures that the ninja dog has grown in size. And this scene can’t help but remind people of the horse racing scene in the second episode of MD.
Since this is a trial version, I can only talk about so much! Next, I want to write down some thoughts on “Ninja Gaiden – Bond of Fury”, which has completed the AB ending.
In fact, the previous trial version made me feel that I couldn’t control this game. After all, I am older and don’t have the patience to die and start over again. Now that I have so many games in my game library, I can change games if I feel uncomfortable.
In fact, the last trial version came with an auxiliary mode. This game did not set up an easy or normal mode at the beginning. Instead, it turned on the auxiliary mode and set the amount of damage deducted from your health, the range of special attacks, etc. It’s basically like turning on a cheat, allowing you to play easily! Even so, if you should fall to death, you will still fall to death! Since the level design of this game is almost all about jumping, if you are struggling with jumping, the auxiliary mode will not be able to help you.
The male and female protagonists Xian Er and Jiu Yin interacted well. At first Xian Er disliked Jiu Yin who was born as a spider. But gradually as they cooperated, the two gradually trusted each other, and even in the end they were reluctant to let each other disappear…
I originally thought that the ending would tell the story of Ryu Hayabusa and his father to pick up “Ninja Gaiden 4”, but unfortunately it didn’t. Because you can control Ryu Hayabusa’s father Hayabusa from the beginning of the game, but without the shuriken, decapitation, or rolling skills, and the last screen takes over the opening OP of the first episode of “Ninja Gaiden”.
The game is basically about men and women choosing a route to reach the AB ending route, which is the old-fashioned plot of who is left to guard the gate of the demon world and who is born in another day.
If you choose Xian’er to escape, Xian’er will go to the Spider Headquarters to blame the Spider Queen, and say that Jiuyin will come back from hell to settle accounts with you! Speaking of the Spider Queen, she started appearing in NDS, and then in SIGMA 2 and 3. She was completely defeated every time, and I thought she was dead, but she appeared in every episode! This is the first time he has appeared in human form.
If you choose Jiuyin to escape, Jiuyin will go to Hayabusa Sato to report the news of Kenji. Ryu Hayabusa, who has returned to Japan at this time, will say that even Hayabusa-ryu ninjas choose to do this! The Earth Spider clan of Jiuyin are Hayabusa-style ninjas and are mortal enemies. Because Muramasa once witnessed Kenji and Jiuyin cooperating, Ryu Hayabusa believes that Jiuyin and Jiuyin should be proud! Jiuyin said: “In terms of the Falcon School?” Does it mean that Jiuyin will correct his evil ways and return to the right path in the future?
After exploding the machine, you can get the traditional blue Ninja Dragon Sword transmission suit. In fact, it is modified from Kaiyuan Hayabusa’s red costume. Jiuyin has the Earth Spider suit. In addition, there are blast costumes and motorcycle suits waiting for you to unlock.
Although it is a game that requires a high level of jumping reaction, players can buy it with confidence thanks to the official cheat code! It also supports older generation consoles such as PS4, XBOX, and SWITCH. I’m also looking forward to the next “Shinobi Counterattack” and “Ninja Gaiden 4”