Developer: Kyugo Publisher: Taito Released: 1990 Genre: Action
I was never particularly fond of Wrath of the Black Manta growing up. It made no sense too; this was the height of the ninja craze. You had movies like American Ninja, games like Shinobi and Ninja Gaiden and to say nothing of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Yet something about this particular game rubbed me the wrong way. I genuinely hated the game back in the day but have warmed up to it somewhat now. While I won’t say Wrath of the Black Manta is a bad game it isn’t necessarily good either.
Wrath of the Black Manta is almost a completely different game from its Japanese counterpart, Ninja Cop Saizou. While it uses the general framework a good portion of its elements have been reworked. The story is different, with children around the world being kidnapped to sell drugs for an evil organization. The game has a heavy anti-drug message but that is nothing new; it was the 80s. The cutscenes and some bosses have been redrawn in a more realistic style, or about as realistic as the NES can manage. It is not a complete remake like Power Blade but is close and for the better.
Mechanically Black Manta is similar to Shinobi. You have throwing stars for long distance attacks and a short sword for melee. You also have a variety of ninja arts activated with simple button commands. Unlike Sega’s game you only need to charge the meter to use them and can spam ninja magic as much as you like. These range from offensive spells like fire ring and fire rain to utility like the art of the spider. New arts are learned after every level and can be switched at any time.
As you progress through every level you enter rooms and save children. Generally these children will point you to hidden rooms where you can find power-ups or more kids. Certain thugs can be strong armed for information although it isn’t helpful. In terms of its movement and the pace of its levels Black Manta has a lot in common with Rolling Thunder. There are doors everywhere and you spend your time moving between two separate plains. But unlike that game Black Manta is incredibly repetitive. The levels drag on longer than they should and repeat entire sections two or three times. They try to vary things up in different settings but you still end up doing the same thing. It’s a shame too as the ninja arts are fun to play around with but the game gives little reason to use them most of the time.
That is because Black Manta is incredibly easy. The hints given will point you to rooms that have health items frequently. You don’t even need to go that far however. The numerous rooms have the same three thugs that attack in the same pattern every time. Clearing a room will restore most of your health, and you can repeat the cycle as much as you like. It is rare that you aren’t at full health outside of the boss battles. The only frustrating element is the final boss battle. Here you need to use four specific arts to defeat him. The problem is the game doesn’t tell you. If it weren’t for Nintendo Power I would never have figured it out. Looking around the internet I wasn’t the only one.
It’s a shame the game isn’t better as it has a goofy charm. By remaking so many of its elements the developers tried to play it serious. But the result is the game comes across goofier than its Japanese counterpart in some ways. Interrogating thugs leads to some incredibly corny dialogue, both from our hero and the crooks. The children you are saving look like adults from the 70s. Compared to Ninja Cop Saizou Black Manta is tame.
Ninja Cop Saizou can’t decide if it wants to be serious or a comedy. The cutscenes feature an anime style that borders on comedic. Black Manta’s sprite looks realistic but the enemies are cartoonish, especially the first boss, Tiny. But that is nothing compared to the rest of the game. Late in the game you’ll fight flying eyeballs and lightning demons. But what really takes the cake is the final boss that turns out to be an alien! The game didn’t just jump the shark it ate it.
In Closing
I’ve come around on Wrath of the Black Manta but still can’t recommend it. There are plenty of ninja games that do everything it does better. It’s worth laughing at but we have youtube for that. Play something else instead.
