Developer: Natsume Publisher: Taito Release: 02/94 Genre: Beat em up
Original home beat ‘em ups usually fell into one of two categories. Those that adhered to the Final Fight/Double Dragon mold, which is the majority. And those that tried something different. Games like Melfand Stories and Splatterhouse may not have been the greatest but at least they tried something new. Sadly, by the mid-90s the brawler was on the wane in favor of fighting games. A near endless parade of fighting games. Taito released the Ninja Warriors into this market and it did not get the attention it deserves. The Ninja Warriors is everything a sequel should be: faithful to the original while adding to its mechanics. In every way this is a far better title than the original arcade game.
The Ninja Warriors is an exclusive home sequel to the arcade from the 80s. That game was unique for its time with its use of a triple monitor setup. Truthfully that is about all it had going for it as it wasn’t a particularly good game. Taito and Natsume trade side-scrolling action for fisticuffs to create one of the better brawlers for the SNES in my opinion.
Both androids from the arcade game return and are joined by a third. Their names are a bit on the nose but whatever. Kunoichi surprisingly is the most balanced of the three. Ninja (seriously?) is the slow strong man of the group. Kamaitachi is new to the series and pretty unique. His long arms and speed make up for his lack of power. It would have been cool if they did not neatly fit into genre tropes but what can you do?
The differences between characters go beyond the neat little tropes they fit into. Kunoichi, although she isn’t the fastest, has some of the best crowd control techniques. She has multiple throws and can foot stomp off enemies repeatedly if you are skilled enough. Kamaitachi actually can’t grab enemies to throw them which is sacrilegious in a brawler. Instead he has a variety of long-range techniques to keep enemies at bay. Ninja is the most unique. Weighing in at 1500 lbs. means he cannot jump. Instead he performs a shoulder charge. In place of a dashing attack he has a flying leg drop. Obviously, he is the strongest but the power difference is substantial. Enemies that take multiple hits from the other two go down in two or three hits from him. Strong but slow characters aren’t my favorite but in this case I enjoyed using him.
Next to the physical differences between characters what I enjoy about the Ninja Warriors is the large variety of techniques between characters. This is the one area the majority of brawlers falter and where the Ninja Warriors excels. Aside from your standard multi-hit combo there are a variety of throws, escape techniques, and secondary techniques performed with simple button combos. The blaster gauge slowly charges and can be used to enhance your attacks or as a super move. It is similar to Denjin Makai, and making use of the meter adds an element of strategy to the game.
Although the action is on a singe plane it is no less intense. Crowd control plays a larger role since you can’t circle around enemies as in a typical belt scroller. The pace is quick as most standard enemies die in a single hit. When paired with some of the more troublesome enemies it can quickly become overwhelming. Even though the levels are a straight line the Ninja Warriors keeps things entertaining by mixing up enemy types and environmental hazards. Once again the pacing is excellent as they introduce new enemies in every stage up until the end. Even though this is long by beat em up standards at eight levels I was never bored thanks to the excellent design.
The Ninja Warriors is moderately challenging although technically it should be harder. You only have a single life and infinite continues. Death sends you back to the beginning of the current stage which is rough. Yet it is still fair. The life bar is extremely long, meaning you can take a lot of punishment. There is usually only one health power-up per stage but it is where you need it most. When it picks up toward the end it becomes a test to see how well you have learned the game’s mechanics. That’s not to say it is perfect; bosses are still incredibly cheap as in most brawlers. However the balance is in the player’s favor.
In Closing
This is how you update a game. The Ninja Warriors is a fantastic sequel to the arcade game and one of the SNES’ best brawlers. High production values, excellent gameplay, and a well-paced adventure await those who track this gem down.
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