Review: Ninja Gaiden (Virtual Console)
NES, 1989; VC release 14 May 2007; 500 Points.
What is it?
Ninja Gaiden was a platformer/brawler from Tecmo that came out on the NES in 1989. It was the first of a trilogy for the platform, and while it shares a great deal with its contemporary Castlevania, it’s a much faster, demanding, and challenging game.
Ryu runs through six levels, fighting a variety of enemies who come at him in an overwhelming fashion, in an attempt to avenge the murder of his father and recover a pair of statues from the enemy. A number of different attacks are available, because of ninja magic powerups and the like, including the enemy-devouring spinning slash, which should be treasured as long as you can hold onto it.
How does it play?
When Ninja Gaiden for NES hit the Wii Virtual Console back in May, I was pretty excited. Here’s what I said:
The control in the game is very impressive for its era. It’s so much tighter than the original Castlevania. It is enemy spawn hell though. Got to love those football players launching through the air to their death in an infinite loop in stage 2-1. Good times… or as Ryu would say, “…”
Sometimes, our memories will play tricks on us. Other times, we will simply remember a game as challenging, rather than cheap, because of a lack of perspective. In other words, in 1989, what did we really have to compare Ninja Gaiden to? Many games, due to poor design, were cheap and challenging in ways they shouldn’t be. Without two decades or so of platformers to compare Ninja Gaiden to, it was a much better game.
The respawns are infuriating in the game, because simply taking a step backward to dispatch an enemy can be enough to trigger a respawn of that same enemy. The moment you leap for a platform, the enemy you just killed on the next platform reappears, sending a missile attack your way that knocks you out of the air to your death. Take damage, and the invincibility time is so short that if there’s more than one enemy on the screen, you’re likely to be juggled to your death before you can do anything about it. Find a window to attack, and you could be shocked to see your sword pass right through the enemy several times without doing any damage before the enemy simply brushes you off the edge into a bottomless pit.
This is more than memorization. The slightest change in how you move through the stage will dramatically change how many enemies are on the screen and where they are. You are given infinite continues in the game, and once you get to stage 6-3 you’re in luck, because if you die you restart in stage 6-3. However, if you make it to the boss at the end of this stage, and you die even once, you’re sent all the way back to the beginning of stage 6-1. This was enough punishment for me that I shut off my console and went looking online for a game save at the beginning of stage 6-3, something I was unable to find. That means I have to start the game over all the way at the beginning.
The controls are pretty legendary in this game. Jumps are precision tasks, and they look as good as they feel, though the level design can make the jumps more of a challenge than necessary when you’re trying to jump past a wall or column and instead Ryu sticks to it as if doing a wall jump. This is a game of seconds, and that can easily cost your life. Objects in the game that Ryu can leap and cling to often interfere with gameplay even though the perspective makes them appear to be in the background,. This might have been an attempt to add depth to the visuals in the game, but when it interferes with these jumps, it’s more confusing than pleasing.
How does it look and sound?
While the game is strong visually compared to some of its contemporaries, the environments and background graphics look very gritty and repetitive by modern standards. Scale between enemies and environments fluctuates throughout. The music, on the other hand, is excellent from start to finish. While you’ll be hearing the same music for a really long time simply because of how long you’ll be trying to beat the individual stages, you’re unlikely to get tired of it. Much of it is just as frantic as the events unfolding on screen, too.
How is the replay value?
The game does not change in subsequent play-throughs. If you manage to complete the game, it’s a satisfying experience due to the challenge level, but you’re unlikely to want to touch the game ever again, particularly if it took a very long time for you to complete.
Is it worth it?
Even at a mere 500 points, this is something to really think twice about. I wouldn’t consider myself a gamer who’s prone to frustration… that was something that Viewtiful Joe pounded out of me years ago… but the cheapness of this game makes me punch myself in the leg and throw my arms in the air in disgust. There are numerous other games available that are just as challenging without being cheap, and it’s worth seeking those out instead.
Ninja Gaiden for NES gets three out of five. The game is a classic and was stellar for its time, but I don’t think most players will have the constitution for the brutality it presents.
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