Shinobi Preview

The classic MegaDrive title Revenge of Shinobi is one of those titles that gamers have very fond memories of; its blend of platforming action and Japanese mysticism created a title that stood out from the crowd and endeared itself to gamers across the globe. So it’s with very high hopes that we wait for the return of Shinobi on the Playstation2. <br /> <br /> It’s nearly ten years ago that Shinobi was last seen slashing his way through our screens, and there’s a certain amount of trepidation as to whether Overworks can do the license justice when so many have failed. Thankfully the game appears to be in good hands; Overworks president Noriyoshi Ohba developed the very first Shinobi title, whilst Mr Ito was the director for Revenge of Shinobi. To top it off many of the original members now work for Overworks so there’s a good feeling that the Shinobi license is with the right people. <br /> <br /> Surprisingly the main protagonist of the title may be a Shinobi, however it’s not the Joe Musashi that graced the earlier titles, but a new ninja going by the name of Hotsuma, leader of the Oboro Ninja clan. <br /> <br /> The story tells of a mysterious sword and two young brothers who must fight to win the use of the ancient and traditional weapon, filled with awesome and deadly power. Whoever wins, gains the sword; whoever loses the fight, dies. Hotsuma wins the fight and the sword, which like a strange symbiotic being craves for blood, if it can’t find any it will feed on yours. At the same time a catastrophic earthquake leaves Tokyo in ruins, and a mysterious force sets out to wipe out the Oboro clan, so it’s up to you to find out what’s going on and ensure your sword is well fed, cue lots and lots of blood and action… <br /> <br /> From what we’ve seen already, Shinobi certainly looks to capture the formula of the older titles, whilst the move to 3D certainly looks to have been a smoother transition then most. Firstly the emphasis is placed on action; you’ll find tons of characters populate each level, whilst you’ll find yourself confronting all manner of creatures at the end of a level, end-of-level-bosses… ahhh the criminally overlooked staple ingredient of games from a previous era. <br /> <br /> Of course intense action doesn’t necessarily deliver a good game especially when the pitfalls of a 3D world are present, namely controls and camera. Fortunately our brief play test eliminated any fears that we may have, using the right stick to move the character and the left stick to swiftly revolve through 180 degrees. A standard attack, dash, jump and shruiken throw are all controlled by the four face buttons, whilst L1 centres the camera and R1 locks-on to nearby enemies. <br /> <br /> With the emphasis on action and combos, the implementation is wonderfully fluid and smooth. The lock-on and dash features provide the core combat experience, using the right stick to revolve the camera around you can lock-on to multiple enemies in a similar manner to Z-Targeting in Zelda and unleash your attack. This produces a wonderfully cinematic experience as a ghost image follows Hotsuma delivering the deadly blows, whilst his distinctive red cape flows beautifully around him. Vanquished foes will stand in a moment of terror before slumping to the floor in a pile of blood; Manga fans believe me, this alone is enough to get very excited about. <br /> <br /> String enough combos together and a kanji gauge appears in the top right indicating that your sword is growing in strength, complete with a cut-scene depicting your deadly accuracy. <br /> <br /> The same level of fluidity is maintained in moving Hotsuma, you’ll find yourself racing up walls and jumping across rooftops as gracefully as you’d expect from a ninja. It’s all conveyed magnificently thanks to the startling animation on the main character, which is arguably the best we’ve seen in a very long time. <br /> <br /> Returning from the previous titles will be magic commands available to the player; so far Overworks have kept this a closely guarded secret and not revealed any details as to how this will be implemented. I’m guessing it will taking the same elemental forces as those featured in Revenge of Shinobi, and that magic power will probably be based upon your kanji gauge, however we’ll let you know when we find out further details. <br />