Andy O’Flaherty reviews The Revenge of Shinobi…
“In the year 19xx, the evil crime syndicate “Zeed” was reduced to rubble by the powers of stealth possessed by the Shinobi master, Joe Musashi. It seemed as if the world had returned to peace.
But three years later…”
You know the rest. Evil corporation somehow returns from seemingly total destruction, kills the Oboro clan, tortures and leaves their master for dead, and kidnaps Joe’s girl – Naoko. Where Joe Masashi is while all this is going on is anyone’s guess, but regardless it nicely sets the scene for Joe to take the fight to Zeed once more, avenge his clan and save his future wife.
Originally released for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis in 1989, The Revenge of Shinobi (The Super Shinobi in Japan) became an instant classic thanks to its spectacular visuals, varied stages, engaging gameplay and utterly phenomenal soundtrack. The game has been re-released several times over the years on many different systems, and now thanks to Sega Forever, players can now revisit this timeless classic on iOS and Android devices…
The first boss is surprisingly difficult…However, let’s rewind a bit. What exactly is The Revenge of Shinobi (RoS), and why should you care… some 28 years later? A direct sequel to the arcade game Shinobi, RoS is a traditional action platform game that sees players take control of the ninja Joe Musashi as he slices, dices and somersaults his way through various locations such as highways, skyscrapers, military bases and factories in his quest to eradicate Neo Zeed and save Naoko. The game is notable for being a true test of skill, requiring precisely timed jumps and careful management of Joe’s inventory of magic and shurikens. Many, many playthroughs are required to learn the game, and growing up this was always one of my very favourite titles – and still is!
Magic attacks fill the screen with destruction…Visually the game is still fairly easy on the eyes even today – never mind in 1989! Joe is animated wonderfully, the stages and backgrounds look gorgeous and some of the screen filling bosses are a sight to behold! Everything runs fast and smooth…. well at least they do on the original cart. More on that later…
In terms of audio… oh boy. This is arguably where the game shines brightest, with satisfyingly crunchy sfx and a soundtrack composed by Yuzo Koshiro that is quite frankly playlist worthy. The Mega Drive was never really known for having great audio, but you wouldn’t know it listening to this game!
Hmmm…. now where have I seen this guy before…Gameplay wise this title is balanced slightly on the difficult side (but then – most 80’s games are), but once you learn its intricacies, the secret power-up locations and hone your boss strategies, the game becomes a joy to play through. Joe feels weighty and responsive to control, and deaths… although frequent, never really feel unjustified. The game is also full of pop culture references (which resulted in many revisions of the game being released once the owners of said properties got wind of it), the most notable of which being a battle against non other than Spider-Man! This title really was a game changer back when it was originally released….
You had better have mastered the double jump by this point…I played through the original Mega Drive game just prior to doing this review, and I just can’t get over how good it was… and still is! Which brings us on nicely to this new iOS and Android release. If I was reviewing the original Mega Drive version of this game I’d be giving it a 9/10, no question. However, sadly this new mobile port is not a very good way to experience this classic. The first noticeable issue is the fact that precise platformers are never a good fit for touchscreen devices, and platformers don’t come much more precise that this. I would go as far as to say this game… in touchscreen mode at least… is practically unplayable. There are many sections of this game where failing to double jump at the exact right moment will result in instant death, and the level of consistent input required is just not possible on touchscreens. Tethering a controller is pretty much mandatory then, and I’ve heard that some people are having issues with that aspect…
There’s more. Controls aside you wouldn’t even mind if the game was emulated well, but it even struggles in that regard. The game just cannot maintain a consistent framerate, and on my mobile phone the game stuttered and jerked along at a rate that sadly brought the experience disappointingly in line with the woolly controls. I am aware that performance is somewhat linked to the device in question, but a 28 year old 16-bit game should not be jerky on any modern smartphone really.
The labyrinth stage was a real test for players…There are two versions of the game available to download – free with adverts, and a paid version with no ads. I appreciate the game has to make revenue, but the ads in the free version are obnoxiously intrusive, and on my phone the game got itself stuck in an endless loop of adverts that required me to put the phone into airplane mode to break out of. Considering the problems Sega have had with the earlier Sega Forever releases you’d think they’d be more conscious of quality, but that sadly seems to not be the case – at least at the time of me playing the game for this review…
The Revenge of Shinobi is a brilliant game that sadly has not been given anywhere near the treatment it deserves. Everybody should play this game, but I’m afraid mobile is not the way to do so. This title is also available on Steam, XBox Live and PSN – I would recommend checking out one of those versions instead.
Pros:
+ The game itself is great
+ Amazing music
+ If your device can run it well and you can use a controller…. you may be in for a treat….
Cons:
– ….but touch screen controls? Forget it
– Emulation seems inconsistent
– Adverts in free version are a little too intrusive
A bad port of an excellent game. Shame.
Rating: 6/10
The Revenge of Shinobi is available now on Android and iOS via Sega Forever.
Andy O’Flaherty – Follow me on Twitter @mambatabac
