Game Boy Advance

The Revenge of Shinobi

It’s a shame that Shinobi uses a password save, because I really would have dug this game if it wasn’t for this blunder. The levels aren’t terribly deep, but there are lots of things to collect and the fighting takes good timing if you hope to make it through. However, since The Revenge of Shinobi doesn’t save your progress, you will find yourself either (A) repeating a lot of levels over and over, or (B) writing down tons of 16-letter passwords and spending more time entering them than playing. Not bad, but it could have been much better.

Shinobi has a great deal of moves to choose from, both from the onset and later on acquired in the game. The movements of Shinobi are also incredibly fluid and very quick, but the problem with this array of moves, which includes the standard jumping and slashing as well as crouching, jumping, throwing ninja stars, and executing magic attacks, is that not all of them are used in the game. There may be one particular instance where the move comes in handy, but after that, using them is rarely ever required.

Revenge plays out like a standard action title complete with slashing swords and flying shurikens. Unfortunately, you get a limited supply of throwing stars and slicing up the bad guys quickly gets repetitive. The graphics are generic, but the audio presentation is quite nice. The Game Boy Advance has a large library of average side-scrolling action games, and Revenge of Shinobi is just a slight notch above them. This game is worth looking into only if you're big on ninjas.

On aurait pu s'attendre à mieux avec un titre aussi prestigieux, d'autant que la GBA représentait le support idéal pour un nouveau Shinobi old school, comprenez en 2D. Au bout du compte le titre de 3d6 Games est trop difficile, il a pour lui des graphismes assez flatteurs mais son gameplay en dents de scie le réserve aux fans purs et durs du ninja ou aux combattants émérites à la recherche de véritables challenges. En clair mieux vaut se replonger dans l'épisode Megadrive !

Soundtrack aside, there isn't anything that's particularly remarkable or good about Revenge of Shinobi for the Game Boy Advance. You walk from left to right, you slash at cookie-cutter enemies, and you keep doing that until you're finished.

There's no other word for it: The Revenge of Shinobi is a disgrace. The only thing 3D6 Games has succeeded in (besides going out of business) is creating the worst Shinobi game ever, one which will turn away potential new fans and make old ones weep. This is not a good way to treat a treasured franchise, and Sega should be chastised for giving the go-ahead to this pile. If you're craving some Shinobi action, stick to the Genesis games, or even that crazy 3D version for PlayStation 2. In short, play anything but this.