Reviewed
07.08.2004
Publisher
Sega
Developer
Megasoft
Format
8
Megabit
Origin
Import
/ Domestic
Available
July
23, 1993
(Japan)
Aug.
23, 1993
(USA)
July
23, 1993
(Europe)
Exclusive
Yes
(until 2007)
Difficulty
Adjustable
Dimensions
2D
View
Side
Genre
Action/Platform
Player(s)
1
Options
6
Button
Mega
Key
Requires
n/a
Importable
100% |
| Intro |
|
> What separated the Genesis from the SNES
was action games. Where the Genesis lacked the number of
RPG's the SNES possessed, the Genesis made
up for it with many more action-oriented games such as the Streets
of Rage trilogy, and Treasure's Gunstar Heroes. Shinobi
III: Return of the Ninja Master is the proper sequel to The
Revenge of Shinobi. The Genesis incarnation of
Shadow
Dancer was meant to be a side story to the (very frustrating)
arcade game featuring Joe Musashi (I believe) instead of the lead character
from the arcade game. All three games combined to form a trilogy of Shinobi
games on the Genesis.
> Shinobi III is more forgiving than Shadow Dancer
(where one mistake was fatal) in that the game retains the life-bar found
in The Revenge of Shinobi, but the game still puts you into
some problematic situations that can drain it in no time nonetheless. Shadow
Dancer gave players no choice but to be extremely cautious and
quick on their feet (remember those ninjas that would materialize out of
thin air all around you?), which provided a very stern challenge. Shinobi
III, however, aimed to be much more fun (even if some mistakes
are still fatal ones). Shinobi III was one of my favorite
Genesis
titles simply because it was so fun yet so challenging at the same time.
The game is easier to get into than its predecessors because the main character
is far more flexible this time round, the controls are more responsive,
and the gameplay proceeds at a faster pace.
> As for the story... old enemies return and the time has come for the
dexterous Joe Musashi, the master ninja, to once again teach them another
much needed and scarring lesson in humility. His quest will take him through
a sprawling forest (crawling with hostile ninjas) all the way to the outer
hull of a skyship (brimming with guns on the surface) to face these old
enemies given new life. Can our heroic ninja save the world yet again,
or will evil reign supreme? |
| Graphics |
|
> Shinobi III was a last generation Genesis
title, so not surprisingly it benefits from an amount of detail that puts
many earlier Genesis titles to shame. It can be argued that
Sega
pushed the console to its limits to bring us this game. Graphically, Shinobi
III exceeds all expectations for a mere
Genesis game,
and improves upon the graphics seen in The Revenge of Shinobi
in every respect. The character sprites are larger, more colorful than
ever before and full of detail. Some of the sprites seem like miniature
works of art (yes, they are that good). The
Genesis could
display more sprites on screen at once than the SNES and
this game took full advantage of that. No game would be complete without
bosses, and not to break away from tradition, the bosses in Shinobi
III are not only imaginative but sometimes have a tendency to fill
the screen. The stages are beautifully detailed with animated, parallel
scrolling backgrounds that create a great impression of distance, and have
perfectly blended scenery. There also seem to be no end of great special
effects present in the game (like leaves being blown in the wind); I have
to praise Sega for a job well done. |
| Control |
|
> Shinobi III's controls basically work on the same mechanics
as its direct prequel, The Revenge of Shinobi, but the game
comes with many extra moves. The limited number of shurikens, which need
to be constantly replenished lest Joe Musashi is forced to rely on his
daggers, return from that game (as opposed to the unlimited ninja stars
you could throw at your enemies in Shadow Dancer). Obviously,
running out of shurikens is not an option if Joe Musashi plans to live
to see tomorrow. The power ups are back; once in effect, Joe throws fireballs
instead of shurikens that can penetrate even the thickest of armor, and
wields a sword instead of daggers when a confrontation becomes up close
and personal. The double jump that allowed Joe Musashi to throw multiple
shurikens at once also returns (the key to initiating it is timing). Mastering
the double jump is necessary if the player hopes to survive the later stages
of the game where your jumping skills are really put to the test. Of course,
the gameplay wouldn't be improved without a few new moves. Joe can now
block, run, jump off walls and perform a diving jump kick on his enemies
from mid-air (you can even bounce off of opponents if they are blocking
to perform it many times in a row until you make a successful strike).
Like before, Joe can call on a small range of Ninjitsu techniques to aid
him such as an electric force-field that shields him from a limited number
of enemy attacks. Needless to say, anyone who's played The Revenge
of Shinobi should feel right at home with the controls. |
| Sound |
|
> The game's music is the weakest area of the game. The music in particular
can only be described as a mixed bag. Some of the game's tunes are almost
unforgettably good, but others weren't brought up to the same standard
and you'll wish that you could forget you ever heard them the moment you
do. The music in some stages of the game has an unmistakable oriental theme,
but others are more techno in nature perhaps to reflect the changing nature
of the enemy (from ninjas, to soldiers wielding machine guns, to robots
armed to the teeth with laser cannons). The game's library of sound effects
are generally as clear as can be expected from a Genesis
title. You may recognize some of those sound effects from the previous
incarnations of Shinobi on the Genesis as if
they are meant to remind us that the aforementioned games all tie together
to form a single saga. |
| Fun |
|
> Every stage is divided into sub-sections and each stage is packed with
enemies, traps to avoid, pitfalls to leap over; walls to climb, sub-bosses
and end of stage bosses that do everything in their power to stand between
you and your ultimate goal. The early stages gently ease you into the game
and allow you to get to grips with the controls (think of them as warm
up stages) in preparation for some nasty surprises that will force Joe
Musashi to flex every last one of his acrobatic muscles. From launching
his body from one falling rock up to the next, to making death defying
leaps across bottomless chasms and across platforms that are there one
moment and gone the next, and even jumping from wall-to-wall while the
walls are closing in on him, old Joe isn't in for an easy ride. I'd define
Shinobi
III as a platform game at its best only falling short of the standard
set by the Sonic games. The game won't last long for any
seasoned fan of the genre but is certainly fun while it lasts. Killing
would be assassins before they kill you while leaping and climbing through
all manner of mundane and futuristic locales has never been so much fun.
I never expected to ride a surfboard, much less a horse in a
Shinobi
game, but doing so provides even more unique hurdles (literally in some
cases) to overcome... in style no less. |
| Bottom Line |
| >
The Shinobi series will always
stand out from the crowd, and the refined 2D graphics of Shinobi
III have only helped it stand the test of time (in other words,
the game's 2D graphics still look good even by today's standards). All
you really need to know is that Shinobi III improves upon
everything that made The Revenge of Shinobi so good for its
time. I wouldn't go as far as to describe it as a timeless classic, although
it does come close to being one, and it is no doubt a great example (if
not one of the greatest examples) of its genre. Besides, who doesn't like
the idea of a lonesome ninja fighting against endless armies of evil? |
| Ratings |
| Overall:
9.2 | Graphics: 9.5 | Control: 9.4 | Sound: 8.5 | Fun: 9.4 |
~
Geoffrey
Duke ~
|
