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Shinobido tales of the Ninja
Shinobido: Tales of the Ninja transforms
gamers into a deadly ninja that is based on the PlayStation 2 game of
the same name which has now sliced its way onto the portable hand held
market.
The title itself revolves around 16th century feudal Japan that
has the peaceful lands of Utakata now in danger of being overrun by war.
Unfortunately for the citizens of Utakata, the Asuka Ninja Clan have
almost vanished into the sands time who would have normally banded
together to challenge this threat, fortunately the last member of the Asuka clan Goh has once again taken up his ninja-to to once and for all
end this evil that has scourged the lands.
The gameplay of Shinobido: Tales of the
Ninja features your traditional arcade adventure game that contains a
healthy dose of combat, stealth an an immersive storyline that has you
scaling the walls with your grappling hook, assassinating enemies and
mano-a-mano combat with your sword and martial arts.
With that said, the missions are
extremely reminiscent of the Tenchu series such as stealing items,
protecting powerful Nobles or going on a kill spree through an enemy
town that is disturbingly entertaining.
Apart from battling your way through the lands of feudal Japan, Goh must
also use a variety of magic potions to assist with various missions that
can be used to increase your powers, health or even distract guards with
magically created women.
As you complete missions, more ninjas are
unlocked and each one's skills can be enhanced with new moves and
talents. As with your main character, this ninja army that you are
building also play part of the storyline that makes a great change
from Goh.
Graphically, Shinobido: Tales of the Ninja
borders on average to good, especially with the background environments
that are extremely PSOne reminiscent, however the characters in the game
are rather impressively created with realistic texture details from
their Samurai amour to their dangerous feudal weapons.
Another downside
to the graphics is the camera angles that sometimes become stuck or move
the wrong direction which does become frustrating when you are in
combat. The musical score and sound effects also go hand-in-hand with
the genre and although no awards will be one, it does keep things in
perspective with all the sounds of this ancient land.
In conclusion, Shinobido Tale of the Ninja is a decent game that
unfortunately suffers from stagnant gameplay and graphics that are a hit
and miss. Although there is an ad hoc wireless battle mode for up to
four players and downloadable content, there is still enough in the title to
keep you entertained. If only the developers put a little bit more
effort into this title and would have equaled or even rivaled the Tenchu
series. |
