One of Sega’s most popular classic icons embarks on a new mission on the 3DS. First seen in arcades back in the late 80’s, Shinobi the ninja has appeared in games on the Genesis, Nintendo, and even the PS2. The ninja’s new adventure is a classic styled 2-D action platformer with 3-D graphics and brutal challenge.

The ninja has all sorts of moves and weapons at his disposal. He can double jump, wall climb, throw kunai, climb ceilings, and perform combo attacks with his sword. He also has a chain that he uses to grapple ledges from long distances. Stages are pretty darn long, and start out in feudal Japan. Then the story gets crazy and you enter a vortex into the future. The game probably should’ve stayed in the past, storyline wise, as the future levels aren’t as interesting and visually appealing. At least you can save at any checkpoint, which is nice for a portable adventure.

Shinobi has quite a bit of extra content and secrets too. With the 3DS Street Pass feature, you can unlock extra challenge levels. There are also awards and achievements to collect, as well as unlockable art and music galleries. Most impressive is the history section, which chronicles every past game in the Shinobi series, even Alex Kidd in Shinobi World. The main game has lots of hidden crazy secrets, too, just like the old arcade game had. I even found a cave that had the dwarf from Golden Axe hiding out in it! True story!

The only main problem with the game is that it’s pretty challenging, even on the easiest difficulty selection. But that’s just what makes it like the old Shinobi games. They even have a horse chase level, just like Shinobi III. The 3DS title may not be the best in the series, but I think fans of the classic game and ninjas in general would enjoy this one anyway, if they are up to the challenge.

Kid Factor:

Shinobi is rated T for Teen with ESRB descriptors of Blood and Violence. Most of the blood is in the animated cut scenes, and Shinobi does hack and slash rival ninjas and military personnel. But other than that, it’s really not any more violent than the classic games. But the best reason why this game is better suited for older players is the high challenge level.

Tags: Game Reviews