Shinobi III Return of the Ninja Master Review

Shinobi III Return of the Master Console-Sega Genesis Year-1993 Developer-Sega Genre-Action/Platform Sometimes he hides in the mud! Yes the Shinobi can hide anywhere, he might even be in your toilet bowl! Ok that was lame. But this game sure isn't. Shinobi III for the Genesis is the third in the main Shinobi series, starring Joe Musashi as the Shinobi. You fight against the rival of your Ninjutsu school; the Neo Zeed Organization. In the previous games, you stopped them and their leaders were in jail. Somehow they get out and rebuild their evil ninja empire while Joe was in Japan training. Anyway you chase after them again in Japan and all sorts of ninja fun ensues. GRAPHICS First of all, wow. This game ranks up with Sonic 3 in terms of graphics. Mainly because of it's gorgeous backgrounds which include layer and layer of beauty. I counted 6 different layers moving in the background on the screen at one point. 6! Blast processing ftw! You'll see a gorgeous cave scene with lovely waterfalls, beautiful clouds moving in the distance as you ride your horse, and a lush Japanese forest brought to life. The game for the most part is very bright and pretty to look at, and is quite varied from stage to stage. A couple sections are a wee bit bland but doesn't detract from the game too much as a whole. The animation of Shinobi and enemies is very fluent and smooth, including all his and their acrobatic moves. The enemies in the game are different every level, alas they could have had more than 3 types of enemies per level. It's not a very big deal though, as the enemies that are there are quite different from each other. Except those little flying buggers in the last stage.. I hate them! I suppose Shinobi himself isnt very “original” as there have been countless ninja games before, but he's a ninja done right. You feel like a badass throughout the game. As I said above the level backgrounds are quite amazing for the time. The levels are very well laid out, each of them being unique and none being repetative. I applaud the level designers, this is how a game's stages SHOULD be done. SOUND The game's sound effects are nicely done, but nothing stands out as amazing. They do well for the game, but don't lift the game any higher. Nothing struck me as annoying, and the effects came out clear. The music featured in Shinobi III is not quite as good as its predecesor; Revenge of the Shinobi, but there's a few good tunes in there that keep it from being too bland. Both the effects and music fit the game well and don't detract from it. GAMEPLAY This is a well made game as I said before, and extremely fun to play. It's almost blissfull in a way. It's oddly relaxing playing through it... until you get to level 5 that is. That's where the game gets pretty hard core, but a fun hard core. I never once felt like I had “done this before” in the game, all the levels are unique and have a different manner of completing them. The first half of the game is mostly action, the second however is more platforming oriented. For example, in the games 5th level it starts you off on a falling rock in a huge chasm where you must jump from rock to rock to avoid plummeting to your death. The 7th level is where it gets the most fun, albeit somewhat frustrating. In the start you need to jump from pipe to pipe avoiding blasts from the airships engines and steam pipes. Later in the level theres a series of intricate Mega-man style hazards and moving platform areas. It can be frustrating, but still not enough to take the fun away. Theyre throurougly enjoyable to get through. Once I started this game I couldn't put it down, I needed to finish it. Mind you it only took about an hour or two, but i'll definitely go back and play it again. It's quite easy to just pick up and play this game, the first few levels arnt very hard at all. Mastering the moves of your Shinobi is quite fun and rewarding, seeing how much you can own anything on the screen with the knowledge. This game has TONS of depth, be it action, platform elements, or vehicle sections. I just cant stress how FUN this game is to play. It's even fun dying! And holy crap did I ever laugh when I kept hitting electrical panels constantly from being an idiot. It's quite hilarious seeing Shinobi getting shocked. I dont even know why. It's also very enjoyable to fully explore the levels for hidden powerups and 1-ups, as theres no time limit so you can take your sweet time in looking. Sometimes it can be a real challenge figuring out just how to get those buggers. The interface is pretty good, its nothing special but its clear to understand whats there and what you have. The option screen is great, being able to change the difficulty, amount of shurikens you start with and various sound effects/music/voices you can listen to. The controls work surpsingly well for only 3 buttons, seeing how many different moves you can pull off as Shinobi. Although hanging onto pipes and ceilings can be difficult, as you need to hold up to hang on and this doesn't always work so well and caused uneeded deaths, especially in levels where hanging was in the spotlight(Start of level 7). Other than this, they are quite responsive and Shinobi is very easy to control. The overall layout of the controls is great, its quite easy to pull off the moves and I never found myself frustrated at trying to get Shinobi to do something. If you don't like the layout, the controls can also be changed in the Option menu. Closing Words Shinobi III is a great game, and up there with the best on the Genesis. I've rarely had this much fun playing a game and I can't wait to go back and play some more after I'm done writing this. I never had this game as a kid, only Shinobi II on the game gear, so going back and discovering this gem for myself was thrilling. Not many games let you bounce off an enemies face with a flying kick, and right into a second and even a third enemy consecutively. That is freaking awesome right there. This game makes you feel like a total badass ninja. It's how a ninja game SHOULD be.