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Ninja Gaiden
Nintendo Entertainment System
Nostalgia Factor:
Ninja Gaiden was a staple of my childhood. To this day, it is still a fantastic game.
I actually became aware of this title back when I was but a little child. My uncles always had the newest and best games for the NES, while I had a very limited variety of games and was often stuck playing the same thing over and over again.
I watched them play this game and was instantly awe struck. Ninjas, swords, throwing stars, demons? I was sold. I wasn't allowed to play this game (yeah my uncles were dicks sometimes) but I often sat and watched them play. My brother also loved the game, and he actually got a copy of his own for his birthday.
My brother didn't like it when I played his games either, but he was often gone from the house. Unlike me, he had a social life. He was always out playing with friends or participating in sporting activities. I totally took advantage of every second he was gone, and soon became better at the game than he was. As time passed and new games began to trickle into our household, he pretty much stopped playing this game, and also stopped caring if I played it. So basically, it became my game. By the time I was ten, I knew this game inside and out.
When the time came for our family to trade in all our NES games to put towards a 16-bit system (why did we do that???? WHY WHY WHY?), Ninja Gaiden exited my life... for a while, at least.
I actually became aware of this title back when I was but a little child. My uncles always had the newest and best games for the NES, while I had a very limited variety of games and was often stuck playing the same thing over and over again.
I watched them play this game and was instantly awe struck. Ninjas, swords, throwing stars, demons? I was sold. I wasn't allowed to play this game (yeah my uncles were dicks sometimes) but I often sat and watched them play. My brother also loved the game, and he actually got a copy of his own for his birthday.
My brother didn't like it when I played his games either, but he was often gone from the house. Unlike me, he had a social life. He was always out playing with friends or participating in sporting activities. I totally took advantage of every second he was gone, and soon became better at the game than he was. As time passed and new games began to trickle into our household, he pretty much stopped playing this game, and also stopped caring if I played it. So basically, it became my game. By the time I was ten, I knew this game inside and out.
When the time came for our family to trade in all our NES games to put towards a 16-bit system (why did we do that???? WHY WHY WHY?), Ninja Gaiden exited my life... for a while, at least.
In my twenties I started building up my NES collection once again, and Ninja Gaiden was one of the first titles I made sure to pick up. How was it after all those years? Awesome as ever, if not even better.
Story:
Ryu is a ninja who is dealing with his father's recent death. Prompted by a letter from his late dad, he takes the family blade and heads to America to seek out an archaeologist who supposedly holds the answers as to why his father died. Once there, Ryu learns that the archaeologist and his father both held ancient statues that they had unearthed in a dig in South America. Supposedly, when the statues are brought together they bring forth a demon that gives its summoner immense power. Someone had killed Ryu's father for his statue, and someone shortly kills the archaeologist for his. Naturally, Ryu tracks down the villains and attempts to stop them by all means. There are many more layers to the story, such as the US government's attempt to get their hold on the statues, as well as someone presumed dead returning to make a surprise appearance.
By today's standards, it may not be too impressive of a story. But the way this story is told is what is makes it so memorable. Back in the day, games didn't really have complex plots like Ninja Gaiden, much less captioned cutscenes that moved the story along in between levels. Nowadays everyone takes these scenes for granted, but Ninja Gaiden is really one of the pioneers in video game story telling. It is one of the first games, if not THE first, that I played not only for the actual game play, but for the story as well.
Gameplay:
Gameplay is side-scrolling hack and slash goodness. You mainly use your sword to hack away at enemies, but you pick up power ups along the way like ninja stars, fireballs, and shields made of fire. An added dimension to the gameplay is your ability to cling to walls and jump back and forth along them to gain access to hard to reach areas. Again, nothing you probably haven't seen before by today's standards. But considering this was released in the 80's, it was another thing that made this game appear to be way ahead of its time.
Story:
Ryu is a ninja who is dealing with his father's recent death. Prompted by a letter from his late dad, he takes the family blade and heads to America to seek out an archaeologist who supposedly holds the answers as to why his father died. Once there, Ryu learns that the archaeologist and his father both held ancient statues that they had unearthed in a dig in South America. Supposedly, when the statues are brought together they bring forth a demon that gives its summoner immense power. Someone had killed Ryu's father for his statue, and someone shortly kills the archaeologist for his. Naturally, Ryu tracks down the villains and attempts to stop them by all means. There are many more layers to the story, such as the US government's attempt to get their hold on the statues, as well as someone presumed dead returning to make a surprise appearance.
By today's standards, it may not be too impressive of a story. But the way this story is told is what is makes it so memorable. Back in the day, games didn't really have complex plots like Ninja Gaiden, much less captioned cutscenes that moved the story along in between levels. Nowadays everyone takes these scenes for granted, but Ninja Gaiden is really one of the pioneers in video game story telling. It is one of the first games, if not THE first, that I played not only for the actual game play, but for the story as well.
Gameplay is side-scrolling hack and slash goodness. You mainly use your sword to hack away at enemies, but you pick up power ups along the way like ninja stars, fireballs, and shields made of fire. An added dimension to the gameplay is your ability to cling to walls and jump back and forth along them to gain access to hard to reach areas. Again, nothing you probably haven't seen before by today's standards. But considering this was released in the 80's, it was another thing that made this game appear to be way ahead of its time.
One thing people like to say about Ninja Gaiden is that it is too difficult. While I understand that there is a learning curve, it really isn't that tough. Some levels take a little trial and error, but it's all doable. For example, a lot of enemies respawn at the edge of the screen. While it may be tough if you are standing at a distance shooting ninja stars at them, (only to have them reappear again) this can be used to your advantage. Enemies always appear in the same spots and it is very easy to predict their movement patterns. Some of the platforming sections are tough, especially with the enemies that swoop in to attack you mid-jump, and then send you plummeting to your death. But again, you can do it if you start to recognize the patterns of the enemies. Trial and error. Patience. I see this game as less of a difficult title, and more of a fun challenge.
Another fun thing about the game is its unique boss design. I played this game so many times as a kid, I had names that I had created for each boss. Each one has its own special look and feel. And each one takes its own different strategy to defeat. You can't just hack and slash at all of them. My favorite boss battles were always the tough ones, such as Marth at the end, and then that demon thing you have to kill. If you die against these bosses at the end, you have to start the level over again from the very beginning. It can be very frustrating, especially since the only way to beat these bosses is to learn from trial and error. But again, when you do defeat them, it only makes the victory taste that much sweeter.
There are so many reasons I love this game. It has sentimental value to me as a game I grew up with. We parted ways for a while, only to reconcile with one another in my twenties. Its tough at times, but it is a lot of fun. And the story is great for a game so old. One of the ending scenes with Ryu standing on a rocky outcropping and watching the enemy fortress crumble to the ground is iconic to me and sends chills down my spine. This really was a revolutionary title at its release and it is still a lot of fun to play today. I actually prefer this to the newer next gen Ninja Gaiden games. I played through the first one a while ago and it didn't really appeal to me at all.
Graphics:
The graphics for this game are terrific. They have definitely held up over the years. In fact, a small nugget of trivia for you: my brother had a friend over once to play this game with him. The friend commented on how neat the graphics were, and that was the first time I had heard a game's visual style referred to as graphics. So yeah. The more you know.
The graphics for this game are terrific. They have definitely held up over the years. In fact, a small nugget of trivia for you: my brother had a friend over once to play this game with him. The friend commented on how neat the graphics were, and that was the first time I had heard a game's visual style referred to as graphics. So yeah. The more you know.
Each level has its own distinctive personality. As opposed to a lot of these old side scrolling games, you never get the impression that you are just playing through the same looking areas over and over again. Each stage is unique and fits with what is happening in the storyline. They are different and memorable in their own way for many reasons.
Sound:
This game has such an awesome soundtrack. So many of these stage themes have made their way into my gaming music playlist. This is 8-bit sound design at its finest. The music during dramatic moments in cutscenes is wonderful too, and really helps set the stage for the game's story. I love the boss theme. The little introduction music for each stage. You really can't go wrong anywhere you look. Or listen, I suppose.
Overall:
There are so many reasons I love this game. It has sentimental value to me as a game I grew up with. We parted ways for a while, only to reconcile with one another in my twenties. Its tough at times, but it is a lot of fun. And the story is great for a game so old. One of the ending scenes with Ryu standing on a rocky outcropping and watching the enemy fortress crumble to the ground is iconic to me and sends chills down my spine. This really was a revolutionary title at its release and it is still a lot of fun to play today. I actually prefer this to the newer next gen Ninja Gaiden games. I played through the first one a while ago and it didn't really appeal to me at all.
Not only is this a great, game, its sequel is fantastic as well. I will likely be getting to that in a later review. One of the greatest tragedies of human existence on this planet, though: I never got the chance to play the third game. I hear it isn't as good as the first two, but playing the third game is something I need to do before I die.
Just like playing this game is something you need to play before you die! See how I tied things up here at the end of this review? Ninja Gaiden is a classic, folks. If you can get past the difficulty spikes, I don't see any reason why a fan of these type of games would not like this. Retro gaming for the NES doesn't get much better than this.
THE GRADE:
A+
Been rocking this on my switch. Creating save states was a game changer.
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