Ombra sfuggente that lurks in the depths of the history of the Land of the Rising Sun, flashing like a deadly slash. The night is darker and more dangerous when it takes its name from the ultimate warrior par excellence: the ninja!
Le incursioni multimediali di questa figura affascinante, a cavallo tra mito e realtà, sono state tante e sarebbe impossibile conteggiarle tutte: dalle serie tv (cito la recente House of Ninja senza dimenticare Master, così vintage che vi consiglio di recuperarla) a film cult come Ninja Assassin o i comics con le sempreverdi, è il caso di dirlo, Tartarughe Ninja, le avventure a base di katana, shuriken e acrobazie che sfidano ogni legge della fisica esistente non passano mai di moda.
Then, in 1991, the third official chapter of the ultimate ninja saga arrived: I’m talking about The Cyber Shinobi, which, as you can imagine, took up the concept of the first legendary chapter with Joe Musashi!
If you don’t know who I’m talking about, imagine a skilled Japanese-American warrior in a ninja suit, with a sharp katana ready to slice enemies when needed and myriad metal stars, shuriken, hidden in his sleeves: with his face uncovered, Joe Musashi single-handedly defeated the criminal organization Zeed, like a true Eighties hero!
The developers at Sega, however, under the direction of the great Ryo Kudou (the one who developed the Streets of Rage characters in all their aspects, another great Sega classic, just to name one), may have been done dealing with the iconic character, but certainly not with the Zeed gang: in a distant future, the 2XXX, which could very well be set a year from now in our calendar for all we know, the i-terrorists return with an army of robots and androids to destroy nuclear power plants scattered all over the world.
It goes without saying that it is not exactly an idyllic scenario that lies ahead, when it is not the children going ooh but the cities going boom. Joe Musashi unfortunately is unavailable because he belongs to another time, so here comes another Joe Musashi into the field (what imagination, Sega!), none other than the great-great-grandson of the hero who defeated the Zeed.
Openly a side-scrolling beat 'em up, yet distancing itself from loud titles like Final Fight or Double Dragon, this hack and slash presents itself as a breath of fresh air in the genre, arriving on Master System as what we would today call an exclusive, backed by a well-established IP that has won over the hearts of purists of side-scrolling titles devoted to throwing punches.
Seppur the gameplay closely resembles that of the first Shinobi, the truth is that the attempt to introduce new elements into the saga was not successful: our alter ego on screen immediately feels clumsy in its movements, and the enemy sprites, as well as Joe’s own, are affected by the power of the machine on which the game runs, which did have, on its side, a resolution that was noteworthy for the time and wonderful colors; however, the game is very stiff and only vaguely recalls the perfection of the first chapter.
The urban charm of the first Shinobi is far superior to the futuristic depiction of the city; at times it feels like playing a single macro-level with the appearance of a huge warehouse, divided into several gameplay areas, including the nuclear base at the end where we will have to fight our way through to the final boss.
Even the bosses are not memorable, and in my opinion the choice not to connect the game’s plot to key elements of the ninja universe weighs heavily: no hooded enemies, no katana duels in the moonlight, just cold machines to destroy and cybernetically enhanced soldiers blocking the path between us and saving the planet.
A title that does its job, even if not all the way. After all, as an ancient Japanese proverb says, “the skill of a ninja is not always enough to cut the moon in two.”
The return of a legendary saga on Master System, after the glory of Alex Kidd in Shinobi World
The idea of moving the main setting to a city of the future is good in itself; in this way action, science fiction, and beat ’em up dynamism are mixed into a single title
The game’s intro with the images of “Grandpa” Joe’s glorious victory over his longtime enemies is impressive
An electrifying intro and the name Shinobi in the title aren’t enough to create a masterpiece; much more is needed
Challenging gameplay, clunky controls, and Joe’s animations not living up to the family’s reputation
Joe Musashi is not the real Joe Musashi. When a protagonist matters, that is the flip side of the coin.
