The Revenge of Shinobi Longplay (Game Boy Advance) [4K]

Game Info --------------------------------------------------- Developer: 3d6 Games Publisher: THQ Year of Release: 2002 Game Review & Impressions --------------------------------------------------- I've never really been into Nintendo consoles in a big way, and I'm especially ignorant when it comes to their later handhelds, so I was thoroughly intrigued to learn of the existence of a Shinobi sequel for the GBA. I had no idea what to expect, especially as this was created after Sega's withdrawal from the hardware market, at a time when they had started to license their IPs to third parties. Despite the name, The Revenge of Shinobi on GBA is closer in design to the G.G. Shinobi titles released for the Sega Game Gear than the Genesis. Combat is focused on melee and swordplay than the kunai-hurling Genesis game, and so too is the more Metroidvania approach to the level design. Areas of certain stages only become accessible once you get the double-jump found about half way through the game, which means you'll need to revisit zones if you want to find all the spell upgrades, unlock all the mini-games, or complete all the 'Honor' trials for each stage. The objective of each stage is really just to find the exit, although most of these are expansive wander-a-thons with the player spending most of the time killing bad guys while hunting for a keys or switches needed to unlock doors or gates. Levels are festooned with crates, flour sacks and other breakable items containing health and magic power top-ups, which you'll need to collect if you want to cast any of your Ninjutsu spells. Scrolls containing new abilities and extra lives can be found secreted in caves or hidey-holes off the beaten track, so you'll need to comb levels thoroughly if you want to find all the upgrades. The developers tried to eke more mileage out of the levels, the developers add a trial system, requiring the player to finish a level with max health, kill all enemies and find all items. Although the first of these is comparatively easy, the other two are a complete pain, and really aren't worth bothering with. And that's really the main problem with this game: it's achingly dull. Trudging through identikit buildings, breaking pots and poking enemies with a sword until they fall over really doesn't offer much in the way of the entertainment value, and the Ninja magic abilities feel oddly impotent, even at higher levels. Everything works and is technically sound, but the whole point of a game is to offer fun and entertainment, which are the two things this game is short on. Chapters --------------------------------------------------- 0:00:00 Intro 0:03:33 Bamboo Swamp 0:07:25 Forgotten Cemetery 0:10:29 Thunder Woods 0:15:42 Orchards of Miogawa 0:20:03 Path to Miogawa 0:24:37 Miogawa Docks 0:28:42 Bashira's Ship 0:30:13 Karakkaze Bridge 0:34:17 Karakkaze Falls 0:40:15 Cliff City 0:52:00 Karakkaze Falls (Revist) 0:55:16 Forbidden City (Mini-game 1) 0:56:05 Karakkaze Fortress 0:58:57 Forgotten Cemetery (Revisit) 1:03:00 Orchards of Miogawa (Revisit) 1:04:55 Karakkaze Bridge (Revisit) 1:06:57 Bandit's City 1:14:41 Old Doseki Mine 1:19:45 Doeski Quarry 1:26:26 Doseki's Cavern 1:28:12 Valley of Ash 1:36:01 Himoto Cliffs 1:41:00 Hidden Temple (Mini-game 2) 1:41:50 Hidden Grove (Mini-game 3) 1:42:28 Tower of Flame 1:48:28 Mt. Himoto 1:51:13 Temple - Final Boss 1:54:13 Ending