Revenge of Shinobi - Sega Megadrive

Review comments

Revenge of Shinobi box art Become the hardest Ninja imaginable - swing your katana, throw your shuriken, use your magic, and generally beat seven types of doo-doo out of the fiendish foes determined to stop your progress.

Anyway, it's a good thing you can do all these stunts as the baddies (the Zeeb) have kidnapped your girlfriend: to tescue her you must travel around the world, destroying their bases as you go.

Shinobi carries with him a limited number of shuriken (which can be replenished as the game advances) as well as his sword. He can also kick his foes, jump, somersault, and do a combination somersault/shuriken-spray attack. The best form of attack however is the devastating Ninjitsu magic: this comes in various forms depending on the game's level, and is crucial in order to defeat the end-of-level bosses.

With eight stages, each subdivided into three parts, and a big baddie to beat at the end of each one, Revenge of Shinobi is a huge game. It includes animated sequences and a host of options. Check the screen shots…

Staff comments

This has to be one of the most outstanding games on the Megadrive - or any console, come to that. The graphics are exquisite, the music superb, and the gameplay out of this world! I was suitably wowed by this game, and you will be too: there aren't many games around that are a match for this, which really pushes the Megadrive to its limit. I can assure you that you will be ecstatic with this if you buy it - it's what you bought a Megadrive for in the first place!

I'd be more than impressed if I'd played this game in the arcades. But on the Megadrive? Wow! It's an absolute treat for the ears and eyes. Each level is a graphical masterpiece, from the depths of Chinatown to the top of the tallest skyscrapers, and the animated opening sequence will leave you gasping with admiration. The sprites are simply superb - the animation on all of the enemies and Shinobi himself just has to be seen to be appreciated. On top of that are the incredible rock soundtracks and stunning sound effects! All that would be useless without decent gameplay, but Revenge of Shinobi doesn't dissapoint here. It's challenging and amazingly addictive and keeps you glued to the machine for hours at a time - I just didn't want to stop playing. Revenge of Shinobi really shows off the abilities of the Megadrive - if there's one game to buy for it, it's this!

Retrospective comments

Jazza and Matt were spot on with their review of Revenge of Shinobi. As a die hard Shinobi arcade fan I was delighted to get this on Japanese import as soon as I could get my hands on it. Once I got used to the fact Shinobi Joe was now dressed in white, had to use his shurikens more wisely and had gained a energy bar I actually liked this game as much as the coin-op classic.

The musical score was excellent, the levels quite memorable and who can forget those ace graphics and the parallax scrolling? I had the version were youu fought Spidey, Godzilla and Batman - very bizarre! Still taking on Neo Zeed in the nightclub was the best bit for me, oh yeah and the dude with the mop on his head at the end of the game!! Top stuff.

Have your say about Revenge of Shinobi

Rich - 15 Mar 2008, 11:21 GMT

I was annihilated by this game when I got this.
It remained a mainstay in my filthy cart-hole til the end.

Simply one of the most perfect gaming experiences I've had.
The music from this game was the soundtrack to my teens.

I loved Shinobi on the Arcade and the Mastersystem, and being a fan of MS Shinobi, the selectable diffrent magics and the power meter thing were already familiar things. So I was drooling at the prospect of a Megadrive sequel. Saving up for it was a bitch being a skint teen back then I saw the review in CVG or Mean Machines and that was it. Decision made.
And thank god.

Within the first attempts I was immediately addicted to this epic, 16-bit powerhouse journey of shuriken dispatchery, and before long, that black-clad Ninja on the title screen would be the first thing I'd see in the morning. The graphics and sound were so good, that even if you weren't playing it, it'd be on the attract mode just like a screen saver...! Thats how much I loved this game. The very design of it just had so much raw, honest soul and I felt that the Shadow Dancer and Shinobi III games lacked it somehow. Sure theres no dog gimmick, or a random horseriding segment, but I came for the old school Shinobi action.
And this game gave us that in spades.

Still an absolute joy to behold.

Lady Michiru - 15 Jul 2008, 00:50 GMT

Joe Musashi was the coolest Ninja of the 16-bit era.

The infinite shuriken trick made it a little easier though.

Please leave a comment :