1989
Sega
From the very moment you see the intro cutscene you can tell that Sega put a lof effort into this one.
Levels are longer and more complex than the previous arcade outings for Shinobi, some levels will require you to climb up, venture down or even backtrack to progress.
The music is composed by the legendary Yuzo Koshiro, you won't find anything here as good as what the Streets of Rage series has to offer, but what is here does the job well and sets the mood for your various surroundings.
There are some cheap deaths, most of them will be you falling into a pit after being hit in mid air and losing control of your character, so using your powers at the right moment to minimise these situations is a must.
Some of Musashi's powers aren't as useful as others, but his throwing stars and sword for close quarters combat are always fun to use.
One of the highlights of the game are the numerous pop culture references. Action heroes , martial artists and even comic book characters will appear as enemies or bosses, though they may differ depending on what version of the game you have. If you want to see them in all their original glory, I recommend playing the Japanese version if possible.
The maze level is annoying and confusing to navigate, you could easily spend hours wandering around the same areas looking for the exit, so get a pen and paper ready before you tackle this one.
Despite the cheap deaths and some confusing level design this is a solid game, it was also proof that Sega was capable of creating a lengthy action platformer that was focused on a story driven objective, rather than simply reaching a high score.
7/10
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