SEGA AGES Shinobi is a choreographer in a theatre of death
by Amr (@siegarettes)
- SEGA AGES Shinobi
- Developer: M2
- Publisher: SEGA
- Switch
The act of playing Shinobi is a performance. Each attempt is practice for the choreography. Every shuriken in the right place, every jump predetermined and every kill premeditated. The instant you throw a shuriken you know the fate of you and your enemy. Either they’re dead in the next second or–as is more often the case–you are.
The lethality is what gives Shinobi its tension. You die in a single hit, but most enemies do as well. Even when they can take an extra hit, the recoil from your first attack often sets up their death from your follow up. Controlling the situation is important to making sure those follow ups happen, and the choreography flows smoothly. Protagonist Joe Musashi doesn’t have control of his jump arcs, or any defensive moves. Once a bullet heads your way there’s few options to escape it, so your best move is to put yourself in situations where that can’t happen to begin with.
Topography in Shinobi is generally flat. Stages are multi-tiered with plenty of height variation, but they’re separated into spaces for above and below, or foreground and background. Exploiting these separations will allow you to get the drop on enemies and strike before they even get a shot at you, at least until an enemy shows up that blocks your path with an arced grenade throw or jumping attacks.
What initially appears as a more limited design quickly becomes complicated, forcing new approaches with harsh penalties for poorly thought out moves. The limitations force a tactical approach, and even without formal tactical systems or complicated controls, had me thinking about stages in terms of cover points, routing and enemy priority.
The intensity of the original game can get overwhelming sometimes, and developer M2 clearly knew that. The SEGA AGES release, in addition to giving you a comprehensive level select that lets you go to each individual round that you’ve completed, adds the AGES mode, which begins each stage with an extra hit point and permanently powers up Musashi with explosive bullets. Regardless of which version you play, you’ll also have access to an optional rewind button, which can reverse time on your mistakes and allow you to practice problem areas. Each is a smart addition that makes a demanding game more approachable, and gives you an alternate way to enjoy the game.
Despite being a fan of the Shinobi series, this was my first experience with the original game. Its initial simplicity belies the complexity that arises from its small interactions. I enjoyed slowly learning its choreography, and finding small optimizations that helped me cut and even cleaner path through its stages. And when I’d become frustrated with its rough treatment, I’d pop over to AGES mode and watch as my stage knowledge helped me decimate the opposition with my powered up weaponry. Whether you seek to perfect Shinobi’s lethal choreography or more casual ninja action, the SEGA AGES release provides.