The Resistance with Robots!
Companies are trying to come up with that next great idea but some of them try to cash in on that good old feeling of nostalgia. Nintendo does it all the time and some of the other companies/developers are following suit. If you were a fan of video games in the 90’s, you’ve heard of Taito either on home consoles or in the arcades and they’re bringing some of their classic games back to the forefront. Players will be able to play Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors on the PlayStation 4 and the Nintendo Switch. Ninja up cause we have a lot to cover!
The world is under the tyrannical rule of President Banglar and it’s up to the resistance, which we are a part of, to stop him and his band of evil hench-people. You can play single player on a normal setting or a tougher harder setting as well as a multiplayer mode to play with friends. Beat-em-ups are always more fun with friends and Ninja Saviors is no different as there will be plenty of action on screen and another fighter to help out is a welcome sight sometimes. You can also set your sights on being the best in the world as there is an online ranking mode where you can see how your best time does against other people. You can play the main game as well as a time attack mode and try for top times there too but if you use a continue during the main game, your time will not be recorded.
You’ll also be able to change the controls and music that is played and that’s a nice touch. If you’re a fan of the arcade music, you can unlock the arcade music and play the game that way (give it a try as the Arcade music does bring a different feel to the game but the remixed music is fine too) The game has a basic control scheme/layout but how you master the attacks is what’s key. You could consider Ninja Saviors a “button masher” as I found myself using the same few attacks but in this case, that isn’t a bad thing. You need quick attacks that you can use in rapid succession when there are lots of enemies on screen and this game delivers that.
You’ll also have the ability to use special attacks and attacks unique to each character you’re playing as. Kunoichi has throwing shuriken where as Ninja uses nunchucks to attack. During gameplay you’ll notice a gage on the screen that charges steadily as you progress in the level. That gage is your attack meter and that allows you to perform attacks like throwing shuriken or using special attacks when it’s full. However, when you take damage/get attacked from an enemy, the gage empties and you’ll have to wait until it fills up again to use the attack you need so be careful!
As I mentioned before, there are different characters for you to play as in the game; three to start out with and five total. You have Kunoichi, Ninja, Kamaitachi, Yaksha and Raiden as the muscle in the hopes of the resistance. I found that Kunoichi felt the most balanced in terms of attacks and speed. In contrast, I found Ninja to be extremely slow but he’s a large fighter so what do you expect? I also found Yaksha to be pretty slow in terms of movement but her attacks were quick and strong so one could say she’s a combination of Kunoichi and Ninja. It takes about a stage to get used to the mechanics of what the game is trying to do and after that I felt pretty comfortable with the controls. Ninja Saviors is a tough game that does allow you to continue and has “check-points” but you only have one life so don’t waste it.
In paying homage to the classic games of the arcade era of the 90’s, Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors hits the nail on the head. The only real issue is that it’s too short in terms of game-length. You’ll have to scheme about when to use special attacks and how to attack boss enemies as some of them are quick difficult. The musical soundtrack and graphics make you feel like you’ve stepped into the time machine and right into the local arcade! It’s these reasons that I’m giving Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors an 8/10.
