Review

Developed by:Natsume Atari Published by:ININ Games Genre(s):
  • Beat’em Up
  • Platform:
  • Nintendo
  • Sony
  • Cost:$19.99 ESRB Rating:TEEN Players:1-2 Release date:October 15, 2019 Reviewed on:Switch
    9

    The Ninja Saviors – Return of the Warriors

    I miss a good 90’s style arcade brawler. Fortunately, I live across the street from a local barcade, which allows me to play just about any game genre to my heart’s content. That includes classic Beat’em Ups like Final Fight, TMNT, and The Simpsons.

    That said, it’s been a while since I’ve played one of these games while sitting on my couch; the last Beat’em Up I played was probably Scott Pilgrim on the Xbox 360. Thankfully, we received a review code for The Ninja Saviors – Return of the Warriors.

    Return of the Warriors is a remaster of the SNES port of The Ninja Warriors. Developed by Tengo Project – the original developers, under Natsume Atari – the game features the classic gameplay I’ve been looking for. A group of ninjas are tasked with saving a dystopia world from a tyrant named Banglar. This translates to perpetual punching and kicking. Side scrolling action with the goal of dispatching waves of minions before confronting a boss at the end of each level.

    The combat is still entertaining. Partly because of the starting cast. All of the characters have a different play style. Ninja wields nunchucks and is tank-like in nature – he moves slow, but hits hard. Kunoichi, the female character, is agile. She has quick attacks and is often seen jumping between enemies. Kamaitachi is the fastest out of the three. He also seems to be the most challenging to use at first.

    Beyond the cast is the actual fighting. The game relies on a standard three-button control setup of jump, kick, and special. The special is a sort of different take than normal, using a meter that builds and depletes as you hit and get hit/knocked down respectfully. It’s a nice departure from the genre’s norm of using a player’s health bar; it feels fair and less of a gimmick that causes players to insert more quarters sooner.

    Return of the Warriors also features updated graphics. They aren’t necessarily modern; it looks like it could have been on ported to the NeoGeo. It also sports local co-op, two additional characters to unlock, a Time Trials mode (complete with online rankings) and more.

    Taito’s in-house band, Zuntata, is responsible for all of the game’s music. That includes unlockable songs from the original 1987 arcade game as well as the 1994 SNES port. If you aren’t familiar with them, they are the guys who had you jamming to tunes found in the Bubble Bobble and Darius series. Great stuff.

    All and all, I have to give it to Tengo Project. They were able to spruce up this little-known gem. The little changes here and there help to make it feel like how I remembered; while it’s still a retro game, the changes improve on what’s here, making it match the illusion created by my nostalgia. Basically, now that I know this developer is releasing and remastering cult classics, I will certainly keep my eye out for future titles.

    Gameplay:

    9

    The Ninja Saviors – Return of the Warriors classic gameplay is fun. More so if you’re a fan of the original game.

    Graphics:

    10

    Beautiful remastered (yet, retro) graphics all around. Considering what the original looked like, you can tell a lot of time and effort when into creating this version.

    Sound:

    10

    The remastered soundtrack is great. Zuntata still has it.

    Replay Value:

    7

    There are plenty of unlockables to strive for as well as the additional of 2-player and time trial modes. That said, it is a beat’em up; not many will want to complete the game several times over.

    Final Score:

    9

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