Ninja Ryukenden Trilogy
Ninja Gaiden (in US)
Analysis
In the whole trilogy, Ryukenden I has the most difficult gameplay, while Ryukenden II is the most enjoyable. Ryukenden III is a minor disappointment as the speed of the game and its gameplay has been slightly altered. As a result, it becomes not as nice-playing as the previous ones. Also, its story doesn't sound convincing - too many glitches and doesn't show much connections from the previous games.
Apart from this, there is a distinct difference in Ryu�s ability from the first installation to the last. For example in Ryukenden I, although Ryu could grab onto the walls, he could not move up and down like he could in II or III. In order to make him climb, you need very delicate skills with your fingers to perform continuous flips so that he would land higher and higher up the walls. From II onwards, Ryu is now better skilled. Not only could he move along the walls with great dexterity, he could hang on to vines and wires and even use Ninjutsu while climbing. Apart from these abilities, the most unique feature in part II is his ability to create his own �Shadow Simulacra� to help him strike down enemies even when his physical body is not there. These simulacra aids Ryu greatly in vanquishing many tough bosses throughout the game. In part III, Ryu has no �shadow simulacra� but he can obtain a power upgrade to his sword. By strengthening his sword, Ryu can create an aura wave when he slashes at enemies from a relative distance. You can also hear him produce a �HAH!� everytime his sword is unleashed!
Apart from all the intensive actions in the games, the Ryukenden trilogy always flashes a series of movie shots in-between stages to explain the course of the story. Trust me, the story is simply wonderful to behold and leave memorable impressions on me even till now. The stories of I and II are especially captivating since they are well-written and make the game deep and enchanting. It�s a pity that they are in Japanese so not many people would be as patient as me to try decipher parts of the text to figure out the entire story (I don't live in America where they release Ninja Gaiden you see). Lastly I LOVE the music of the series� In fact, I loved them so much that I recorded them on several tapes and listen to them even until today!
Rating:
Ninja Ryukenden I � 8.5 (at its time), 8.5 (now)
Ninja Ryukenden II � 9 (at its time), 9 (now)
Ninja Ryukenden III � 7.5 (at its time), 7 (now)
PS: I enjoyed playing Ryukenden I so much that I could then play and complete the game without using any continues at all. For Ryukenden II, I was so skilled that I could complete it with one single life without dying even once. Hey try that for once!! As for Ryukenden III, the game grows more and more difficult during the end so I use continues like nobody's business. |
