| The G.G. Shinobi | |
|---|---|
North American cover art |
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| Developer(s) | Sega |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Designer(s) | Masahide Kobayashi (planner) Ryo Kudou (designer) |
| Composer(s) | Yuzo Koshiro |
| Series | Shinobi |
| Platform(s) | Sega Game Gear |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | 2D action platformer |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Media/distribution | Game Gear cartridge |
The G.G. Shinobi (ザ・GG忍)[2] is a side-scrolling action game by Sega released for the Game Gear in 1991. It was the first Shinobi game developed specifically for a portable game platform. The player controls the modern-day ninja Joe Musashi, protagonist of previous Shinobi games, as he goes on a mission to rescue four kidnapped comrades from an enemy, gaining control of the other ninjas (each with different abilities) as the game progresses in a manner inspired by Mega Man.[3] It was followed by The G.G. Shinobi II: The Silent Fury in 1993.
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Rumors of terror and destruction have made their way to Ninja Valley. The Master of the Oboro school of shinobi sends his best students to investigate the horrible tales coming from the suburban areas. They return with news of a powerful dark force that has established a base within Neo City.
The Master knows that only a warrior trained in the arts of ninjutsu can stand against this menace. One by one his greatest pupils enter Neo City to locate and destroy the source of the evil. Ninja Valley has lost contact with each of them. All are believed to be captured.
It is now up to Joe Musashi, the Red Shinobi, to carry through this dire mission. As the oldest and strongest of his ninja disciples, Musashi must use his special skills in the art of ninjutsu to free his fellow shinobi. With their combined strength, they can destroy the City of Fear.
The game mechanics of The G.G. Shinobi is similar to that seen in The Revenge of Shinobi. Movement is limited to walking, attacking and jumping. To compensate the restriction of action however, The G.G. Shinobi offers a unique mechanic to add variety.
The objective of the game is to free four ninjas held captive by the evil crime organization: pink ninja, blue ninja, green ninja and yellow ninja. When a stage is completed, the freed ninja joins the player's party and can be switched to during play. Each ninja comes equipped with a unique weapon, ninjitsu and skill. When the game begins however, the player can only control the Red Shinobi, and his only form of attack is a short-range katana slash. The Pink Shinobi tosses bombs and can climb and walk on the ceiling; the Yellow Shinobi attacks with energy blasts and can walk on water; the Blue Shinobi has a grappling hook that can be used to swing on certain pegs; and the Green Shinobi wields shuriken and is the only one who is able to execute a somersault. This enables him to jump higher than other ninjas. Pressing the attack button while he is doing a somersault and multiple shurikens will be thrown. Switching between different ninjas is done using the pause menu.
The player can decide in which order the first four levels are completed, although as these can only be played through once and certain items cannot be reached without using the different ninja's skills, there is an optimum order to the levels. When all ninja have been rescued, the final confrontation takes place in the fifth stage Neo City. The city itself is a maze-like series of rooms, each specialised to one ninjas skills. For example, the first room consists of many blocks dropping from the ceiling to the floor, and requires Green Ninja's double jump to reach the exits at the top.
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