Shinobi 3D
| Shinobi 3D | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Griptonite Games |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Composer(s) |
Norihiko Hibino Yoshitaka Suzuki Takahiro Izutani |
| Series | Shinobi |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo 3DS |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure, hack and slash |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Shinobi, known in Japan as Shinobi 3D, is a video game developed by Griptonite Games (a division of Foundation 9) and published by Sega as part of the Shinobi series, and was released worldwide in November 2011.
Gameplay
The game is primarily controlled with buttons, but there are minigames that make use of the touch screen.[1] Player controls the protagonist Jiro Musashi in arcade style gameplay; similar to the original 2D games. The game typically plays in a 2D sidescrolling fashion, using 3D graphics.
Plot
The game's story begins in the year 1256, Kencho Era Japan, where the young Oboro Clan Leader Jiro Musashi (father of Joe Musashi, the main character from the original Arcade and Sega Genesis Shinobi games) is summoned to defend his home village from the ninja forces of Zeed. After battle, he is sent 800 years into the future, where Zeed now rules with an iron fist. Aided by Sarah, the leader of a local resistance, Jiro continues his battle against Zeed. As he battles on, he begins to uncover a deeper conspiracy (depending on the level of skill and difficulty), a secret mission is unlocked, revealing an ancient alien Orn that instigated the events in the Kamakura era, including the betrayal of Jiro's own teacher, in hopes of creating the most powerful Ninja army in space. After defeating Orn, the alien's spaceship explodes, and Jiro, protected by a Ninjutsu spell is last seen reentering the atmosphere. After landing on Earth, Jiro walks into the horizon, presumably to restart the Oboro Ninja Clan anew. The Timeline is altered so Joe Musashi doesn't exist in the 20th Century in this timeline.
Characters
- Jiro Musashi (ジロー・ムサシ／武蔵次郎)- A young shinobi from the Kamakura Period. Jiro Musashi is the new leader of the Oboro ryu Ninja(朧流忍者 Oboro Ninja Clan) and father of Joe Musashi. After repelling Zeed Ninja from his village, an explosion destroys the village and he is hurled through time after cocooning himself in a Ninjutsu. Now trapped in the year 2058AD, he fights for his survival and humanity's freedom against Zeed. (It should be noted that with the Oboro being destroyed in Kamakura, Joe Musashi doesn't exist in the 20th Century in this alternate timeline)
- Col. Sarah Krieger- The Leader of a local resistance, Sarah is a gun totting lady soldier that first meets Jiro. Initially unsure if he's a friend of foe due to confusion upon their meeting, as time goes on she sees he's someone she can trust. She bears a striking resemblance to Jiro's lover back in the Kencho Era, implying that she is of Japanese American descent.
- Shadow Master- the Leader of Zeed and ruler of Zeed Island. It is later revealed that he was once Jiro Musashi's own sensei formed a pact with the ancient alien lifeform Orn, and in being given a red Oni Mask created by Orn, he gained eternal life, and allowed the Oboro survivors to be captured and used as templates for Orn's ambition. He is defeated by Jiro, and rather than let Jiro kill him he crashes the space shuttle they are on into Orn's ship.
- Orn- the true main antagonist of the story. Orn is an alien that has come to Earth in the Kamakura era and orchestrated the attack on the Oboro Shinobi Village. Seeing the Ninja as the perfect template he sought to use them to create the ultimate Space Ninja Army. He is eventually defeated by Jiro, and his fate is left unknown afterwards.
Development
The game was first revealed in the May 2011 issue of Nintendo Power.[2][3][4] Sega originally planned to release the game in September 2011. However, due to slow 3DS hardware sales, they postponed the game until November of that year.[5]
Reception
Shinobi 3D has received mixed to positive reviews, receiving an aggregate score of 69 on Metacritic.[6] Destructoid praised Shinobi 3D for having "tons" of content, but noted that the steep difficulty curve and lack of coherent narrative may turn off some players.[7] Official Nintendo Magazine UK similarly stated that "Shinobi won't be to everyone's tastes since we're now in an age where games are expected to be easy enough for everyone," but said it should be enjoyed by players looking for a challenge.[8] GameSpot praised the way the game reconciles difficulty with accessibility, remarking that the game makes only a few missteps in this, and calls Shinobi 3D "among the small number of quality games in the growing 3DS library worthy of a spot on your shelf."[9] However, GamesTM was more critical of Shinobi 3D, judging the "unsympathetic difficulty" of the game as "cheap and archaic within the context of plodding action." According to Eurogamer, "to call this a bad game would be grossly unfair, but it's a truly unexceptional one. For a series like Shinobi, that is dishonour enough."[10]
References
- ↑ "Contact Support". Segabits.com. Retrieved 2012-08-06.
- ↑ "Contact Support". Segabits.com. Retrieved 2012-08-06.
- ↑ "Contact Support". Segabits.com. Retrieved 2012-08-06.
- ↑ "Contact Support". Segabits.com. Retrieved 2012-08-06.
- ↑ JC Fletcher (2011-07-19). "Shinobi and Crush3D delay3D". Joystiq. Retrieved 2012-08-06.
- ↑ "Shinobi Critic Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2013-01-20.
- ↑ "Review: Shinobi (3DS)". Destructoid. Retrieved 2013-12-22.
- ↑ "Shinobi 3DS review". Official Nintendo Magazine. Retrieved 2013-12-22.
- ↑ "Shinobi (2011) Review - GameSpot". Uk.gamespot.com. Retrieved 2013-12-22.
- ↑ Stanton, Rich (2011-11-28). "Shinobi Review • Reviews • 3DS •". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 2013-12-22.