Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden series was a strong set of games back on Nintendo's 8-bit NES. Now, the company's mobile department has put together a virtual carbon copy of the original game. The result is almost flawless, reminding us how great games often stand the test of time. Unfortunately, this mobile release only contains a bite-size segment of the original game.
Ninja Gaiden follows the adventures of Ryu Hayabusa, a modern-day warrior out to avenge his father's death. The game is heavily inspired by Konami's platformer Castlevania, with its tricky jumps, smart enemies, and various, interchangeable weapons.
The graphics look just like the original NES game, and even more impressive is that the level layout is almost exactly the same. All the enemies have been included and all the attacks, patterns, and locations are kept as they were in the original. Even the cutscenes, beautiful-looking and necessary to understand the story, are preserved. Anyone who remembers the dialogue will be able to recite it in the mobile version.
An area of concern for many players is how the control scheme would translate onto mobile, especially in such an action-oriented game. However, the ninja controls better than most other mobile games, even with the detailed graphics and chaotic gameplay. Two keys represent right and left movement, and two keys are dedicated to jump and attack. Ryu can't duck like in the original, since pressing the joystick down or the appropriate number key now fires his special weapon; but the ducking ability isn't missed at all.
Besides removing the ducking, Tecmo Mobile has only included Act I in this edition. Act I in the original only consisted of one stage and a boss level, so two new stages are included. The additional stages merge flawlessly with the original stages, and those new to Ninja Gaiden would be hard-pressed to see that they were just added to the mobile version.
Two challenges keep Ninja Gaiden Volume 1 from being great. First and foremost, the sound isn't that great, especially when compared to the rest of the package. The adrenaline-pumping soundtrack and buoyant sound effects were some of the most memorable parts of the classic, and they haven't been effectively translated to the mobile platform.
The other problem is, of course, that there are only four stages in this version of Ninja Gaiden. Veterans can complete the game in under an hour, which certainly isn't much value for the five or more dollars you'll spend to play it.
Despite it having the depth of a prerelease demo, Ninja Gaiden is certainly worth paying for. It may be only four levels, but those levels are pretty great. Fans of the original game definitely need to check it out, and players that like action games certainly should take a look, as well.
