TGS 2003: Kunoichi Impressions

We tried out a demo version of Kunoichi, Sega's upcoming ninja game for the PlayStation 2, at Tokyo Game Show 2003. The game is the spiritual successor to last year's update to Shinobi. And the spiritual successor to last year's dark, brooding scarf-wearing ninja Hotsuma is a svelte white-and-red-clad lady ninja who seems to pack all the punch her predecessor did, and then some. Kunoichi seems to offer refinements of the gameplay mechanics used in Shinobi, as well as improved graphics.

The demo on display on the show floor featured a cutscene that set the tone for the game. It appears that in the time since the end of last year's Shinobi, trouble is brewing again and our heroine is on hand to hack things up real good. We tried out the story mode in the demo which was set in a subway system. The demo began in a terminal and sent us through a series of tunnels to a confrontation with an enormous mutated caterpillar-like creature.

The basic mechanics in Kunoichi seem very similar to those of Shinobi, although the control feels a bit more responsive. In the new game, you have access to projectiles, magic, and standard melee attacks that can be chained into combos. You can also jump impossibly high, stick to walls, and dash on the ground or through the air. Like in Shinobi, you can chain together your kills with flashy finishing moves if you can cut all your enemies down in time.

From what we've seen, the gameplay seems pretty straightforward. You pass through levels by defeating a set number of enemies to bring down mystical walls in your path, and by collecting assorted items along the way to the level's boss. The subway level we played followed this template to the letter. The enemies consisted of the basic assortment of demons and violations of nature you'd expect to find when demonic trouble is brewing. The caterpillar boss proved to be an especially annoying foe. Fortunately, much like the bosses in Shinobi, it had a distinct pattern and weaknesses that could be exploited with a proper application of ninja skills.

The graphics seem to offer some solid improvements over those of the original Shinobi, and the new game has some subtle, and nice-looking, visual touches as well. The overall detail in the game seems high, although the drab-looking subway didn't showcase this detail too well. Still, we did note some good-looking details like how light from passing subway trains reflects on the opposite wall. The animation seems good and moves swiftly, thanks to a smooth and fast frame rate. The only issue we had with the TGS version of the game was that the camera seemed problematic in a few spots during gameplay. Kunoichi is currently slated to ship this Fall in Japan and early next year in the US.