Overview – developed by NatsumeAtari and Tengo Project, with publishing by ININ Games, The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors is a full remake of the Super Nintendo game, The Ninja Warriors Again. This updated release features high definition sprites, enhanced sound and new content, reviving the title for a new generation. The console release is available for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, with a link to each version of the game at the bottom of the review.
Disclaimer: this is a re-review of software that was originally provided by ININ Games, with the original review becoming lost since publishing. Just like the original review, the provision of the software has not influenced the content of this re-review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review, starting with the story. I will be referring to the game as the Ninja Saviors during this piece for the sake of brevity.
Story – in a dystopian future, the world has been conquered by the tyrant Banglar, who commands an army of mutants, robots and human cannon fodder. Under his iron fist, Banglar has oppressed the people unchallenged, but a rebellion has been brewing to take down the tyrant. Mulk is the one who leads the resistance, deploys his force of Ninja Warrior cyborgs against the mutant army of Banglar, on a mission to eliminate the dictator.
Gameplay – the Ninja Saviors is an arcade style side-scrolling brawler, where the player controls one of the cyborg Ninja Warriors in single or multiplayer action. The action unfolds across eight distinct stages, where the player takes on the enemy forces, battling soldiers, mutants and powerful robot enemies. At the start of the game, the player will have access to three playable characters, unlocking two additional ones during play.
Each of the playable characters have their own unique style, which affects the way that they move, attack and take on the enemies that appear. There is the Ninja, which is a slow but powerful male style cyborg, who packs a hell of a punch and swings around heavy metal nunchaku to smash enemies. Next is the Kunoichi, a female cybernetic warrior that is quick and agile, armed with a variety of blades to cut down those in her way.
Rounding out the original trio is Kamaitachi, a skeletal android with twin arm blades, who employs lightning fast speed eliminate the opposition. Then there is the first unlockable warrior, Yaksha, the short and voluptuous assassin, using deadly snake like arms to make up for the lack of height. Last is Raiden, a colossal battle droid that can shift between human mode, delivering heavy smashing attacks and tank mode, with explosive bombarding artillery.
All of the playable characters have access to the same core move set, with a basic combo, crouched attack, an aerial strike and a guard/dodge manoeuvre. Alongside these general moves, there are character specific special attacks, which use the batter meter that stretches across the bottom of the screen. As this bar fills up, players can use a portion for strong charge attacks, but if it is filled, a MAX attack is available to wipe out foes with ultimate power.
The core of the gameplay is simple yet satisfying, with players moving through the stage and cutting down the enemies that appear. For the bulk of the experience, there will be enemies that only take a few hits to slay, but the further the player gets, the more powerful they become. This can be dangerous, as the player can be knocked down easily if swarmed, with each knock down draining the Battery meter if it isn’t full to max.
At the end of each stage, a boss will be waiting to battle the player, who have varied and deadly attacks. These include a giant cyborg, a chainsaw wielding hulk and martial arts master, with their own unique themes and attacks. These battles are tense and challenging, as they aren’t single combat, with additional enemies running in as reinforcements. This adds more stress to the boss battles, as the attacks can come from all directions.
When the boss is defeated, there is little in terms of fanfare, with a notice that the target is defeated and the player moves on to the next stage. As each of the stages are cleared, they are unlocked for the time attack mode, where players can challenge for the best time in a stage. The times that are successfully set in the time attack are added to the global leaderboards, which allows players to compete against others for the best time possible.
There is also a leaderboard for the full game itself, with times being recorded if the player can successfully clear the game in one go. Unfortunately, the player will not be able to record a score if they die, which is a heavy punishment. But if the player does choose to continue, they will be returned to a check point. This works well for players to get used to the stages, being able to make it through the experience at the cost of submitting rankings.
For this title there is plenty of content to unlock, with the time attack mode, the extra playable characters and additional music from the Super Nintendo and Arcade games. There is also an extra HARD game mode, which cranks the difficulty up significantly. This makes that game much tougher for players, with tougher battles to challenge. This is unlocked by clearing the game, adding more replay value to the experience during play.
This title offers a multiplayer mode, where two players can take on the game together. But this comes with some unfortunate caveats, as the Armor and Battery meters are shared by both players. This means that any usage of the battery power, or damage taken during battle applies to both players. When the health bar is depleted, any damage either player takes will get a game over, killing both players and ending the attempt at the stage.
Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to discuss the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – there is a good feel to the controls, offering an easy to pick up gameplay experience, with only a few buttons needed for the attacks. This works well when playing the game with a full controller, or with a single joy-con, allowing for on the go fun. There is a lot of action on screen, with rapid button inputs required and thankfully there are no issues with delay. In the pause menu, there is a manual for players to use which has all inputs available.
Difficulty – the Ninja Saviors is a tough game, with some practice and perseverance needed to get through the game. This is due to the way that the game can be pretty stingy with health recovery items, with these pick-ups being few and far between. Because of this, players may be defeated in boss battles, leading to a quick game over. But with the checkpoint system, the punishment for failure in the main mode isn’t too severe.
Presentation – the Ninja Saviors looks simply gorgeous, with the enhanced and new sprites really popping off the screen. There is a great use of color and redrawn sprites, which fit the expanded screen with everything zoomed out. This makes it feel fresh and not just a basic remaster. Then there is the sound, with a new arrangement of the original soundtrack, with crisp cleaned up music from the SNES and Arcade releases as a bonus.
Final Thoughts – when I first reviewed Ninja Saviors several years ago, I had positive things to say, with the time between then and now reinforcing those feelings. I have returned to the game numerous times over the past few years, feeling that rush of excitement each time I get into the action. The action is smooth and it flows well, offering a fun and challenging side scrolling action experience, with that classic arcade feel to it.
The game isn’t perfect as it can feel a little slow during play at times, with the enemies quickly swarming the player quite often. But in general, all of the action has a level of fun to it that makes up for the minor flaws. It is a tough game, but has a lot of depth to the challenge, making it worth the time to get through it. Overall this is a great revival of a classic game, with some good additions and general enhancements that make it an easy recommendation.
In the end, I give The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors a score of 4.75/5. This is a fantastic revival of a once forgotten SNES release, with enhanced visuals, sound and gameplay, offering a new and fresh experience that feels like it was made during the glory days of 2D gaming. if you want to check this title out for yourself, a link to each version of the game will be below.
Link to Nintendo Switch version (HERE)
Link to PlayStation version (HERE)
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