There is an old adage that states,
in part, “what does not kill me, serves to make me stronger.” In the case of
Kurenai, the article was the wire that the Black Lizard Clan used to hang her.
But let’s not get ahead of
ourselves.
A field of battle is seen, two rival
armies. One gives the order to charge, sending hundreds of warriors in a furious
charge across the field. The commander of the other gives the order to fire, and
a gatling gun sprays the field with bullets, turning the advancing army into
just so many dead warriors. The commander of the army with the gun is appalled,
states there is no honor in such warfare and orders the gun destroyed.
In a village, the man who created
the weapon is in the process of destroying the blueprints for the gun, when he
is visited by his young daughter. But there are other visitors there as well,
ninja. The father is killed, the plans stolen, and the young girl is left
hanging by a wire from a lotus blossom tree, her blood staining the white petals
below her.
A woman, traveling by horseback,
passes by and sees the young girl and takes her down from the tree. She is
surprised that life has not left the child.
“You are still alive?”
“Alive?” replies the child. “No …
but I’m not dead!”
Rescued by a rival clan, Kurenai is
trained in the art of ninjitsu, and the weapon (called a Tetsugen) that is her
signature is that same wire that would have been the death of her.
Vivendi Universal Games and Tranji are behind the PlayStation 2 release of Red Ninja: End of Honor, a game that
blends stealth with combat that is full of blood-spraying entertainment. The
weapon the Kurenai carries is capable of doing very nasty damage. With a heavy
weight at one end, Kurenai can throw the weapon, wrap it around an enemy and
then with a tug, cut them in half. Wrap the weapon around one member of a group
and then run a circle to do area damage, and use stationary objects to anchor
the weapon.
The game takes place in the 16th
century of Japan, where two large clans are battling for control. As a member of
the clan opposing the one that tried to kill Kurenai, the game sets an ideal
table for her bloodlust, and then gives her the tools to carry it out. However,
there are some rather interesting elements that defy the whole idea of what
Kurenai is about. For one, instead of wearing the full,
blend-into-the-background garb of ninjas, Kurenai wears a short, red kimono that
might be better suited to a geisha. But then again, Kurenai is not above using
her feminine wiles to lure a somewhat stupid guard to her. Stupid? How so? Well,
let’s see – a woman no one has seen before suddenly appears from nowhere and
beckons Joe Guardboy over while he is on high alert. A clan that employs guards
like this deserves what it gets.
Kurenai can use different weapons
and has several acrobatic abilities available to her, including wall hugs and
wall runs. But the camera does have a problem, at times, keeping up with her and
can hang up in certain areas.
The first mission is to infiltrate
an old playhouse in a mountain mining village. The mission is relatively simple
– penetrate the compound and assassinate the leader of a group arriving to watch
the play.
To help players, at least initially,
there are “ninja butterflies.” No, these are not little bugs that wield tiny
katana, but rather arcade-style help. Go under them and press the square button
to hear their message.
The gameplay itself has some
maze-like levels, and is rather linear, with a rush of enemies that you will
have to deal with should you raise the alarms by being less than superbly
stealthy.
The controls are a little clumsy at
times, but if you get a handle on the configuration, you should be able to
progress through the game with little trouble. Cutscenes advance the story,
there are heals and weapons available throughout the levels, and the game has
not minimized load times. You can assign two of the items you pick up (equip) to
the triangle and O hot buttons on the PS2 controller, which makes them easy to
access.
Although Kurenai can pick up and
hide bodies, if you cut one in half, that ability is removed. And the bodies
that are in two pieces look a little strange. The cut is perfectly horizontal
and sealed.
The game’s sound it not bad, with
decent voice acting and music that supports the style of the game. Graphically,
this game has smooth animations, decent lighting effects and nicely styled
environments. The game does not break any new territory graphically, and much
like the gameplay, this is not something that has not been seen in other games.
Red Ninja: End of Honor plays well,
and is a decent action game. Just do not expect it to set new standards for the
genre of ninja-fighting adventure titles, or even measure up to games such as
Ninja Gaiden. If you are looking for a game that does have some unique elements,
but also treads into the territory of elements that are at odds with what could
have been a dark and well-told tale, then Red Ninja may supply that gaming
itch.
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Gameplay: 7.0
The control elements can feel a little clunky at times and the camera can get
hung up and not give a great view of enemies. The game also has not minimized
load times, and you will find those following close on the heels of save points
in the middle of missions.
Graphics: 7.2
The blood sprays with every hit seems gratuitous at best. The environments are
nicely done though, and the animation is very smooth.
Sound: 7.0
The musical score may not fully embrace the action of the game, but it does pick
up tempo in the appropriate spots and does a nice job overall. The voiceovers
are decently done.
Difficulty: Medium
The game has three difficulty settings – easy, normal and hard.
Concept: 6.8
New weapon, but same generic game really slows down the structure of this title.
Overall: 6.9
Red Ninja had the story line to present a dark tale, which would have been a
major distinguishing feature of the game. But rather than pursue it, the game
throws in a mix of elements at odds with the tale itself. A pale and curvaceous
woman running about in a short red kimono is hardly the hardened and deadly
ninja who will inspire fear. The acrobatics are solid, but the blood spilling
seems a little much for a stealthy warrior. Red Ninja could have been much more
than it is, and what it is is an average tale.
