Red Ninja: The End of Honor marks
the latest title to hit the ninja action/stealth genre, previously inhabited by
the Tenchu series and Ninja Gaiden (we won’t mention Shinobi or Nightshade, as
they both had little to nothing to do with stealth). Red Ninja features some of
the familiar trappings of the genre; a sneaky protagonist with a deadly weapon,
traditional Japanese setting, and gallons of spraying blood. The game also adds
some great new additions to the formula, including a great new weapon with a
razor sharp wire used to take out many foes at once. However, there are some
pretty glaring issues in Red Ninja that may frustrate and turn off some gamers.
Red Ninja’s storyline is a cute one
that the whole family can enjoy. Uh, no, no it’s not. Your character, Kurenai is
bent on revenge after the Black Lizard Clan murdered her father and left her
beaten and hung from a wire to die. She is rescued, however, by a member of a
rival gang and trained in the ninja arts, adapting the wire from which she was
hung into a specialized weapon, called the Tetsugen. Using the Tetsugen, Kurenai
must defeat the Black Lizard Clan and avenge her father.
Much like other games in the ninja
genre, you must use your skills and the environment to either avoid or dispose
of your foes. Stealth plays a key role in this game, as you must lurk in the
shadows to get the drop on your enemies. You have access to a fair amount of
ninja weaponry and tools, like smoke bombs and kunai daggers. You can sneak up
on foes and perform stealth kills or simply engage them in combat. You can also
run up and along walls, climb upon rooftops and perform many other acrobatic
stunts (you can even “seduce” your enemies into approaching you).
However, the true innovation of Red
Ninja lies in the Tetsugen. Using the Tetsugen, which is basically a knife
attached to some wire, you can harpoon enemies and use the razor wire to slice
them in half. Also, considering your wire tension, you can use the Tetsugen to
take out multiple foes by harpooning one in the middle and then running in a
circle, mowing down the rest with the wire. You can even use objects in the
environment like crates to add more tension before cutting down your enemies.
Unfortunately, the game falls prey
to some all-too-common issues. First of all, the controls aren’t terribly fluid,
which can be especially problematic in a ninja stealth game. Aiming to fire the
Tetsugen is easily done, but its not unusual for Kurenai to stand there slicing
at nothing in the air instead of shooting off a harpoon. It’s also easy to get
stuck against objects and have her simply stand there running in place, trapped
by a crate or a torch. Running on walls and jumping are also problematic, as
Kurenai will often not run along the wall when you need her to, and landing a
jump is a burdensome process given her erratic nature.
The game’s AI also leaves a lot to
be desired. The only way to get the drop on enemies is if they have their back
to you and you are barely moving, otherwise they’ll be alerted to your presence
every time. Also, once you are fighting them, their main way of dealing with you
is to stand there and block. Occasionally, they’ll take a poke at you and
attack, but most of the time they’ll stand and deflect your attacks.
Graphically, the game looks pretty
average. The character models have a decent amount of detail, but nothing too
extravagant. There are some nice bloom lighting effects, but nothing you haven’t
seen before. The main glaring issue with the game’s look is the extremely
troublesome camera. It doesn’t take a lot for the camera to bug out, as it can
get hung up on objects and make things very difficult for you as you play. It’s
even worse when you are in a tight space like an attic, as the camera will lock
behind your character, making it near impossible to know where you are going.
The game’s musical score is decent,
similar to what you’d find in other medieval Japanese games like Onimusha. The
sounds are pretty clear, and the voice acting is slightly hammy.
Red Ninja: End of Honor brings some
innovative new concepts to the table. Unfortunately, a lot is lost in the
execution due to some glaring issues.
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Gameplay: 7.0
Red Ninja’s use
of the Tetsugen is a pretty cool concept, allowing you to use realistic physics
to take out your foes. Unfortunately, some nagging issues, like a buggy camera,
poor AI and control issues, sully much of the experience.
Graphics: 7.5
Graphically, Red
Ninja looks fairly decent, with some nice lighting effects and character models.
Sound: 8.0
The music sounds
good, pretty par for the course as far as medieval Japan games go. The voice
acting can be a bit hammy at times.
Difficulty: Medium
Concept: 7.0
Red Ninja has
some great ideas, like the Tetsugen and use of realistic physics, but much of it
is lost in the execution due to some plaguing gameplay problems.
Overall: 7.0
Red
Ninja is a decent ninja game that could’ve been a great one, given a bit more
polish. Unfortunately, the game falls prey to some all-too-common problems, like
weak AI and a buggy camera. If you are a ninja fan looking for something new,
then you should be satisfied with a rental.
