Ninja Combat
Encyclopedia
is a 1991
side-scrolling action game
, developed by Alpha Denshi
and published by SNK
.
It was one of the launch titles for both the Neo Geo
MVS (arcade) and AES (home) systems. Among action side-scrolling games, it is notorious for its high level of difficulty and odd design and gameplay ideas.
warriors Joe (ジョー) and Hayabusa (ハヤブサ, lit. "Falcon") (curiously sharing their names with Joe Musashi
and Ryu Hayabusa
), who are waging a battle against an evil ninja clan Kage Ichizoku (影一族, lit. "Shadow Family"). Their mission is to fight their way into the enemy home fortress, Ninja Tower (ニンジャタワー, "Ninjatawa"), which has emerged from the ocean in the center of New York City
, to once and for all defeat the Shadow Family and its leader, the long thought-dead demon sorcerer Genyousai, and crumble the Ninja Tower.
to the top of Ninja Tower. Along the way, they must survive endless attacks from the members of Kage Ichizoku and their minions. Joe and Hayabusa uses shurikens as their primary weapon, although other weapons that aid them along the way are nunchaku
s, maces, ratchets, battle axes, spiked clubs, and katana
s. A special somersault
attack can be used to knock down a multiple enemies in a row. As an art of ninpo kairou, a fire dragon can be summon to destroy all enemies on the screen. ). When defeated, three of the bosses: Musashi (ムサシ), Kagerow (カゲロウ, lit. "Mayfly") and Gembu (ゲンブ), become allies and fight alongside Joe and Hayabusa as optional player character
s.
The gameplay of Ninja Combat requires extremely skilled players to progress through the game, due to its high level of difficulty. Many players and reviews have shown disdain to the slow control response and the survival rate.
from both Ninja Combat and The Super Spy
, along with the arranged versions by SNK Sound Team and KONNY, was released by Pony Canyon
and Scitron
on November 21, 1990, before the game was released.
's Virtual Console
download service in Europe and Australia on October 26, 2007, and in North America
on June 2, 2008. It is also one of the five games ported to the PlayStation 2
in the game compilation ADK Tamashii
in 2008.
1991 in video gaming
-Notable releases:*Microprose creates Civilization, Sid Meier's most successful game .*Electronic Arts releases James Pond 2 and Road Rash for Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, starting a series of games that were popular in the 1990s....
side-scrolling action game
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
, developed by Alpha Denshi
ADK (company)
, also known as , was a Japanese video game production company founded sometime in July of 1980. "ADK" is an acronym for Alpha, Denshi, and the Japanese term for "corporation", Kabushiki kaisha...
and published by SNK
SNK Playmore
SNK Playmore Corporation is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. SNK is an acronym of , which was SNK's original name. The company's legal and trading name became SNK in 1986....
.
It was one of the launch titles for both the Neo Geo
Neo Geo (console)
The is a cartridge-based arcade and home video game system released on July 1, 1991 by Japanese game company SNK. Being in the Fourth generation of Gaming, it was the first console in the former Neo Geo family, which only lived through the 1990s...
MVS (arcade) and AES (home) systems. Among action side-scrolling games, it is notorious for its high level of difficulty and odd design and gameplay ideas.
Plot
The story, set in the year "199X", follows the twin ninjaNinja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
warriors Joe (ジョー) and Hayabusa (ハヤブサ, lit. "Falcon") (curiously sharing their names with Joe Musashi
Joe Musashi
is a player character and main hero in Sega's Shinobi series of video games, first introduced in 1987.-Character design:When debuting in the Shinobi series, Musashi was designed with an outfit that would be described by IGN as "thoroughly traditional", whereas Sega would coordinate later characters...
and Ryu Hayabusa
Ryu Hayabusa
is the protagonist of the Ninja Gaiden video game series as well as a player character in the Dead or Alive series, both published by Tecmo. According to the game canon, Ryu Hayabusa is a ninja and the leader of the that has spiritual, physical and magical ties to ancient dragons...
), who are waging a battle against an evil ninja clan Kage Ichizoku (影一族, lit. "Shadow Family"). Their mission is to fight their way into the enemy home fortress, Ninja Tower (ニンジャタワー, "Ninjatawa"), which has emerged from the ocean in the center of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, to once and for all defeat the Shadow Family and its leader, the long thought-dead demon sorcerer Genyousai, and crumble the Ninja Tower.
Gameplay
The journey takes the ninja heroes from an amusement parkAmusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
to the top of Ninja Tower. Along the way, they must survive endless attacks from the members of Kage Ichizoku and their minions. Joe and Hayabusa uses shurikens as their primary weapon, although other weapons that aid them along the way are nunchaku
Nunchaku
is a traditional Okinawan weapon consisting of two sticks connected at their ends with a short chain or rope.-Etymology:The Japanese word nunchaku is the Kun'yomi reading of the Kanji term for a traditional Chinese two section staff....
s, maces, ratchets, battle axes, spiked clubs, and katana
Katana
A Japanese sword, or , is one of the traditional bladed weapons of Japan. There are several types of Japanese swords, according to size, field of application and method of manufacture.-Description:...
s. A special somersault
Somersault
A somersault is an acrobatic exercise in which a person does a full 360° flip, moving the feet over the head. A somersault can be performed either forwards, backwards, or sideways and can be executed in the air or on the ground...
attack can be used to knock down a multiple enemies in a row. As an art of ninpo kairou, a fire dragon can be summon to destroy all enemies on the screen. ). When defeated, three of the bosses: Musashi (ムサシ), Kagerow (カゲロウ, lit. "Mayfly") and Gembu (ゲンブ), become allies and fight alongside Joe and Hayabusa as optional player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
s.
The gameplay of Ninja Combat requires extremely skilled players to progress through the game, due to its high level of difficulty. Many players and reviews have shown disdain to the slow control response and the survival rate.
Soundtrack
The original soundtrackSoundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
from both Ninja Combat and The Super Spy
The Super Spy
Super Spy is an early SNK game, made in 1990 for the Neo Geo. It is a first-person shooter and beat 'em up game in which players move through the many floors of an office building shooting terrorists. It was an early example of a first-person shooter where the player character's arms and weapons...
, along with the arranged versions by SNK Sound Team and KONNY, was released by Pony Canyon
Pony Canyon
is a Japanese company, established on October 1, 1966 , which publishes music, DVD and VHS videos, movies and video games. It is a subsidiary of Japanese Media Group, Fujisankei Communications Group.-History:...
and Scitron
Scitron
-List of Video Game Albums Released:A -B - C -D - E -F - G -H - I -J - K -L - M -N - O -P - Q -R - S -T - U -V - W -X - Y -Z-A:* ACECOMBAT 04 shattered skies Original Sound Tracks SCDC-00146...
on November 21, 1990, before the game was released.
Re-releases
Ninja Combat was re-released through NintendoNintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
download service in Europe and Australia on October 26, 2007, and in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
on June 2, 2008. It is also one of the five games ported to the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
in the game compilation ADK Tamashii
ADK Tamashii
ADK Tamashi is a compilation of video games made and released by SNK Playmore in Japan only for the PlayStation 2 console.It includes 5 arcade/Neo Geo games which were all developed by ADK and published by SNK Playmore...
in 2008.