Shinobi (2002 video game)
Encyclopedia
Shinobi is a 3D
action-adventure
video game developed by Overworks and published by Sega
as part of the Shinobi series. It was released for the PlayStation 2
console on November 10, 2002 in North America; December 5 in Japan; and May 15, 2003 in Europe. The game stars the ninja
Hotsuma, who wields Akujiki, a sword that feeds on souls. He can also use ninja magic, shuriken
s, and special moves. Upon finding a golden castle after an earthquake, Hotsuma makes it his goal to defeat the sorcerer Hiruko.
Shinobi was originally planned for the Dreamcast, and later moved to the PS2. The game was designed to place emphasis on the action
elements of action-adventure gameplay and appeal to the action market. Other gameplay elements resulted from a desire to mix old and new elements. Upon release, Shinobi was generally well-received by critics. A comic book
adaptation, soundtrack album, and sequel entitled Nightshade have also been released.
10 years passed as the brothers refined their techniques and honed their senses. The duel occurred beneath a full moon, and after a long exhausting fight, Hotsuma finally slew his brother, though he felt a great deal of guilt from it. Four years after, a massive earthquake struck Tokyo, and a mysterious Golden Palace appeared in the center of the destroyed city. With the appearance of the palace came the return of the powerful sorcerer Hiruko, who was thought to have been defeated and sealed by the Oboro Clan long ago. He summoned hellspawn to wreak havoc upon the city, and all but destroyed the Oboro Clan. The city's residents became paralyzed with fear. With the Oboro Clan ravaged and Tokyo on the verge of collapse, Hotsuma placed himself at the heart of the chaos, determined to reach the mysterious Golden Palace and avenge the death of his clan. Along the way, Hotsuma is also forced to battle the slain Oboro ninja who had been reanimated to serve Hiruko.
Midway into his journey, Hotsuma encounters a young shrine maiden who believes that she is intended to be sacrificed by Hiruko to release a statue called Yatsurao. She asks Hotsuma to kill her, but feeling guilty over killing his brother and the similarity of the situation where the girl wants him to kill her, he is unable to do it. This leads to her capture by Hiruko's minions. Hotsuma confronts and destroys Yatsurao, but in doing so, allows Hiruko to absorb its power and restore his youth, which had apparently been his plan with Yatsurao the whole time. Hiruko returns to his palace with Hotsuma continuing his pursuit.
Eventually, Hotsuma's childhood friend Ageha meets him and reveals that she released Hiruko. She also reveals that the death match between him and Moritsune was not really to decide the Oboro's leader, but to provide a soul to keep Akujiki sated. Ageha secretly worked with Hiruko to get him to resurrect Moritsune, not knowing that the revived Moritsune would become one of Hiruko's henchmen with no memory of his past. Moritsune kills Ageha, then fights Hotsuma. Hotsuma defeats him again.
After the battle, Hotsuma breaks to Hiruko's Golden Palace, where Hiruko reveals that he had all along intended for Hotsuma to kill all of the hellspawn and the undead Oboro so that their souls would fuse inside Akujiki. He could then take the sword and use it to rule the world. Hotsuma vows to kill Hiruko and destroy Akujiki, as he blames the evil sword for everything that happened. Hotsuma fights and kills Hiruko after an intense battle, absorbing the sorcerer's soul into Akujiki, and leaves the palace.
action-adventure game
viewed from a third-person perspective. The player guides protagonist Hotsuma through eight levels
that each consist of two sections and a boss battle. Gameplay consists of quickly moving through levels and killing enemies. The game does not feature checkpoints, but allows the player to continue from the start of a boss battle should they die.
Combat is hack and slash
-based, involving large numbers of recurring enemies. Hotsuma's sword, Akujiki, is his primary weapon. Akujiki feeds on souls, initially devouring those of the enemies he kills, then that of Hotsuma himself if he does not kill any enemies for too long. This leads to an emphasis on killing all enemies in a battle as quickly as possible. To ensure that Akujiki's hunger remains sated, Hotsuma can kill four or more enemies with no more than a few seconds between each kill to perform an exaggeratedly violent "TATE" attack that will release more souls for Akujiki. The mechanic of jumping from enemies after dispatching them adds an element of platform
gameplay.
Hotsuma can also use shuriken
s to briefly paralyze his enemies. Three types of ninja magic are available to him: "Ka'en", an area-based fire attack; "Kamaitachi", a ranged shock wave attack; and "Raijin", which grants him invincibility for a short period of time.
, had been the developer of the Shinobi series throughout its early years. Other projects had prohibited Overworks from developing Shinobi titles for the Sega Saturn
or Dreamcast. However, in 2001 Overworks member Noriyoshi Ohba realized that he had time to develop a new Shinobi game, and Sega returned to publish it. Development of Shinobi began around May 2001, with a team of roughly 50 people. Takashi Uriu filled in as producer. The game was originally planned for the Dreamcast until the console was discontinued and Sega began creating games for other companies' consoles. The PlayStation 2
console was chosen over the competing Nintendo GameCube
and Xbox
because of its familiarity to the team; Uriu had become experienced with the console's software during his past work on the Sakura Wars
series. The console's relative popularity was also a decisive factor.
Shinobi marked the jump of the series to 3D
, attributed to the changing video game market. The 2D
gameplay of past Shinobi games had made consistent use of shuriken-based combat. However, such combat would have been difficult to master in a 3D game. Thus, an auto-targeting system was born, and the gameplay emphasis shifted to swordplay rather than shurikens. Due to the 3D rendering of Shinobi, Overworks decided to grant Hotsuma the ability to run on walls. His usage of ninja magic was a recurring feature in the series, implemented as part of a desire to mix older and newer gameplay elements. However, his "stealth dash" move was a new addition consistent with the overall fast-paced nature of the game.
Although Overworks had worked mainly on simulation and role-playing video game
s, experience with the Streets of Rage series helped with the creation of an action
-based game. Ohba decided to tailor the game to the needs of the relatively small action market amidst the emergence of stealth-oriented ninja-focused games. Uriu was discontent with the state of contemporary action-adventure game
s. Hotsuma's character, as well as the game's setting and plot, resulted from a desire to create a "darker hero" for the game. Hotsuma's "stealth dash" move hatched from Uriu's knowledge of real life
ninja's ability to "divide themselves into different bodies."
Shinobi was showcased at Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2002 together with other prominent Sega titles such as Crazy Taxi 3
, ToeJam and Earl III: Mission to Earth, and Panzer Dragoon Orta
. The game was later exhibited at Tokyo Game Show
2002. Upon completion of development, the game received a rating of "M" (Mature) from the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB), which cited "Blood and Gore" and "Violence". It was highly anticipated prior to release, placing eighth on IGN
's October 18 "Most Wanted" list compiled by aggregated user votes.
and Game Rankings
.
Shinobis basic gameplay was largely praised. GamePro
s Mike Weigand highlighted the TATE attack as "cool" and "hyper-violent", and praised the game's overall emphasis on "head-on deception" rather than stealth. GameZone
staff writer Steven Hopper stated that "[w]hile some would want a bit more depth from a ninja game, I think the arcade
-style gameplay keeps the game close to its roots." IGN
's David Smith and GameSpy
's Benjamin Turner criticized the poor artificial intelligence
and repetitiveness of the basic enemies while praising the bosses.
Critics consistently mentioned the game's high difficulty. The game was described as "hellaciously hard" by Electronic Gaming Monthly
staff writer Che Chou and as "ninja tough" in a review from 1UP.com
. Weigand cautioned: "Casual gamers beware", noting that earlier Shinobi titles had not been as demanding. Hopper called it "the toughest game I’ve played in a long time."
Level design was received generally poorly. 1UP.com highlighted repetitive environmental textures as contributing to the difficulty of finding one's way through the levels, comparing them to textures that might be found in PlayStation games. Smith echoed this opinion, additionally noting occasionally problematic default camera angles. Hopper stated that "[m]ost of the environments look very nice and detailed, while some are a little plain." Turner called the environments overall "samey" and "uninspired".
The newly introduced Hotsuma was singled out for strong praise. Smith called Hotsuma "a great design, a sort of post-modern evolution of the ninja in comparison to the thoroughly traditional Joe Musashi
[the main protagonist of the series]", additionally commending the coordination of his moves with his appearance. 1UP.com stated that he is "the supermodel of video-game action heroes—lean, stylish and mean—and he fights as good as he looks." Turner and Allgame
's Brett Alan Weiss described him as "sleek". Weiss offered strong praise for Akujiki, as did Weigand for Hotsuma's scarf.
In 2003, Shinobi was re-released in North America as part of Sony
's Greatest Hits budget line, signifying a sales total of at least 400,000 in that region. This edition includes a DVD
containing a trailer for Nightshade and gameplay footage played by experienced players. On September 25 of the same year, the game was re-released as part of Japan's similar The Best
budget line.
adaptation of Shinobi was created by Scott Allie
, published by Dark Horse Comics
, and released in 2002. The plot follows Hotsuma and other characters from the game.
. It was released on December 21, 2002 under the Sten och Flod record label
. All twenty-one tracks are taken from the game, except for the last which is a bonus track
. The soundtrack consists of traditional Japanese music
with elements of techno
and rock
. Hopper noted a "nice old-school flair." Weigand stated that "[a]lthough some of the techno-pop music pieces don't fit the sword-and-sorcery theme, the atmospheric sound effects vibrantly ring true throughout."
and again published by Sega exclusively for the PlayStation 2. The game stars female ninja Hibana, who is stylistically and kinetically analogous to Hotsuma. Nightshades Japanese title Kunoichi refers to a female ninja, just as Shinobi refers to a male ninja. The gameplay is also structured similarly to Shinobis. Hotsuma appears as a secret character
in the game. The game was released on December 4, 2003.
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
action-adventure
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
video game developed by Overworks and published by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
as part of the Shinobi series. It was released for 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...
console on November 10, 2002 in North America; December 5 in Japan; and May 15, 2003 in Europe. The game stars the ninja
Ninja
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...
Hotsuma, who wields Akujiki, a sword that feeds on souls. He can also use ninja magic, shuriken
Shuriken
A shuriken is a traditional Japanese concealed weapon that was generally used for throwing, and sometimes stabbing or slashing...
s, and special moves. Upon finding a golden castle after an earthquake, Hotsuma makes it his goal to defeat the sorcerer Hiruko.
Shinobi was originally planned for the Dreamcast, and later moved to the PS2. The game was designed to place emphasis on the action
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...
elements of action-adventure gameplay and appeal to the action market. Other gameplay elements resulted from a desire to mix old and new elements. Upon release, Shinobi was generally well-received by critics. A comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
adaptation, soundtrack album, and sequel entitled Nightshade have also been released.
Plot
Raised together within the Oboro Clan, Hotsuma and Moritsune were seldom apart during their youth. Being the younger of the two, Hotsuma looked up to Moritsune, and considered his older brother to be a superior warrior. Eventually, the Oboro Clan commandment was revealed to the two boys after they discovered Akujiki, the evil soul-stealing sword that would be used in the ritual to decide the clan's leader. The commandment deems that the next clan leader must be determined by a duel to the death between the eldest clan heirs—in this case, Moritsune and Hotsuma. Aware of their destiny, the brothers trained incessantly, instructed by their foster parent, Kobushi.10 years passed as the brothers refined their techniques and honed their senses. The duel occurred beneath a full moon, and after a long exhausting fight, Hotsuma finally slew his brother, though he felt a great deal of guilt from it. Four years after, a massive earthquake struck Tokyo, and a mysterious Golden Palace appeared in the center of the destroyed city. With the appearance of the palace came the return of the powerful sorcerer Hiruko, who was thought to have been defeated and sealed by the Oboro Clan long ago. He summoned hellspawn to wreak havoc upon the city, and all but destroyed the Oboro Clan. The city's residents became paralyzed with fear. With the Oboro Clan ravaged and Tokyo on the verge of collapse, Hotsuma placed himself at the heart of the chaos, determined to reach the mysterious Golden Palace and avenge the death of his clan. Along the way, Hotsuma is also forced to battle the slain Oboro ninja who had been reanimated to serve Hiruko.
Midway into his journey, Hotsuma encounters a young shrine maiden who believes that she is intended to be sacrificed by Hiruko to release a statue called Yatsurao. She asks Hotsuma to kill her, but feeling guilty over killing his brother and the similarity of the situation where the girl wants him to kill her, he is unable to do it. This leads to her capture by Hiruko's minions. Hotsuma confronts and destroys Yatsurao, but in doing so, allows Hiruko to absorb its power and restore his youth, which had apparently been his plan with Yatsurao the whole time. Hiruko returns to his palace with Hotsuma continuing his pursuit.
Eventually, Hotsuma's childhood friend Ageha meets him and reveals that she released Hiruko. She also reveals that the death match between him and Moritsune was not really to decide the Oboro's leader, but to provide a soul to keep Akujiki sated. Ageha secretly worked with Hiruko to get him to resurrect Moritsune, not knowing that the revived Moritsune would become one of Hiruko's henchmen with no memory of his past. Moritsune kills Ageha, then fights Hotsuma. Hotsuma defeats him again.
After the battle, Hotsuma breaks to Hiruko's Golden Palace, where Hiruko reveals that he had all along intended for Hotsuma to kill all of the hellspawn and the undead Oboro so that their souls would fuse inside Akujiki. He could then take the sword and use it to rule the world. Hotsuma vows to kill Hiruko and destroy Akujiki, as he blames the evil sword for everything that happened. Hotsuma fights and kills Hiruko after an intense battle, absorbing the sorcerer's soul into Akujiki, and leaves the palace.
Gameplay
Shinobi is a 3D3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
action-adventure game
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
viewed from a third-person perspective. The player guides protagonist Hotsuma through eight levels
Level (video gaming)
A level, map, area, or world in a video game is the total space available to the player during the course of completing a discrete objective...
that each consist of two sections and a boss battle. Gameplay consists of quickly moving through levels and killing enemies. The game does not feature checkpoints, but allows the player to continue from the start of a boss battle should they die.
Combat is hack and slash
Hack and slash
Hack and slash or hack and slay, abbreviated H&S or HnS, refers to a type of gameplay that emphasizes combat. "Hack and slash" was originally used to describe an aspect of pen-and-paper role-playing games , carrying over from there to MUDs, MMORPGs, and video games in general...
-based, involving large numbers of recurring enemies. Hotsuma's sword, Akujiki, is his primary weapon. Akujiki feeds on souls, initially devouring those of the enemies he kills, then that of Hotsuma himself if he does not kill any enemies for too long. This leads to an emphasis on killing all enemies in a battle as quickly as possible. To ensure that Akujiki's hunger remains sated, Hotsuma can kill four or more enemies with no more than a few seconds between each kill to perform an exaggeratedly violent "TATE" attack that will release more souls for Akujiki. The mechanic of jumping from enemies after dispatching them adds an element of platform
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
gameplay.
Hotsuma can also use shuriken
Shuriken
A shuriken is a traditional Japanese concealed weapon that was generally used for throwing, and sometimes stabbing or slashing...
s to briefly paralyze his enemies. Three types of ninja magic are available to him: "Ka'en", an area-based fire attack; "Kamaitachi", a ranged shock wave attack; and "Raijin", which grants him invincibility for a short period of time.
Main characters
- The game’s protagonist. Hotsuma is the leader and last remaining ninja of the Oboro Clan. Wielding Akujiki, a sword cursed to take the souls of those it slays, Hotsuma ventures into the demon-infested ruins of Tokyo and makes his way to the Golden Palace.
- Hotsuma’s deceased older brother. He and Hotsuma were made to fight to the death to see who would be the clan leader. In the end, Hotsuma won, but in doing so and with a heavy heart, he killed his own brother. Moritsune is later revived by Hiruko, only to reveal himself to be nothing more than a puppet, a demon using Moritsune’s body. After being defeated, he is stabbed by Akujiki and his soul that was residing within the cursed blade exorcises the demon in his body. He then takes Ageha’s soul with him into Akujiki, but not before telling Hotsuma to avenge the Oboro Clan.
- A childhood friend of Hotsuma and Moritsune. When they were children, Moritsune saved Ageha from Akujiki's soul-absorbing blade, after which Ageha developed romantic feelings for him when she grew up. After the death of Moritsune, she left the clan and broke the seal to release Hiruko, hoping that he would resurrect Moritsune. She gets in Hotsuma's way when he tries to kill Hiruko, resulting in a battle between them. She flees after being defeated, running to Hiruko to see if Moritsune has been revived. However, upon seeing Moritsune alive, she embraces him, only to be stabbed and killed by him seconds later.
- An elder ninja who leads the Jonin of the Oboro Clan. He raised and trained Hotsuma, Moritsune, and Ageha when they were children.
- A shrine maiden kidnapped by Hiruko. Kagari has also revealed that she and her family turned out to be his direct descendants which explains her duty to guard Hiruko's tomb. Hiruko needed to sacrifice her in order to resurrect his ultimate weapon, the long-forgotten evil known as Yatsurao. But Kagari was rescued by Hotsuma twice, including the 2nd time in which Hiruko's plan of reawaking and manipulating Yatsurao to conquer the Earth failed, and she was very grateful to him ever since.
- The game's antagonistAntagonistAn antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
. Hiruko is an evil sorcerer who was stopped and killed by the Oboro Clan, and sealed away 72 years ago before the present events of the story. Ageha freed him so that he can bring Moritsune back from the dead. He also brought several Oboro Clan members back to life as his henchmen along with legions of hellspawn. His goal is to let Hotsuma kill all of his minions so that their souls will fuse in Akujiki and make the sword stronger, after which he can kill Hotsuma and use the power of Akujiki to help him take over the world. Hiruko's other yet, similar goal however, was aimed at sacrificing the life of his direct descendant Kagari that he kidnapped and tried to kill in order to revive the living, demonic statue called Yatsurao and use him to help enslave humanity. But Yatsurao was destroyed by Hotsuma in battle and Kagari was saved, yet however, her evil ancestor in his delight absorbed from the defeated Yatsurao all the yin of countless souls killed in the earthquake, thus transforming himself into an all-powerful teenage sorcerer with his youth rejuvenated and his dark magic increased. After a long battle, Hiruko is killed by Hotsuma and his soul is devoured by Akujiki.
The Oboro Clan
- Oboro Clan siblings (the female) and (the male) form a fearsome duo. Both wield kusarigamaKusarigamaThe is a traditional Japanese weapon that consists of a kama on a metal chain with a heavy iron weight at the end. The kusarigama is said to have developed during the Muromachi period...
, but each uses completely different attack methods. They both ask Hotsuma to kill them, knowing that if they are left alone, they will end up hurting innocent people. Despite Hiruko's control over them, they show respect to Hotsuma by calling him "Master" (senpei). In the end, they are both defeated by Hotsuma and are given the death they asked for.
- An old man who can summon ninja dogs to fight for him. Hakuraku is not a fighter, summoning his dogs to do battle on his behalf, and if Hotsuma gets too close or if he has been hit, he will hide in the large box he carries and teleport from one part of the arena to another. He was shown to be very reluctant (or possibly fearful) when battling Hotsuma, constantly shouting, “Stay away from me!”, but in the end he thanks Hotsuma for killing him and allowing him to rest in peace.
- Another member of the Oboro clan. Homura has a cocky attitude and specializes in fire attacks, as well as being able to teleport in a fiery explosion. He wields a telescope-like kiseru (Japanese smoking pipe). At the end of the fight, instead of letting Hotsuma kill him, he commits suicide by blowing himself up.
- A large and powerful member of the Oboro Clan. Kongou is a man with a love for a good fight, going as far as to consider thanking Hiruko for allowing him to have the chance to fight Hotsuma (a fight he has wanted for some time). He wields a shield that is as large as he is, which doubles as a shuriken with retractable blades. When defeated, he compliments Hotsuma on his strength, even jokingly saying that “it must run in the family” before succumbing to death.
- A mysterious swordsman of great caliber. Despite being blind, he has superb hearing which he uses to its fullest in the flooded corridor where he fights Hotsuma. He fights using the IaidoIaidois a modern Japanese martial art associated with the smooth, controlled movements of drawing the sword from its scabbard, striking or cutting an opponent, removing blood from the blade, and then replacing the sword in the scabbard...
style, creating shockwaves in the water with each slash. After Hotsuma defeats him, he comments on Akujiki’s blade and that Hotsuma might just have what is needed to kill Hiruko.
The Hellspawns
- One of the Four Hellspawn Lords. He appears to be a giant tarantulaTarantulaTarantulas comprise a group of often hairy and often very large arachnids belonging to the family Theraphosidae, of which approximately 900 species have been identified. Some members of the same Suborder may also be called "tarantulas" in the common parlance. This article will restrict itself to...
with a tiger'sTigerThe tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
head. He was the first of the Hellspawn Lords to be killed.
- One of the Four Hellspawns Lords. She appears to be a giant mothMothA moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
with the face of a woman. She was the second to be defeated, but instead of letting Hotsuma finish her off, she decided to blow herself up in a final attempt to kill him.
- One of the Four Hellspawn Lords. He appears to be loosely based on the Nine-Tailed Fox from Japanese mythology, except that he has the upper body of a human, the lower body of a snakeSnakeSnakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
with a snake's head at the end, and carries a golden structure on his back with eight fan-like tails and a giant fox head at the top. He was the third to be killed.
- A ninja who attacks Hotsuma early in the game. He has a wound on his neck that glows and causes pain when he gets near Akujiki. He flees upon defeat in his first encounter with Hotsuma. His true identity is eventually revealed to be Moritsune, Hotsuma’s dead brother. Aomizuchi is actually the fourth and final Hellspawn Lord, a dragon-like demon with the power over lightning, using Moritsune's body as a puppet.
- A giant four armed living statue that was disabled and sealed by the Oboro 72 years before the present events of the story. Hiruko attempts sacrifices Kagari to reawaken him. Hotsuma eventually defeats Yatsurao but its soul is absorbed by Hiruko, giving him youth and even more power, which Hiruko reveals to have been his plan with it all along.
Development
Overworks, a division of SegaSega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
, had been the developer of the Shinobi series throughout its early years. Other projects had prohibited Overworks from developing Shinobi titles for the Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
or Dreamcast. However, in 2001 Overworks member Noriyoshi Ohba realized that he had time to develop a new Shinobi game, and Sega returned to publish it. Development of Shinobi began around May 2001, with a team of roughly 50 people. Takashi Uriu filled in as producer. The game was originally planned for the Dreamcast until the console was discontinued and Sega began creating games for other companies' consoles. 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...
console was chosen over the competing Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
and Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
because of its familiarity to the team; Uriu had become experienced with the console's software during his past work on the Sakura Wars
Sakura Wars
is a Japanese media franchise created by Ouji Hiroi, and is developed and owned by Sega and licensed by Red Entertainment and Sega. The franchise centers on a series of dramatic fantasy and science-fantasy tactical role-playing adventure video games, which consist of tactical wargame and dating sim...
series. The console's relative popularity was also a decisive factor.
Shinobi marked the jump of the series to 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
, attributed to the changing video game market. The 2D
2D computer graphics
2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
gameplay of past Shinobi games had made consistent use of shuriken-based combat. However, such combat would have been difficult to master in a 3D game. Thus, an auto-targeting system was born, and the gameplay emphasis shifted to swordplay rather than shurikens. Due to the 3D rendering of Shinobi, Overworks decided to grant Hotsuma the ability to run on walls. His usage of ninja magic was a recurring feature in the series, implemented as part of a desire to mix older and newer gameplay elements. However, his "stealth dash" move was a new addition consistent with the overall fast-paced nature of the game.
Although Overworks had worked mainly on simulation and role-playing video game
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
s, experience with the Streets of Rage series helped with the creation of an action
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...
-based game. Ohba decided to tailor the game to the needs of the relatively small action market amidst the emergence of stealth-oriented ninja-focused games. Uriu was discontent with the state of contemporary action-adventure game
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
s. Hotsuma's character, as well as the game's setting and plot, resulted from a desire to create a "darker hero" for the game. Hotsuma's "stealth dash" move hatched from Uriu's knowledge of real life
Real life
Real life is a term usually used to denote actual human life lived by real people in contrast with the lives of fictional or fantasy characters.-Usage online and in fiction:On the Internet, "real life" refers to life in the real world...
ninja's ability to "divide themselves into different bodies."
Shinobi was showcased at Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2002 together with other prominent Sega titles such as Crazy Taxi 3
Crazy Taxi 3
Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller is the third game in the Crazy Taxi series, and was released for the Xbox and Microsoft Windows, with also an arcade release under the name Crazy Taxi: High Roller.-Development:...
, ToeJam and Earl III: Mission to Earth, and Panzer Dragoon Orta
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Panzer Dragoon Orta is a rail shooter video game published by Sega for the Xbox. The game was released in Japan in December 2002, the following month in the United States, and three months later in PAL territories. It is the fourth console game in the Panzer Dragoon series, after three such games...
. The game was later exhibited at Tokyo Game Show
Tokyo Game Show
The , commonly known as TGS, is a video game expo / convention held annually in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association and the Nikkei Business Publications, Inc...
2002. Upon completion of development, the game received a rating of "M" (Mature) from the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB), which cited "Blood and Gore" and "Violence". It was highly anticipated prior to release, placing eighth on IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's October 18 "Most Wanted" list compiled by aggregated user votes.
Reception
Shinobis initial release fell on November 10, 2002 in North America; December 5 in Japan; and May 15, 2003 in Europe. It was generally well-received by critics, with respective scores of 71% and 71.64% from review aggregators MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
and Game Rankings
Game Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
.
Shinobis basic gameplay was largely praised. GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
s Mike Weigand highlighted the TATE attack as "cool" and "hyper-violent", and praised the game's overall emphasis on "head-on deception" rather than stealth. GameZone
GameZone
GameZone is an American multiplatform video game website. GameZone's daily coverage includes reviews, previews, news, hints & cheats, and editorials. Additionally, GameZone offers downloads, a child-targeted website and in association with GameStop, hosts GZGameShop, an online retailer...
staff writer Steven Hopper stated that "[w]hile some would want a bit more depth from a ninja game, I think the arcade
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
-style gameplay keeps the game close to its roots." IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's David Smith and GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
's Benjamin Turner criticized the poor artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
and repetitiveness of the basic enemies while praising the bosses.
Critics consistently mentioned the game's high difficulty. The game was described as "hellaciously hard" by Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
staff writer Che Chou and as "ninja tough" in a review from 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
. Weigand cautioned: "Casual gamers beware", noting that earlier Shinobi titles had not been as demanding. Hopper called it "the toughest game I’ve played in a long time."
Level design was received generally poorly. 1UP.com highlighted repetitive environmental textures as contributing to the difficulty of finding one's way through the levels, comparing them to textures that might be found in PlayStation games. Smith echoed this opinion, additionally noting occasionally problematic default camera angles. Hopper stated that "[m]ost of the environments look very nice and detailed, while some are a little plain." Turner called the environments overall "samey" and "uninspired".
The newly introduced Hotsuma was singled out for strong praise. Smith called Hotsuma "a great design, a sort of post-modern evolution of the ninja in comparison to the thoroughly traditional 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...
[the main protagonist of the series]", additionally commending the coordination of his moves with his appearance. 1UP.com stated that he is "the supermodel of video-game action heroes—lean, stylish and mean—and he fights as good as he looks." Turner and Allgame
Allgame
Allgame is a commercial database of information about arcade games, video games and console manufacturers.Allgame is owned by All Media Guide, along with Allmusic and Allmovie....
's Brett Alan Weiss described him as "sleek". Weiss offered strong praise for Akujiki, as did Weigand for Hotsuma's scarf.
In 2003, Shinobi was re-released in North America as part of Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
's Greatest Hits budget line, signifying a sales total of at least 400,000 in that region. This edition includes a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
containing a trailer for Nightshade and gameplay footage played by experienced players. On September 25 of the same year, the game was re-released as part of Japan's similar The Best
The Best range
The Best is a Sony PlayStation budget range in Japan and parts of Asia. For the PlayStation, The Best was followed by PSone Books when the PSone was released in 2000...
budget line.
Comic book adaptation
A single-issue comic bookComic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
adaptation of Shinobi was created by Scott Allie
Scott Allie
Scott Allie is an American comics writer and editor, currently the Senior Managing Editor for Dark Horse Comics.-Career:Scott Allie is the author of The Devil's Footprints and the editor of the Hellboy, Conan, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Serenity comics, as well as the founding editor of Dark...
, published by Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
, and released in 2002. The plot follows Hotsuma and other characters from the game.
Soundtrack
is a video game soundtrack album recorded by Sega's music division Wave MasterWave Master
Wave Master Inc. is a research and development team for Sega, focusing on the soundtracks for various games...
. It was released on December 21, 2002 under the Sten och Flod record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. All twenty-one tracks are taken from the game, except for the last which is a bonus track
Bonus track
In terms of recorded music, a bonus track is a piece of music which has been included on specific releases or reissues of an album. This is most often done as a promotional device, either as an incentive to customers to purchase albums they might otherwise not, or to repurchase albums they already...
. The soundtrack consists of traditional Japanese music
Traditional Japanese music
Traditional Japanese music is the term used to describe historical Japanese folk music, or traditional music.-Rhythm:One of the characteristics of traditional Japanese music is a sparse rhythm. It also doesn't have regular chords. In Japanese music, one cannot beat time with one's hands because...
with elements of techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
and rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
. Hopper noted a "nice old-school flair." Weigand stated that "[a]lthough some of the techno-pop music pieces don't fit the sword-and-sorcery theme, the atmospheric sound effects vibrantly ring true throughout."
Sequel
Nightshade, a sequel to Shinobi, was later developed by Wow EntertainmentWow Entertainment
Sega Wow is a Sega video game company, which resulted from the merger of Wow Entertainment and Overworks.-Wow Entertainment:Wow Entertainment was an in-house Sega developer previously known as AM1...
and again published by Sega exclusively for the PlayStation 2. The game stars female ninja Hibana, who is stylistically and kinetically analogous to Hotsuma. Nightshades Japanese title Kunoichi refers to a female ninja, just as Shinobi refers to a male ninja. The gameplay is also structured similarly to Shinobis. Hotsuma appears as a secret character
Secret character
A secret character can be a player character or a non-player character in a video game that must be unlocked by completing a goal within the game...
in the game. The game was released on December 4, 2003.
External links
- Official website
- Shinobi at GiantBomb
- Hardcore Gaming 101: Shinobi