Ninja Ryukenden(Ninja Gaiden)-PC Engine Review

What if I told you that Ninja Gaiden was released on the Turbografx-16? What if I told that this was not only true, but it was quite a bit better than the NES original? Well.....only one of those statements is actually true.

Released in 1992 by Hudson Soft, Ninja Ryukenden would be another great PC Engine title that would never leave Japan. Far too late to be a viable American release, it was also likely brought down by complex licensing issues on this side of the world. Let's take a look at this lost Japanese gem.

This game is essentially a port of the 1988 NES/Famicom original. Controls are very similar to that game. You jump with one button, slash your sword with the other. Like the original, you and also use shurikens and magic attacks via orbs and power-ups found throughout the levels. The controls feel slightly more responsive than the original. However, the original's controls were already quite responsive.

Like the 1988 game, the difficulty persists here. The original Ninja Ryukenden (Gaiden) is considered to be one of the hardest NES/Famicom games. This difficulty persists, and you will find yourself throwing the controller in anger more than a few times. You will die.

 The PC Engine's colour-palette gives the game a much needed graphical boost. While not lush and complex, the drab NES/Famicom fleshy look has been replaced by a more "crayola" look. Like so many other PC Engine titles, the colours look bright and vibrant, very child-like. Ryu's sprite is very small however, a curious choice to say the least. Despite this, the game looks arguable better than the SNES/Super Famicom port found in Ninja Ryukenden/Gaiden Trilogy.

The soundtrack has largely been redone. While the NES/Famicom had adequate sound, it was a bit harsh and metallic at times. This music sounds a lot more clear and brighter, but not as "classic" or burned if your brain.

As one of the first games to use cutscenes, Ninja Ryukenden was the forerunner of modern games. These scenes are still present in this version. Apparently, an English translation (or Chinese) can be unlocked in a secret menu. I have yet to try this feature of the game. The story appears to be largely the same, with Ryu Hayabusa on a mission to seek vengeance for his father.

For fans of the NES/Famicom, that version will certainly be more familiar and therefore nostalgic. If you have yet to play Ninja Ryukenden, I would consider this a superior version. That being said, the game is extremely valuable and hard to find today.

+Updated visuals
+Great sound and music
+Tight controls

-Very similar to original
-Hard to find and expensive today
-Still difficult as f^&$

Rating-8.5/10