The Ninja Warriors
Encyclopedia
is a side-scrolling beat'em up video game developed and released by Taito
in 1988
.
n future where Banglar, the President of the United States
in 1993, issues martial law
on the nation, with the military having total control over the law. A group of anarchist
scientists decide that it is time to revolt against the government. Knowing full well that approaching the military themselves could be considered an all out suicide mission, the scientists create two androids that can sustain various forms of damage in order to do the mission for them. The robots, code named "Ninja
" (male character) and "Kunoichi
" (female character, the most famous between the two), are sent by the scientists in order to end Banglar's tyranny once and for all.
was ported to the Commodore Amiga
, Atari ST
, Sinclair Spectrum 128K
, Commodore 64
, Amstrad CPC
and NEC PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
, only in Europe, and the Sega CD, only in Japan (despite the game having an English
vocal track, indicating that it might've been intended for a Western release).
and Darius II
and Konami
used a similar format for its X-Men
arcade release (6 players).
and Taito's in-house band Zuntata
. Pony Canyon
and Scitron
released the two soundtrack
s for the game in 1988 and 1991, while further arrangements were released in 1993 and by Zuntata Records and Taito in 1988 and 2009. The track "Daddy Mulk" which is played during the first level of the game has been also sampled by an Australian rock band Lucius Hunt in the track "This Haunting (2006)".
featured Kunoichi as the best assassin in the video game history, commenting: "She cut a memorable figure, rocking the huge blonde ponytail
and bright-red shozoku
. On top of that, she wasn't just a ninja - she was a ninja Terminator. It's hard to imagine a better assassin than that." In 2010, CraveOnline
featured the The Ninja Warriors in the article Top 10 Ninja Games Of All Time.
for the Super NES
, though in North America it was named the same as its original. It shares a similar premise, however the gameplay has been heavily revised.
Taito Corporation
The is a Japanese publisher of video game software and arcade hardware wholly owned by publisher Square Enix. Taito has their headquarters in the Shinjuku Bunka Quint Building in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo, sharing the facility with its parent company....
in 1988
1988 in video gaming
-Events:*June — Nintendo releases the last issue of "Nintendo fun club news";*July — Nintendo releases the first issue of Nintendo Power magazine.-Notable releases:*January 8, Konami releases Super Contra....
.
Story
The game is based in a dystopiaDystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
n future where Banglar, the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
in 1993, issues martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
on the nation, with the military having total control over the law. A group of anarchist
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
scientists decide that it is time to revolt against the government. Knowing full well that approaching the military themselves could be considered an all out suicide mission, the scientists create two androids that can sustain various forms of damage in order to do the mission for them. The robots, code named "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...
" (male character) and "Kunoichi
Kunoichi
is the term for a female ninja or practitioner of ninjutsu .-Etymology:The term is thought to derive from the names of characters that resemble the three strokes in the kanji character for ; said in the order they are written: ku - no - ichi...
" (female character, the most famous between the two), are sent by the scientists in order to end Banglar's tyranny once and for all.
Ports
The originally arcade gameArcade 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...
was ported to the Commodore Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
, Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
, Sinclair Spectrum 128K
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
and NEC PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16, fully titled as TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem and known in Japan as the , is a video game console developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, released in Japan on October 30, 1987, and in North America on August 29, 1989....
, only in Europe, and the Sega CD, only in Japan (despite the game having an English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
vocal track, indicating that it might've been intended for a Western release).
Development
The game is particularly unusual because it has three contiguous screens (one screen in the usual place for an arcade game, and two more screens in the cabinet below, reflected by mirrors on either side of the middle screen) which created the effect of a single, "triple-wide" screen, depicting ninjas. The same cabinet was also used for DariusDarius (arcade game)
is a shoot 'em up arcade game released by Taito in 1986. It is the first game in the Darius series. It is known for using a unique three-screen arcade cabinet setup, non-linear level design and multiple endings.-Gameplay:...
and Darius II
Darius II
Darius II , was king of the Persian Empire from 423 BC to 405 BC.Artaxerxes I, who died on December 25, 424 BC, was followed by his son Xerxes II. After a month and a half Xerxes II was murdered by his brother Secydianus or Sogdianus...
and Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
used a similar format for its X-Men
X-Men (arcade game)
X-Men is an arcade game produced by Konami in 1992. It is a side-scrolling beat 'em up based on the characters of the same name under license from Marvel Comics. The animation of the X-Men and the supervillains are based on the 1989 X-Men pilot episode titled X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men...
arcade release (6 players).
Music
The music was composed by Hisayoshi OguraHisayoshi Ogura
is a former member of Taito Corporation's "house band" Zuntata. He is best known for his musical compositions in the Darius arcade series. His musical style is often experimental electronica; however, in Zoids Infinity Ex he focused on more on an orchestrated soundtrack...
and Taito's in-house band Zuntata
Zuntata
Zuntata is Taito Corporation's "house band" composed of Taito developers. The members include Hisayoshi Ogura , Tamayo Kawamoto, Masahiko Takaki , Norihiro Furukawa, Yasuhisa Watanabe , Shuichiro Nakazawa , Kazuko Umino , Tomohito Takahashi, Munehiro Nakanishi, and Katsuhisa Ishikawa.Supposedly,...
. 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...
released the two soundtrack
Soundtrack
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...
s for the game in 1988 and 1991, while further arrangements were released in 1993 and by Zuntata Records and Taito in 1988 and 2009. The track "Daddy Mulk" which is played during the first level of the game has been also sampled by an Australian rock band Lucius Hunt in the track "This Haunting (2006)".
Reception
In 2008, GamesRadarGamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
featured Kunoichi as the best assassin in the video game history, commenting: "She cut a memorable figure, rocking the huge blonde ponytail
Ponytail
A ponytail is a hairstyle in which most or all of the hair on the head is pulled away from the face, gathered and secured at the back of the head with a hair tie, clip or similar device, and allowed to hang freely from that point. It gets its name from its resemblance to the undocked tail of a...
and bright-red shozoku
Shinobi shozoku
The is a type of dark-coloured keikogi clothing, purportedly worn by practitioners of the Japanese martial art of ninjutsu.It is made up of split-toed tabi boots and socks; special trousers with double-ties which fasten at the ankles, knees and waist; a jacket with overlapping lapels which is...
. On top of that, she wasn't just a ninja - she was a ninja Terminator. It's hard to imagine a better assassin than that." In 2010, CraveOnline
CraveOnline
CraveOnline is a male lifestyle website based in Los Angeles with sales offices in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. The site is owned by media company AtomicOnline, the publishing division of Evolve Media Corp.- History :...
featured the The Ninja Warriors in the article Top 10 Ninja Games Of All Time.
Remake
Natsume developed a remake named in Japan as The Ninja Warriors AgainThe Ninja Warriors Again
Ninja Warriors is a beat 'em up video game developed by Natsume and released by Taito Corporation for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994...
for the Super NES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
, though in North America it was named the same as its original. It shares a similar premise, however the gameplay has been heavily revised.
External links
- The Ninja Warriors - Lost In Translation @ ExoticA
- Ninja Warriors retrospective at Hardcore Gaming 101