Ninjas have long been a staple element in video games. There’s something about the stereotypical stealthy assassin that lends itself to gaming, whether it’s creeping by a group of enemies or killing a lone wanderer from behind with a shuriken. From side-scrolling battles to 3D warriors, it seems like Ninjas always have a sly hand in pushing video games forward. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is an excellent example of evolving a formula for a brand new experience – hints of familiarity ground it in the genre but still offers an entirely new experience. In this article, we’ll take a retrospective look at the ninja genre’s evolution in videos games, and see just how far it’s come.
2D Adventures
In the mid-1980s, ninjas exploded onto the video game scene with titles like Saboteur, Ninja-Kid, and Ninja-Master. Saboteur on the ZX Spectrum saw players infiltrate a warehouse to steal a floppy disk. Yes, a floppy disk – they’re not around much anymore. Players are armed with only one Shuriken to begin with but can pick up other weapons along the way to fight security guards and their attack dogs. Like most games at the time, it was 2D and players had to go to the edge of the screen or use a specific entrance to progress through each level. It even got a sequel, Avenging Angel, focusing on the sister of the dead ninja from the previous game as she attempts to stop a nuclear missile.
Then there’s Shadow of the Ninja for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) that was innovative at the time for its own particular reason; co-op play. It gave players the choice between dispatching enemies as a male or female ninja on its notoriously intense difficulty settings. The story revolved around the pair of ninjas fighting through New York City in the future as they try to assassinate an evil emperor. Both players start with a Katana blade, but along the way, there are grenades and shuriken to pick up.
Finally, we have Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles In Time, which might be the best 2D title ever created. While it started life as an arcade game, it soon transferred over to the SNES with a few changes. It included Boss battles with Slash (a snapping turtle not the guitarist from Guns and Roses), Bebop and Rocksteady, as well as Super Shredder. It pushed the boundaries for the genre by adding special skills for each Turtle like speed and strength. There was also the added element of a two-player versus mode, which was great for groups of friends. Finally, the time trial mode kept the game from going stale. Plus, chasing Shredder and Kang through time to retrieve the Statue of Liberty was always going to be fun.
The Foray into 3D
Once developers had made the leap to the next dimension, 3D saw the Ninja genre flourish. What would it be like to engage in swordplay against hulking monsters or to stealthily take down enemies without making a sound? The 2004 reimagining of the NES game, Ninja Gaiden, put players in control of Ryu Hayabusa as he follows a trail of destruction thanks to the Dark Dragon Blade. Players get full access to his Ninja skills throughout as Ryu can run along walls and climb across difficult terrains. As the story progresses the game allows you to upgrade his abilities and his weapons. The developers used a martial arts team as templates for the movement of the fighters in the game – striving to make it look as realistic as they could.
One title that’s incredibly important in the evolution of the genre is the Tenchu series. Developed by FromSoftware, Tenchu: Stealth Assassins debuted in 1998 and followed a pair of Ninjas as they worked for Lord Gohda to stop an evil sorcerer. And while the side-scrolling adventures we all know and love had pick-ups to use along the way, Tenchu let players store a variety of weapons, gear, and armour in their inventory, allowing them to choose what to take with them on each level. One clear point to remember is the grapple hook that the two Ninjas both have, allowing them to quickly ascend to the rooftops. The franchise continued to develop with each new entry. For example, Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven let players drag the dead bodies of their enemies away from the kill site, while Fatal Shadows brought in the ability to double-kill if two enemies were near each other.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Once again FromSoftware takes the ninja genre and completely refreshes it. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice isn’t two dimensional to start! It features brand new game mechanics that teach players to understand sword fighting a little more, such as the posture bar. Once an enemy’s posture bar is full, it means they’re more vulnerable to a finishing move that will completely devastate them. Watch your own posture bar though, or the same could happen to you. Then there’s the grapple that’s stored in the prosthetic arm; it lets players zip to a rooftop while scoping out a location for enemies or even just use it to get out of a heated fight. It’s one of the most important tools in the game.
Although this is a visually immersive treat, Sekiro does utilise classic elements from Ninja and Samurai based games from across the years. Of course, the prosthetic arm houses shuriken that can be hurled at enemies from afar, either to tactically get rid of them or as a distraction while you make your way around a tricky location. It serves up waves of enemies to murder in inventive ways as well as delivering huge mythical bosses to beat. We’re still not over the Giant Snake in the mountains.
