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Monday, October 27, 2008 |
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The Legend of Kage 2
By JoeBob @ 9:47 AM :: 1234 Views ::  :: DS
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It seems that another developer has decided to jump on the retro revival bandwagon. With the release of games like Megaman 9, Contra 4 and Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia it seems that 2008 is the year of classic game revivals. Nearly 25 years after the release of the original The Legend of Kage, a sequel has appeared out of thin air. “Who doesn’t like a good ninja game?” is probably what the developer Taito reasoned when they decided to create the game and this is the same reasoning I had when I decided to review the title, for I have never played the original. As long as there are shurikens and samurai swords, you can’t go wrong I figured. Although primarily a ninja action game, this title reminded me of numerous other classic games from the past and as I played I nearly felt as if I was reliving the experiences of those classics. If I could describe the game in two words I would say “old school”. Nearly every aspect of the game reminded me of a Super Nintendo title, but is this a positive or a negative characteristic?
The gameplay in this title is incredibly well balanced, in a way that only old school titles can be. The title plays like a faster paced version of Shinobi. There are two characters to choose from, Kage (a male ninja) or Chihiro (a female ninja). Each character wields different weapons (Kage utilizes a traditional katana for short range attacks along with shuriken for long range strikes and Chihiro attacks with a kusarigama (a sickle at the end of a chain) for close combat and also a long range steel hook called a fundo. Having two characters to choose from certainly increases the game’s replay value although overall they really don’t play very differently. As stated earlier they both have different weapons although they pretty much work the same, the only significant differences are that Kage has more health while Chihiro has a larger magic gauge. Another slight difference is the fact that they both gain slightly different abilities.
The story is very clichéd, but then again, that is the point of an old school title. It revolves around Princess Kirihime who is kidnapped at the beginning of the game. The player’s goal is to rescue the princess from her captor, Yukikusa, the master of all demons. There are no cut scenes or even voice-overs for that matter, just good old fashioned text and stills.
As I said the game is “old school” and as a result really doesn’t utilize the DS touch screen very much at all. The bottom screen is where all of the action occurs and the top screen is simply used as an extension of the bottom screen, allowing the player to view the upper parts of the levels. The stylus is not utilized at all during gameplay although Taito does create an interesting way of using it outside of gameplay. Throughout the various levels you have the opportunity to find hidden orbs scattered throughout. You can use these orbs to create new jitsus (magic spells). The way jitsu creations works is that you are provided with a grid containing empty holes in it. You use the orbs you find throughout the levels to fill these holes and create jitsu. Nearly any combination of three orbs creates a jitsu and in some cases you can use four orbs to create super powerful jitsus. There are four types of orbs (red, blue, yellow and silver) and each symbolizes a different element. Red = fire, blue = ice etc. The jitsu system was one of my favorite aspects of the game as it was fairly complex and added some depth to the game. Nearly any combination of orbs will create a unique spell. These jitsu techniques along with the new skills you learn after almost every level endow the game with a certain addictive quality. I actually found myself replaying levels just to find all of the orbs in order to create new jitsu.
As I said, this game reminds me of a variety of other classic titles. Each level is incredibly fast paced, like a Genesis era Sonic the Hedgehog game. The game is divided into 13 relatively short stages, about 10 to 15 minutes each, although some can be as short as 5. The gameplay centers on typical ninja skills such as the ability to make great leaps into the air as well as running up walls while you rush through a stage. This straightforward gameplay starts off being very enthralling (who doesn’t enjoy slashing up countless ninjas and performing extreme acrobatic feats at a fast pace?), but the mechanics get old after a while, and the dull stage design certainly does not help the cause. Luckily the game ends at exactly the right time. Although the story mode is short, replay value is provided by the option to play as two characters as well as the various jitsu techniques and other skills you have the opportunity to learn. Also when you complete the game you unlock a harder difficulty level as well as a boss rush mode.
Normally I don’t find boss rush modes to be a big deal, but this game is an exception. The best part of this title is the bosses. Similar to the Megaman series, each boss is fairly difficult and has an intricate attack pattern. Some bosses took me up to 5 tries to defeat and one frustrating enemy took me over 10! Ultimately defeating a boss takes a combination of effective jitsu use, quick reflexes and most importantly memorization of attack patterns. The game does an excellent job of slowly increasing the difficulty, as bosses generally become harder and harder after each stage.
While the game is very difficult (even on the easiest difficulty level), it never feels impossible thanks to the intuitive controls. Jumping, attacking, dodging and magic/skill use can all be performed with ease. The player can really feel a sense of accomplishment as they get better while progressing through the title, just like in the recent Ninja Gaiden games. The excellent controls do not completely remedy the sometimes brutal difficulty of the title though. Enemies constantly rush the hero and only reappear shortly after death. Often times difficult mini bosses impede your advancement through the level and to top it all off, health is extremely scarce.
The game does not only play like a SNES game; it also looks like a SNES game. Although the game does not strain the graphical capabilities of the DS by any stretch, it still looks good, if not a bit dated. The title makes up for its lack of pure graphical power with great looking artwork. The stills shown upon completion of each level are nothing short of amazing. I believe that this is the only game that I’ve ever replayed for the sole purpose of unlocking more concept art. Even though the game’s artwork is amazing, I cannot forgive its bland backgrounds and relatively poor animations. All things considered it could benefit from more vibrant backgrounds, detailed character sprites and a better sense of fluidity in the animations.
The sound is also very retro, which is actually a good thing considering that it fits well with the rest of the game. The sounds throughout the title gave me a great sense of nostalgia, reminding me of the many awesome side-scrollers of my youth (Battletoads anyone?) , nothing is better than the old school swooshing noise of a shuriken or the groaning of a dying ninja. The actual music does not fare as well though. Some songs are great, others are horribly bland. Sometimes the soundtrack would cause me to bob my head joyously while other times I was forced to turn the music off. It seems that both the graphics and the music in The Legend of Kage 2 are somewhat inconsistent.
The Legend of Kage 2’s greatest weakness is its lack of polish. While not an unpolished abomination, the title still pales in comparison to several other 2D style DS games such as Contra 4, Kirby Super Star Ultra and the brand new Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia. One bonus feature that I would have particularly enjoyed having in the game is a port of the original The Legend of Kage as I have never played it. This feature has become a standard for retro revivals like this game, and its absence is quite noticeable. Another option I would have liked to see in this title is co-op. The game is simply begging for this feature, and with the DS’s Wi-Fi capabilities online co-op play is definitely a possibility. Online scoreboards could also be utilized, but sadly Taito does not recognize this and instead sticks with the strictly retro approach. Of course I can’t complain too much, at the price of twenty dollars, The Legend of Kage 2 is officially a budget title.
The Legend of Kage 2 is “old school” in the truest sense, as it looks, plays and feels like a Super NES title. This fact causes the game to gain certain strengths as well as weaknesses. While the story, graphics and sound are slightly too simplified due to the title’s “old school” aesthetic, other aspects flourish. The controls are extremely intuitive, the gameplay is very exciting and the player really feels a sense of accomplishment upon completion of each level because of the challenging boss battles. Sure the title is not as polished as I would have liked it to be, but this doesn’t stop it from being an enjoyable, nostalgic action romp. Any fan of old school side-scrollers will certainly enjoy The Legend of Kage 2; it’s definitely worth the twenty dollars.
8 out of 10
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