Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master

I can't quite recall when exactly I got this game, but I do remember it was always one of my favourites to pop back in the Genesis. At the time it blew my mind, the gameplay felt fluid and exciting, the visuals were highly detailed with exciting flair, and the audio? Satisfying crunchy sounds (shoutout to the iconic voice crunch when casting ninjutsu) paired with some of the best FM jams on the system round things out, creating a treat for the senses. Looking back on it many years down the line, this game still holds up incredibly well. There is a fair bit of challenge particularly in the later stages - but it always feels like a blast to pick up and play again.

You play as Joe Musashi the ninja master, and your goal is to defeat the master of the criminal organization known as Neo Zeed. The story is introduced through a text crawl after booting up the game (with a sweet main theme to keep you company), and after that you're off without much else to interrupt you or stand in your way. There aren't really any short cutscenes or static story segments once you're in the game proper. The game still shows the arcade roots of the series - it's a fast paced action game and the minimal story setup is mostly there as an excuse for you to be a badass ninja. Don't think too much about it.

Visually, this game stands as one of the best on the system. Sprites for characters and enemies are fairly large compared to some other games of the time, and with that there is a lot of great detail. The environments for each stage are varied and equally detailed, bringing some exciting life to each area. The first stage actually sets this up beautifully - you start in a forest with dense foliage in the background and a variety of foreground trees giving the game an amazing level of depth. Midway through you transition through a cave which shifts the background to match. Stages will have you going through forests, caves, fields, and even high tech complexes. Everything reads very clearly which makes traversing these diverse levels feel fantastic.

Those who know me know that this is one of my favourite soundtracks of all time. The game kicks off with a main theme that kicks things into gear brilliantly (that shuriken sound effect in the theme is actually and FM patch that recurs throughout the OST in a few places!). The first stage has a ton of energy with some really impressive FM work - the flute lead in particular stands out as an excellent instrumentation choice that fits the aesthetic, and also stands out amongs the often more metallic tones typical of a lot of FM soundtracks. The stage music has a lot of variety and there is a recurring motif that is often used throughout the game, making everything feel connected. The harmonies and basslines go incredibly hard throughout, and the drum samples pack an excellent punch. The OST perfectly matches the onscreen action every step of the way.

Then there are the sound effects which are equally impressive. There are several crunchy voice clips used for Joe and various enemies that give them some personality, and the attack sound effects are excellent. Slashing with your sword, doing a dive kick, and throwing your shurikens all feel badass thanks to some solid sound design. When enemies are struck or explode there is a satisfying punch to the sounds that really enhance the feel of everything.

This game feels great to play, the movement is snappy, the combat is fun and varied, and there's a ton of cool moves you can do. One thing I always thought was super cool about this game was how much they pulled off with only 3 buttons. One button is dedicated to jumping, one is for your Ninjutsu special move, leaving only 1 remaining buttong on a standard Genesis controller. Just pressing it while standing or walking throws a shuriken, but pressing it while dashing will do a sick sword slash (which does more damage than a standard shuriken). In the air, you can throw a shuriken, do a dive kick, or even do a really cool spinning shuriken throw to sweep a large area, all depending on some contextual button/direction input. It feels really great and makes playing through stages a lot of fun since you have so many cool move options. Many games of this era that I've played have pretty limited combat options, so this one always stood out to me as one of the more refined action experiences of the time.

Honestly, I just wanted to gush about this game. It's one of my favourite games of all time and was definitely one of many that influenced me growing up. I always get an itch to go back to this one and its a treat every time even after all these years. If you've never played, there are a lot of ways to experience this one - it's part of various Sega Genesis collections on consoles including the NSO Expansion - as well as on PC on Steam. It's a real treat, and if you do play I hope you enjoy!