The original Ninja Gaiden was more of a arcade style beat em up. The one I am referring to, is the NES version. Should I play the other version I shall incorporate it into this review seeing as how one really cannot tell to which game people are referring to. They really need to make it so it can be specified for which platform a review is referring to, because back in the old days games released for different platforms were often totally different gaming experiences...unlike today where you basically get the same game released on multiple platforms.
The NES version of the game was a super fast paced game, that is incredibly difficult to play. You have to have quick reflexes and lots of patience as there are places in the game where enemies seem to respawn infinitely. Suffice to say, the game is not perfect, but it is a fun thrill ride of a game and is the first of a trilogy of NES games that are considered one of the hardest trilogies for the NES. It tops Castlevania, especially since Simon's quest was so easy.
The story has you as a ninja out to find out why his father was killed. During his trip of exploration, he stumbles upon a strange plot revolving around a group of people who wish to resurrect some sort of evil demon using statues of light and dark. It is up to Ken to survive the onslaught of enemies and destroy the organization responsible for the evil plan! The controls are simplistic enough as you control Ken's movements using the directional keys and attack with one button and jump with another. He also has the ability to cling to walls which is cool and at the same time a pain in the rear as this only served to make one of the battles at the end a complete and utter pain as I was having enormous difficulty getting the idiot to stop latching onto the wall when I was trying to hit the boss. You have sub weapons, like in Castlevania, and they are activated in about the same way, by pushing up and attack.
So, the NES version of Ninja Gaiden is a blast, but very difficult. The last level is a nightmare to get beyond and if you do...you have not one, not two, but three final bosses to fight. I have played a bit of the beat em up Ninja Gaiden game, but right now I have not played it enough to offer much of an opinion, other than it was difficult too. It was not very fun as I recall, but perhaps I will be able to play it at some point and be able to comment on it more fully. In the meantime, I can say the NES side scrolling, fast paced, challenging and annoying one is a blast...and a big pain!
