Shinobi (Game Gear review)

Developer: Sega CS
Publisher: Sega
Released: 1991

Shinobi (a.k.a. The G.G. Shinobi) is an action game that's exclusive to the Sega Game Gear.

As Joe Musashi (the Red Shinobi), you must rescue the Blue, Green, Pink and Yellow ninjas, and then destroy the source of evil in Neo City. There's five stages and each ninja has a unique weapon (e.g. shurikens), a special feat (e.g. walking on ceilings) and a powerful Ninjutsu attack if you've collected a required icon. The varied level design is magnificent, as it's constantly throwing out new ideas and locales to keep you fully invested; for example, one minute you're leaping between cars on a highway, and then scaling a huge building while enemies smash out of the windows. It's all expertly crafted to give you memorable experiences rather than rehashing the same gameplay ideas throughout. The first four levels are enjoyable, and I like how multiple play-throughs allows you to recognise sections where certain ninjas could be used to access bonus items; in return, this adds tons of replayability as it encourages you to tackle the stages in a different order. However, the unlockable fifth stage called Neo City is where things really come together, as it's twice the size of the previous levels combined and cleverly incorporates sections where only certain ninjas can be used. This forces you to learn all of their abilities in order to truly master the game. The difficulty does increase dramatically here due to deadly spike pits and tough enemy placement, so be warned that lots of trial-and-error is present! The bosses feature interesting attack mechanics, and the intense music (some of Yuzo Koshiro's best work) and graphical flourishes (e.g. cool transparency / rain effects) round off an already excellent package.

Shinobi is a crown jewel in the Game Gear's library and it shows how capable the machine was in creating engaging titles that compliment the more acclaimed series releases on Sega's 16-bit hardware. The terrific level design means it's a blast from start-to-finish and it's non-linear approach makes for satisfying reruns.

Random trivia: A sequel called Shinobi II: The Silent Fury was released on the Sega Game Gear in 1992.

Vampire: Master of Darkness (Game Gear review)

Developer: SIMS
Publisher: Sega
Released: 1993

Vampire: Master of Darkness is an action game that was also released on the Sega Master System in 1993.

Playing as Dr. Social, your mission is to locate the source of London's midnight murders, and rescue your colleague Miss Arkham. It consists of five rounds (with 1-3 levels each), and your main weapons are Daggers (1 point of damage), Sabers (2 points), Stakes (3 points) and Axes (4 points). Limited-use special weapons are also available in the form of a Pistol, Bombs, Boomerang, and a Projectile that wipes out multiple enemies in its path. The gameplay is very similar to Castlevania (1987, NES), but it does feature a couple of significant improvements. Firstly, the controls are outstanding and I really like how you can adjust your jumps in mid-air, or whilst falling backwards after taking damage. Likewise, you can now leap while climbing stairs which is a massive help in avoiding damage and timing your attacks. Secondly, the level design is some of the best you'll find in any 8-bit game, due to the sheer variety that's been crammed into just five rounds. Highlights include battling along the Thames River while using boats to cross platforms, and the creepy Splatterhouse (1988, Arcades) style screens where waves of enemies must be cleared before you can progress! It's all smart, well-executed and diverse, while being a joy to play. The graphics are first-rate too (with little flourishes such as background posters blowing in the wind!) and the music manages to be both catchy and atmospheric. My only complaints are that the smaller screen size causes cheap shots from enemies that appear from out of nowhere, and you can't see the life metre of bosses (hereby taking away an element of strategy).

There's no doubting that Vampire: Master of Darkness is a Castlevania clone, but it's a great game in its own right, with lots of improvements to the standard formula, as well as tight controls and fantastic level design. Although the Master System port plays better and is slightly more refined, this version is still well-worth hunting down.

Random trivia: In Europe, the game was simply released as Master of Darkness.