Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master, is a side-scrolling action game developed and published by Sega of Japan for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive and released in 1993. It is the direct sequel to The Revenge of Shinobi of which I have posted about before.
Video games featuring super ninjas as protagonists are always popular. And this one is among the best ones out there during the 16-bit era.
The Story
Joe Musashi The Shinobi ("ninja") master of stealth and the deadly shadow ninja arts is back. And deadlier than ever! His sworn enemy, the Neo Zeed organization, grips the city in a vicious crime grip. Shadow Master, an evil super ninja cloned from our hero's own bloodline, controls the Zeed's cyborg army of bio-ninjas. Joe Musashi has no choice but to destroy them all!
The Graphics and Sound
The graphics nicely surpass the lackluster graphics of the prequel. Characters appear much larger, and highly detailed. The sprites are very well done. The level designs are kinda perfect, with animated backgrounds and eye-catching scenery. Overall, the visuals are very good.
The audio and sound are outstanding. The ninja theme songs flow perfectly along with the levels. The various sound effects of the action going on are great too.
Gameplay video sample with stage skips of Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. Watch in 360p for near TV resolution of that time.
The Gameplay
The levels are mostly going left to right, throwing shurikens, fighting like a ninja, and then beating a boss.
The game controls very well. The double jumping mechanic can be difficult to pull off. But after playing the game for a few hours, the players will have no problem doing it. Your ninja can block attacks by holding down the attack button or do flying ninja kicks from the air, and jump off walls. Once the moves are mastered, doing the actions fast on the levels looks and feels great.
You can use ninja magic to assist through tougher parts of the game. One magic is to detonate yourself up in order to refill your life. Doing this takes away one life from your total lives left. Very useful for boss battles.
Shinobi III replay value is pretty good. You can play again to discover all the secrets in the levels. Another is to discover many ways to fight enemies and do some stylish wall jumps.
My Verdict
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master is an action gem in 1990s gaming. This is a worthy title to add to your collection of retro games. It is one of the mightiest action games for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive no doubt.
Play it on the mighty Sega Genesis/Mega Drive console or play it on any worthy to set up working emulator.
Let's keep on gaming in the free world!
