Hey gang, Valkor here. Of all the beat em ups I’ve played in the past, I’ve never experienced the fun of The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors. Maybe it’s because I was a Sega Genesis guy, and I spent a good chunk of my gaming playing and replaying Streets of Rage 2 (that game was and still is my ish). But thanks to folks at Natsume (and Taito and Arc System Works), I get to experience The Ninja Saviors in all of its remastered glory!
I’ve never gotten the chance to play the original arcade game of The Ninja Saviors or its port when it was released on the Super Nintendo. However, it’s here now and I’m about to dive in! In The Ninja Saviors, you get to choose from three robotic ninjas, each with their own set of skills. Your aim is to fight your way through a barrage of baddies in a 2D environment until you face the final boss. And taking him down won’t be a walk in the park! Thankfully, you have some slick moves at your command to aid you in this fight, some of which you can use outright and others you’ll discover as you dive further into the title. On the outset, you get three moves—punch, jump, and special. There are also moves that you’ll discover such as a throw, a second special attack, and many others. I began my journey with Kamaitachi and of the extra moves I noticed, one was a flying attack and the other was an extended punch. There’s a bunch of throws that you NEED to master before you face the final boss—trust me on this they’ll be so helpful, especially the air toss!
The Ninja Savior gives you one life to complete your objective but unlimited continues; Thankfully, there are enough power-ups that you can find throughout each stage that’ll help until you reach the final mission. After that, you’re pretty much on your own, to face the final threat with only one life bar. Thankfully, you don’t have to go at it alone as you can bring in a friend for some co-op play. Plus, you get two additional ninjas at your disposal, but they have to be unlocked first.
The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors, with its arcade look and feel, takes me back to the days of dropping tons of quarters into a cabinet. It just feels so right! And after my many runs with the game, if this were an actual arcade game (cabinet and all), I wouldn’t mind bringing along my quarter rolls! And I’ll tell you why in the TOV Breakdown!
The Good:
I haven’t had this much fun with a beat ‘em up since Wulverblade! But that was also RPGish in nature so it was two things combined (beat 'em up and RPG), which allowed me to enjoy that title as much as I did. However, The Ninja Saviors is arcade action at its finest. And it’s not only a solid brawler but also a total throwback to arcade gaming of yesteryear. Plus, it’s a perfect remaster that combines awesome gameplay, great graphics, and an amazing soundtrack. The controls are key to any brawler, and The Ninja Saviors has it on lock; I was pulling off combos with ease and while it took some practice to get down the additional moves, once you’ve learned them, you’ll be able to perform them with efficiency. Tackling the final boss was the most refreshing battle I’ve ever experienced in a beat 'em up in quite a while because this dude really makes you work for that win! You get a countless flow of baddies, laser walls popping out the floor and gun turrets above make the stage chaos to contend with! But would I go back? yes, yes I would! The graphics look great and very arcadey. And while I’ve never played the original, I looked back and I can see and compare how much work was put into this remaster. Finally, the remastered soundtrack definite ear candy, and if you choose to (especially if you're more familiar with the original) you can unlock the original beats. Even though The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors is a short run, it has great replayability, of which I don’t mind dipping into it again and again.
The Bad:
It's about 20 bucks for such a short run. But given how much fun it is, I'd say the price is worth it, though I can understand why some wouldn't make a rush for it.
The Ugly:
N/A
The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors is available now. And while Streets of Rage 2 still ranks as my all-time favorite beat ‘em up, I’m glad to add it to the list. If you’re looking for an intense arcade, brawler experience, then I highly recommend picking this one up! So, out of TOV 5 stars, I’m giving The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors a 4.5!
