Shinobi non Grata - Short Ninja Games & Introduction to Our Protagonist
If there’s one theme – a trope that would best capture the overall vibe of the 80’s and early 90’s golden video games glory – I’d put my money on the ninja. It was everywhere, even though it made our fav ninja turtles into “hero turtles” in Europe due to censorship. We kids knew anyway, of course, but there was something especially alluring and magical about the concept of a lone master-warrior taking on hordes of enemies by himself… or in the case of the turtles; as a team of lean, mean and green fighting machines.
Need we mention a few memorable ninja games from these decades, before highlighting the ninja protagonist of Shinobi non Grata? I’d very much like to do so! Shadow of the Ninja, known as Blue Shadow in Europe and Oceania and KAGE in its homeland of Japan, is one of them classic ninja games that have recently gotten a remake for both old and new fans of the genre. If you ever get the chance to play the original, please do. Players already familiar with the action-packed adventure would most certainly agree. If you’d want to experience some true 8-bit magic, the original is the version to play… and it's got a 2-player couch co-op mode!
Next up, why not Strider for the SEGA 16-bit love machine? This version essentially took the arcade game and made it so much better. While the games’ hero Hiryu is not technically a ninja, it probably wouldn’t make any difference when experiencing the game back in the day. With an acrobatic protagonist that could slide, jump, scale walls and climb ceilings – this counter-terrorist master spy and assassin ticks all the boxes for what we would expect of a ninja. Excellent game, good times! For a spiritual successor of the Strider series, make sure to check out Cannon Dancer, featuring the even more acrobatic and ninja-esque kick-master Kirin.
So, who is the mysterious ninja of Shinobi non Grata? His peers affectionately call him Kaina – a name which roughly translates as “skilled with arms” – stemming from his masterful use of various Shinobi weapons. Even though Kaina is suffering from an unfortunate partial memory loss sustained from a previous mission, it won’t stop his adamant conviction of doing what it takes to fight everyone who dares to attack the Shogunate. Players of the PC Engine/Turbografx classic Ninja Spirit will feel right at home with the graphical style, and you’ll find more than one nod to both this game and other ninja games throughout the adventure.
You’ll always have your trusty sword Muramase at your side and the unmatched weapon skills of the Shinobi. As you make your way through several different stages of pixelated goodness, filled to the brim with masterfully implemented enemies, you’ll have plenty of use of the sub-weapons at your disposal.
Throw Shuriken for wide-range attacks and clear out any survivors with your superior Ninjutsu skills. The Kusarigama – an elegant but brutal chain-sickle weapon – causes heavy damage and effectively helps to disable firearms from afar. Use your bombs strategically by attaching one of them to an enemy, wait for it to detonate, and then watch enemies and objects in the surrounding area go down in flames. If you ever happen to end up in a tight spot, somersault away to avoid any-and-all attacks being thrown at you. Oh, and you may also fire electrical bolts and create shadow-doubles of yourself to puzzle the enemy.
All-in-all, Shinobi non Grata is everything you’d expect from a classic ninja action platformer. It’s an absolutely essential experience for fans of the golden age of ninja games, and a love letter to the same.
