Kamikaze 2

Kamikaze 2

If like nearly all boys you’ve fancied yourself as a ninja after learning all the skills from watching hours of Bruce Lee movies (well at least the cheesy one-liners and sound effects) despite the warnings of your parents – the time has come for you to put down your toy sword and get playing Kamikaze 2.

This game revolves around you playing as a skilled ninja who must leave your clan on a quest to rid medieval Japan from the evil doers that have tainted the land. The opponents tend to come in the form of vagabonds in the countryside and monks in the temples and cities. What you must do is navigate your way around the map and pick up items to help you in your quest. To do this, you must trudge your way through an almost endless course of countryside keeping your eyes peeled for random objects (like throwing stars, swords and grappling hooks) and avoid or engage in talking or fighting with characters you encounter along your way.

The scrolling map closely resembles the classic retro ninja games of old or the roaming parts in Zelda and Final Fantasy VII. I say this because it is quite possible for you to spend hours wandering around picking fights with enemy and improving your skills and hit points (HP). I was a little disappointed that there’s no classic sound effects and howls in the battles, but more importantly I found the battle mode lacking that special something. This is largely due to it being a turn based game rather than beat’em’up. You must pick your weapon before and during the battle – the lighter weapons give you more turns to hit the opponent but do less damage, the medium weight weapons are somewhere in-between and the heavier weapons inflict more damage but at the cost of you having less attacks in a turn. On the plus side, as your skills improve your dexterity (turns) increase.

I must say that this game is much more engaging than similar titles, not due to the graphics or game-play but due to its ‘old-school’ retro gaming experience and that it’s more of a puzzle solving exercise; picking the right tool for the job than just a hack’n’slash style game.

Ultimately, if you’re looking for a challenge this game packs a powerful punch and will keep you playing for quite a while. If on the other hand, you’re looking for lots of guts and gore, you’ll sadly be left wanting. The best thing about this game is it’s a traditional retro game in all its pixelated glory and despite its faults; it has a superb charm about it which will make you want to play it for hours.

Rating 76%

Positives

Proper retro style game – feels like a trip down memory lane

You can save your progress at any time

There are two difficulty settings

Negatives

For those new to this sort of game, you may tire of it quite quickly

Very repetitive

Controls and basic animation are quite a let down