Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

[XoPachi]

That final boss spread my C H E E K S wide open last night!!
I had so much trouble for some reason.

[Squire Grooktook]

Prototype main attack animation!!!!!



Also some more character sketches!

Spoiler

The top sketches are intended for the aforementioned Aleste 3 style animated hud portrait.

Testing it out in motion...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lgjt5znt28

Rough though it is, pretty happy with this.

[BIL]

Getting some AOS Killer Mantle meets Moriya from Last Blade vibes. A towel snap straight into the grave.

[XoPachi]

https://youtu.be/xhj8D7kTwrs

[Steven]

Everything looks so different and weird now that the forum got migrated~

Anyway, Inti's running a test play of Yohane in Akiba as of 10 minutes ago and I want to go get some new buttons or whatever for my Astro City, so I'm going to go try the game and go to the arcade parts store while I'm in the town. Impressions once I return.

I have returned and I have impressions. They had the demo a 15 minute time limit, but I skipped all of the story sequences to avoid running out of time to play the game, which resulted in me finishing the demo in about 4 minutes. Yeah, I probably should have not skipped the story parts, but too late now. They gave me some promotional box art for both the PS5 and Switch versions and a postcard after playing the demo, which is cool.

Holy fuck this game is beautiful. Yohane has a ridiculous amount of animation frames just for her walk cycle and the backgrounds are amazing. Yes, it looks nice in the trailers or whatever, but then you go play it and you realize how nice it really is. They actually put some effort into the BGM, too, which is nice.

They had the demos running on Switches (probably easier logistically to carry a bunch of those around instead of PCs/PS4s/PS5s and lol Xbox doesn't exist in Japan) and the controls were super tight and responsive. Jump height is fixed but you have air control, so it feels extremely similar to SFC Dracula, but if you attack while jumping, your momentum goes away completely.

As for attacking, Yohane's basic attack consists of summoning a friend, who attacks for you, which is odd, but I guess it works. The demo only had Lailaps, Riko, and Zuramaru, but everyone else will show up eventually. There is also a sort of weapon attack that consumes one of your meters and it seems ridiculously powerful. Of course you can't spam it.

I am moderately concerned about it being a bit easy, but it's impossible to judge after playing the first 4 minutes of the game, so I imagine it will become harder. I hope it does, anyway. Other than that, nothing but positive impressions of everything.

[Austin]

Finally put some time into Hagane (SNES) over the weekend. It's got that classic scrolling-action formula where you get your ass handed to you at first, but after repeat plays you start finding solutions to the various situations and what originally gave you trouble becomes a breeze. Rinse and repeat until you have the whole game down. Still have a ways to go I am sure as in my session the other night I only learned my way up to the start of Stage 3. Still a lot of trial and error up to that point however.

[BIL]

<3 Hagane, exactly the quality you'd expect of former Tecno Soft peeps (CAProduction; wildly different genre, but see also their sublimely well-aged 3D mech score attacker Bulk Slash, for Saturn). Super solid ninja sidescroller; has a fair bit in common with the Super Shinobi trilogy - they're all ultimately more about learning to style on each stage, like you're choreographing a ninja anime in realtime, moreso than the icy do/die of the arcade Shinobi trio - and actually, I'd say it outdoes SS1/SS2/SSD on certain fronts. It's a much smoother learning experience, between the nicer sprite/screen ratio and lack of punishing 1HKO powerdown. The freedom of movement between the slide, the wallbounce-capable airdash and its headstomp vault, and the L/R handsprings is superb, too (plus those infernally tempting i-frame prestige attacks). Actually, Shin Shinobi Den might be said to have a lot in common with Hagane... I love a good headstomp pogo mechanic. Granted SSD looks cheesy as hell compared to the MD/SFC games in question. (not so bad if you take it as a Tokusatsu tribute imo )

Keita Amemiya's wonderfully bizarre stylings don't hurt either, easily rivalling the Supers' ageless near-future cool. Super Shinobi II is the raddest of these games, imo, but goddamn if Hagane isn't a treat from start to finish. Those pistons firing up in the intro, each ornately carved like votive offerings! The ending sequence is legitimately haunting, too. (see also the lesser-known, and from what I've seen less good Mirai Ninja, which got a surprise ACA release a while back... I still need to put time on that one, feels a bit squirrelly, like it doesn't know whether to be a Legend of Kage free-runner, or a Shinobiesque precision killer... but again, so rad, with its feudalpunk vision of the ancient future... I want to think the superfast movement might hold an killer time attack piece)

Biggest criticism I have of Hagane is the loop being a quick n' dirty parameter tweak; basically, all regular enemies get a mad HP buff. (bosses get nothing lmao) It actually does contribute something, imo... you really have to make full use of that killer movement, since enemies you'd normally bat aside will now live long enough to reply. It's perilously near Euroshumpy ineffectuality, but the character is so good at running rings around enemies, it somehow works out.

CAProduction / Computer Artist Production had a Japan-only spiritual sequel of sorts, in Kishin Douji Zenki: Battle Raiden. Formally distinct, but if you like Hagane, you'll find parallels all over it. Also one of the rare action/platformers where you control a deliberately big, rangey dude with an array of bitch-slapping Raijinkens and Burn Knuckles to match. Feels like striding about socking chumps in the face as Rugal or Goenitz.

I have returned and I have impressions.

Thanks for, as always! I completely blanked on the game in question, I thought it was the cat-themed one XoPachi posted (which also looks quite cool, but then Inti's stuff tends to). The oblique attack method immediately sounds interesting. SOTN's Dawn Warriors (summon 'em via the Sword of Dawn) are a perennial minigame favourite of mine.

[Sumez]

Still have a ways to go I am sure as in my session the other night I only learned my way up to the start of Stage 3. Still a lot of trial and error up to that point however.

I think getting your bearings with the first three stages is probably the biggest single obstacle in Hagane, giving an impression of a game that's much harder than it really is. Once you figure out how to handle most enemies and memorize your way through the stages, the rest of the game is quite smooth sailing.
I agree with BIL the loop is too euroshmuppy, it's a real wasted potential since I think the game lacks longevity due to how easy the first loop becomes once you've "figured it out".

[Steven]

HORROR STORY!!!! It's here!!!!!!!!!!! Go play it!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have returned and I have impressions.

Thanks for, as always! I completely blanked on the game in question, I thought it was the cat-themed one XoPachi posted (which also looks quite cool, but then Inti's stuff tends to). The oblique attack method immediately sounds interesting. SOTN's Dawn Warriors (summon 'em via the Sword of Dawn) are a perennial minigame favourite of mine.

Yeah, sure. Hard to say based on only 4~5 minutes of experience playing it, but I think it will turn out pretty alright. In the meantime, however... Horror Story.

[XoPachi]

I still remember when my friends and I were discovering a ton of games in middle school when we learned about emulators in the ZSNES/SNES9X days. We discovered Hagane randomly and just thought it was the coolest shit. Mechanized Edo period aesthetics never get old.

It also destroyed us.

[BEAMLORD]

I like what I've played of Hagane. That jump is bullshit, though. End of stage 2 or 3? Need to go back and get some consistency with that, just couldn't get the knack in the time I spent with it.

[BEAMLORD]

This is likely to excite a few members.

https://www.iningames.com/games/parasol ... obble-iii/

Parasol Stars! The door to a Rainbow Islands re-release is creaking slowly open.

[BulletMagnet]

Looks like the next Tengo Project, uh, project is Shadow of the Ninja.

[BIL]

Oh my my, oh hell yes. Sumez mentioned the Kage rumours a while back, wonderful to see it canonised.

Also nice to see the OG Natsume guys enjoying themselves. Kage has one hell of an OST, only right it should get pride of place in the reveal!

[Sima Tuna]

I love Tengo Project so much! Every one of their games is great and their commitment to respecting the spirit of classic titles is commendable.

[Austin]

I like what I've played of Hagane. That jump is bullshit, though. End of stage 2 or 3? Need to go back and get some consistency with that, just couldn't get the knack in the time I spent with it.

It definitely takes time to get used to, as there are a lot of mechanics. The air dash timing is a bit like the Genesis Shinobi games, where if you time it too late you simply won't do it and that can be frustrating. Thankfully it's not quite as strict as those, but you are still bound to get screwed by mis-timing it here and there. There are other things too, like the ground stomp that lets you bounce off enemies, there's ceiling movement and ground sliding like in Strider, and then there are run 'n gun aspects since a bunch of your weapons are projectiles. It's like this weird amalgamation of a bunch of games and so it's a lot to take in at once. I haven't even started messing with the backflips yet, but apparently they are pretty good?

[copy-paster]

Definitely hyped with Kage remake coming soon.

I hope they get rid of the harsh powerdown and there needs more denser enemy crowds.

[BrianC]

Oh my my, oh hell yes. Sumez mentioned the Kage rumours a while back, wonderful to see it canonised.

Also nice to see the OG Natsume guys enjoying themselves. Kage has one hell of an OST, only right it should get pride of place in the reveal!

Definitely getting Ninja Gaiden Shadow vibes from some of the cutscenes. Reminds me of the boss defeat cutscenes where Ryu slashes the bosses.

[BIL]

Definitely getting Ninja Gaiden Shadow vibes from some of the cutscenes. Reminds me of the boss defeat cutscenes where Ryu slashes the bosses.

Yeah, definitely! I'd thought of them as intro/concept material, but now you mention it, it's totally the same vibe. I'd like to see them retain elements from that game, specifically the far less convoluted projectile system.

[Bassa-Bassa]

Remember that it was much more than just rumours quite a bit ago:

viewtopic.php?p=1516871#p1516871

[BIL]

Ha, true. It's the times we live in, I never quite believe anything good's gonna happen until the teasers hit. If even then! Silent Hills done me wrong. 3;

[Bassa-Bassa]

The people from Tengo Project are so old now that not even with the teasers are we safe, anyway. -Official acknowledgements for them soon, please, industry.-

[BIL]

I believe in OLDMANFORCE, truly. Anybody who gets to that age and codes a juggle engine like TNWOA's is doing it for the passion And even if they die, those old soldiers tend to have disciples!

Natsume continuing they mission like:

[Sima Tuna]

Old soldiers never die, they just get more pissed off.

[BIL]

Indeed, Taniguchi's rippling announce illustration said it all; these dudes STAY HUNGREH



Oho, nice. Shinobi non Grata's PS4/NSW release date confirmed for August 17th. Would've jumped on this day 1 if my PC weren't shite! Almost time to bust out the ol' topknot n' underhand grip once again.

[mikehaggar]

Since a few of you were recently playing and enjoying Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection, Just letting you all know that I'm going to be on Awesome Game Replays this Saturday at 10am PT to do live commentary on my recent world record sub-90 minute speedrun of True Enging (Legend Mode)! Hope some of you can join in the fun!

https://twitter.com/STGWeekly/status/16 ... 90400?s=20

[Sima Tuna]

Nice! I love all the replays STGWeekly has done (I believe you were in all of them, haha) for Makaimura games.

[BIL]

Since a few of you were recently playing and enjoying Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection, Just letting you all know that I'm going to be on Awesome Game Replays this Saturday at 10am PT to do live commentary on my recent world record sub-90 minute speedrun of True Enging (Legend Mode)! Hope some of you can join in the fun!

https://twitter.com/STGWeekly/status/16 ... 90400?s=20

Thanks for the heads-up! That's gonna be one hell of a watch, for one hell of a game Will be there without fail.

[Steven]

Has anyone here gotten a 1CC on Haunted Castle? No, I don't mean the easier Japanese Akumajou Dracula arcade game, I specifically mean Haunted Castle. I know there are a few versions of Haunted Castle, too, with some being more difficult than the others, but yeah, general curiosity.

[BIL]

I've not. Although, if memory serves... does Haunted Castle do more than just parameter-tweak the damage up to insane, quasi-1HKO levels? Maybe crank the starting loop up, so there's more bats...

Given what a straitjacket memoriser AC Dracula is, I wonder if it'd be possible to transpose a low/no-damage JP run to US. Rather like Hard Corps, where a Japan no-miss is vastly easier to master, but will port 1:1 to the NTSCU 1HKO version.

Poor AC Dracula, bless its unfinished heart and banging tunes. The ACA version very nicely added Haunted Castle as an update, though again, I'm unsure if it's the dread Version M, or if that's available in an Option setting ala ACA Gradius II's myriad Old/New/Newer settings.

I'll give it a look tonight; I've a perverse fondness for its underrated contribution to the series (could never be anything but underrated, buried in such an unpolished game): the endstage HP restore actually costing you ammo. Less HP to restore = more ammo = more aggressive runs. Sounds great, but AFAIK, the only subweapon worth using is the Stopwatch, so "more aggressive" tends to mean "more running past frozen enemies."

Vampire Killer does something kinda similar, though not as arrestingly performance-intensive, with your ammo persisting from stage-to-stage, rather than trading in for points after each boss. And I guess it makes sense there, since its POW system means getting hit is already a stiff punishment, while even going unscathed, stockpiling your ammo for well-timed BOMBAS remains a thing. I like it when games, particularly members of storied series, tinker with otherwise chalk-dry set-in-stone conventions like this.