Samurai Ghost (Genpei Toumaden Kannoni)

~ SAMURAI GHOST ~

(JPN: GENPEI TOUMADEN KANNONI)

Namco

HuCard

1992

Typically inspired by mention of China Warrior, we Turbo fans love to share our thoughts on games that feature big, goofy, clumsy characters. Kitsch classic Sword of Sodan is immediately credited as the pack's most amusing disaster, and then discussion turns towards the genuinely positive, which is usually when Samurai Ghost is alluded to. I expected SG to be clunky, of course, but I also counted on it being Sodan-ish enough to endear itself to me despite inadequate gameplay. To my surprise, SG actually offers so much more than that. It isn't something to laugh at after all.

I knew about the huge sprites coming in, and the game certainly didn't disappoint in that regard, but I didn't anticipate such gorgeous, parallax-heavy backgrounds. These are some impressive chip graphics.

The music is also good stuff, and it seems immensely appropriate. In fact, the theme in general is very cool. And I expected the level design to be rather flat a la most of Sodan, but there are some tricky platforming segments and environmental hazards to contend with, so there's definitely more to the stage action than charging and hacking.

The enemies look cool, and many of them utilize nifty defense tactics or evasive maneuvers.

The bosses in particular require thought and pattern recognition on the player's part. Just to add to the coolness, one of them kills himself after suffering defeat at your hands. (So devoted to his cause is this great warrior that he sometimes comes back during the boss gauntlet at the end and kills himself after that fight as well!)

That's a lot of good, but there's some bad too, and the "bad" is pretty significant. While it certainly plays better than its awful predecessor, SG still doesn't control very well, so you can get stuck in some awkward situations; and this is the sort of affair where enemies (often along with spikes or lava or poisonous terrain/objects) can drain your vitality in mere moments as you bounce/blunder helplessly in a spot that the clunky controls landed you in. It can get frustrating at times, especially in some of the later areas, where the level design is actually quite good, but where the controls won't provide you with the means to succeed without a struggle.

I forgive SG for its gameplay woes, but the frustration factor might turn others off from it. I still say give it a chance, and enjoy the fine graphics if nothing else.