The G.G. Shinobi II: The Silent Fury

The G.G. Shinobi II: The Silent Fury
North American cover art
Developer(s) Sega
Publisher(s) Sega
Designer(s) Masahide Kobayashi
Programmer(s) Tadashi Eda
Yuichi Matsuoka
Artist(s) Ryo Kudou
Yoshiki Nozaki
Composer(s) Yuzo Koshiro
Motohiro Kawashima
Series Shinobi
Platform(s) Game Gear
Release
  • NA: December 1992
  • JP: December 11, 1992
  • EU: 1992
Genre(s) Platformer, hack and slash
Mode(s) Single-player

The G.G. Shinobi II: The Silent Fury (ザ・GG 忍 II)[1] is a side-scrolling action game by Sega released for the Game Gear in 1992. It is the sequel to The G.G. Shinobi, an offshoot of the Shinobi series created for Sega's portable platform. The player controls Joe Musashi as he rendezvous with his ninja allies from the previous game, giving the player access to different characters with unique abilities as the game progresses.

Plot

The evil Techno-Warriors have enlisted the Black Ninja, master of ninja techniques, to help them take over Neo City. This evil syndicate has captured the four elemental crystals and their guardian ninja. Joe Musashi has to rescue the four fellow ninja and retrieve their corresponding Elemental Crystals, before the final showdown against the evil Black Ninja in his castle.

Gameplay

The player begins the game as Joe Musashi (the Red Ninja), whose mission is to retrieve five elemental crystals that were stolen by the enemy and spread across different locations. Similarly to the original G.G. Shinobi, the first four stages can be played in any order and after defeating the boss of each stage, Musashi will be joined by one of his allies, allowing the player to control them as well. Some of the ninjas' abilities are different from those in the previous game. Depending on the stage, the player must use a specific ninja's ability in order to reach the location of the crystal. As a result, some of the stages must be played more than once if the player does not have the necessary character yet. When the first four crystals are all gathered, the player gains access to the enemy's main base, where the fifth crystal is being held by the final boss.

Each ninja has a particular skill set that includes a unique weapon, special ability, and ninja magic. Each of these skills can be used to destroy enemies, access secret areas, and obtain hidden health power-ups.

Soundtrack

The music is composed by Yuzo Koshiro, composer of Streets of Rage fame, known for his upbeat electronica-inspired compositions. Retro Game Resource stated: "The quality of his work is stellar despite the limitations of the Game Gear. The level themes are all classics in my mind and really help drive the player forward, despite some being looped a bit too early. I feel that the music in this game is an essential part of the experience and really ramps up the action beyond what it would be without it."[2]

Reception

The G.G. Shinobi II: The Silent Fury was very well received by game critics. In 2011, Complex.com ranked it as the 18th greatest handheld game of all time, adding "it was definitely one of the reasons we were Sega fanboys/fangirls back in the day. Why get a Game Boy when you could get THIS?"[3] Retro Gamer included this "more balanced" sequel to the first G.G. Shinobi on their list of top ten Game Gear games for its "far tighter level design, faster flowing action and greatly improved gameplay mechanics."[4] Retro Game Resource considered it the best platformer on the SEGA Game Gear, specifically applauding the end-game: "While most of the game’s platforming is rather simple, this final level has some of the most ingenious level design I’ve seen on a handheld. It feels almost as if a puzzle platformer is nestled cozily in the final one-fifth of the game."[2]

References

  1. ↑ The cover artwork of the western releases simplifies the game's title to Shinobi II: The Silent Fury. The full name is still used on the title screen.
  2. 1 2 "The Best Game Gear Platformer? – The G.G. Shinobi II: Silent Fury Resource – Retro Game Resource". retrogameresource.com. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  3. ↑ Shinobi 2: The Silent Fury (Platform: Game Gear) — The 25 Greatest Handheld Games of All Time | Complex
  4. ↑ http://www.retrogamer.net/top_10/top-ten-game-gear-games/
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