I played Shinobi on the PS2 which was like a poor mans Devil May Cry. I am very pleased that this 3DS version of Shinobi goes back to the roots of old 16bit classics. The combat is very intense and fluid. When you have mastered the fairly complex controls, you start to feel like a real ninja intent on kicking serious butt. The graphics have a wonderful artistic style and the music score is brilliant and both suit the game perfectly. The story is interesting and has some pretty good voice acting as well. Shinobi is a very hard platform beat 'em up which old school gamers like myself love, but other gamers may find it to hard, especially on the harder settings. There are four different types of ninja magic which you can use and they are as follows:
1. Fire - Throw two kunai at the same time that can pierce through armour and shields, or hit multiple enemies with one shot.
2. Earth - Become faster, stronger and invincible for a short period of time. When the effect wears out, you will be left with only one health unit and no kunai.
3. Lighting - Give invincibility for a limited number of impacts.
4. Water - Boots jump height and speed in general for a limited time. It will also allow you to reload kunai faster.
You also have a grabbing chain which allows you to grab onto ceilings etc. The levels are very diverse and varied for this type of game. There is a stage where you are riding a horse dodging trees and killing ememies which are after you on their horses. Another cool stage is when are on top a car roof, which is going like a bat out of hell down the motorway. You jump from car to car whilst kicking butt ninja style. Shinobi on the 3DS is a real hidden gem which should not be missed if you enjoy a challenge.