In 2002, Shinobi came out and separated the boys from the men. It featured a marriage of new school 3D mechanics with "old-school" gameplay and a sense of challenge inherent in the Shinobi franchise. Although this was off-putting to some, it did attract a cult following from those who remembered challenging games as the norm, rather than the exception. Nightshade provides much the same experience, but it features a much more gradual learning curve. Fans of Shinobi and newcomers alike should be able to enjoy Nightshade.

Nightshade's gameplay retains many of the elements that made Shinobi's action so compelling, while adding some new wrinkles. Hibana can double jump, wall run, and stealth dash (important for striking opponents backs and moving through projectiles). The "tate" remains a key component of the gameplay; with every enemy you kill, you increase the damage of your sword. The interplay of stealth-dashing, striking opponents backs, using shuriken bursts and kicks to break armor and so many other small facets make the gameplay compelling, even after extensive playtime. The new "Stealth Attack" is critical in bringing down the various intimidating bosses, but killing bosses in one hit (which is possible with all of them) is often as challenging as it is satisfying.

There are some improvements made to the Shinobi system worth noting. First, there's a "tate" bar, which shows you the approximate amount of time before you break your "tate" chain. Second, although the camera is mostly the same as Shinobi (adjustable with the right analog and re-centers with a mere button press), there is one small difference. Now you can "pan" your field of vision beyond what you would normally be able to see; this is very critical on certain wall climbing sections, so I was happy to see Sega correct my one minor complaint about the camera in Shinobi. Third, Nightshade includes in-level checkpoints. I was never really bothered by the lack of in-level checkpoints in Shinobi, but it's certainly a welcome addition in Nightshade. This, and the fact that your life is not constantly being drained, are two more factors that make the game easier than Shinobi.

The stages, like those in Shinobi, are quite Spartan. There's good variety from stage to stage, with each individual level providing something different, but they never wowed me graphically. However, the game does run at a consistent 60 FPS, and good environmental design made it immediately apparent where you can wall climb and where you cannot. The models for the main characters, enemy shinobi, and Hellspawn fair a bit better. They've got a lot of style, are well designed and unique, and are well animated. Yet, despite the distinct futuristic aesthetics of the game and the bug/demon enemies you fight in so many levels (which are oddly reminiscent of the anime Blue Gender), I didn't dig the design quite as much as the traditional Japanese mythological creatures and settings of Shinobi.

The aural aspects of the game are pleasing for the most part. There are some meaty slashes, explosions and other effects. The soundtrack would do Yuzo Koshiro (composer for Revenge of Shinobi) proud. It's very driven, fits well with whatever environment you're fighting in, and
a couple of the tracks stand out as some of the best I've heard in a while (Hisui's and Onibi's themes come to mind). The voice acting is of fairly high quality as well, and I'm almost certain it features the talents of Paul Eiding and Debi Mae West (aka, Colonel Roy Campbell and Meryl Silverburgh from Metal Gear Solid). My only hang up is Hibana's voice actress, but she's still passable.

The package is made sweeter still with the inclusion of 3 unlockable characters (you can get Shinobi's Hotsuma with scarf!) and more unlockable missions, time attacks, and pictures than you can shake a stick at. Unlike Shinobi, the game can make for a good rental, as those unfamiliar with the gameplay can give the game a shot and probably beat it in a few days (Shinobi veterans should be able to blow through the lowest difficulty level with ease). Still, I must comment on the weak localization by Sega of America. It's not that there are typos or bad translations popping up constantly (there aren't, Nightshade is spelling and syntax error free), but rather, it's the cuts made from the Japanese version that bother me. The title was needlessly changed from Kunoichi to Nightshade and the excellent Japanese voice track was given the ax. As I mentioned earlier, the English voice acting is pretty good, but Hibana's Japanese voice actress Atsuko Tanaka (Matoko Kusanagi in Ghost in the Shell) was perfect in the role. It's a minor complaint, but it's still notable.

As much as I enjoyed myself, I still had certain issues with the gameplay. Enemies are a tad more passive than in Shinobi, often acting like little more than static "tate" targets (though this is less true in harder difficulty levels). There are certain frustrating moments when armored and un-armored enemies will bunch together, making it difficult to kick armor away or attack the vulnerable opponents. The game also throws out more skinny platforms and bottomless pits during the last two levels than even I thought was necessary.

Still, those are minor complaints about an otherwise engaging, well-crafted game. I've put hours upon hours into Nightshade, and if Shinobi is any indication, I'll still be playing this game a year later. It may not be the complete package Shinobi was, but Nightshade still proves itself worthy
of inclusion into one of video gaming's best ninja franchises.