Shinobi-do as Tenchu does...

Sometimes, for even the most hardcore games journo, writing about Generic Racer 6 or By-The-Numbers-Platformer X can get more than a little grating. Sometimes, however, you get an instance when your social life becomes wedged unceremoniously between gaming obligations, and you don't mind one bit. It doesn't bother you, because the game you're getting intimate with is either so darn good, so damn different, or just so very appealing to your particular tastes, that the "work" (get the violins! - Ed) you've imposed on yourself suddenly becomes a labour of love.

Shinobido, for all its flaws, frustrations, quirks and idiosyncrasies, is one such game.

The appeal of Shinobido lies not just in it's mythical-cool black clad amnesiac ninja main character (is there a person alive who doesn't think ninjas are universally cool?) - But in it's feel. To anyone who's followed gaming's first successful 3D stealth series, Tenchu, Shinobido is instantly familiar.

Twinobido?

Indeed, first impressions of Shinobido are that it's basically Tenchu's twin without the grappling hook. As it turns out, this is largely wrong - there is a grappling hook, made available after the initial tutorial mission. The rest of the analogy however works to a tee: Created by the team behind the original PSone Stealth Assassin ninja title, and bearing all the hallmarks of that heritage from stealth kills to caltrops, this is the successor to Tenchu in all but name.

And this is no bad thing. While new Tenchu developers K2 seem to be struggling for inspiration, Acquire, now under the stewardship of Sony, have gone back to their roots and dragged the defining characteristics of the first - and best - Tenchu game in their entirety into their new PS2 IP.

Shinobido offers all of the major plus points engendered by Acquire's very first ninja work; the rooftop cruising gameplay, immersive prey-stalking assassinations, patient shadow-skulking and cinematic wall-hugging control. More so than any game this generation, in fact, it embodies the very essence of being a ninja; infiltrating ancient Japanese towns undetected, eliminating guards and retreating back to the rooftops as though you never existed. It's an empowering feeling when you slaughter every single enemy in an area without being spotted once.

Yet Shinobido's qualities are a double edged sword. The controls for instance, despite opening avenues for such stylish stealth action, can also prove frustrating. The sprint button is the biggest offender. Going from A to B on a flat surface it works just fine, but under enemy pressure it's all too easy to ping-pong all over the place, ending up running into a wall or falling from a great height.

Shamera

The camera doesn't help, either. Moving at slow pace it positions itself behind main character Goh, and when sidling against walls it pivots to face your character - even giving the famous stealth game 'corner shot.'Yet in confined spaces it shambolically takes on a life of its own and will quite often end up facing away from enemies as they rush in to take care of you. And they're usually none too friendly.

Nor too smart, sadly. For every moment of ingenuity they show - patrolling areas, investigating suspicious noises, approaching with caution and hunting you in groups - there are equally laughable examples of sheer stupidity. For instance, after seeing you - even being injured by your blade - and then losing track of you, they'll search for a while, then go back to their business like nothing ever happened.

We can forgive Shinobido this, however, because it's largely a staple of stealth games. On the other hand, seeing a group of guards running on the spot against a wall because the pathfinding A.I. has screwed up, isn't as easily dismissed. Worse, when they congregate near an essential objective point, you end up being battling multiple foes at the same time - which despite Shinobido's lock-on combat, is to be avoided where at all possible.

So, Shinobido isn't flawless. In fact, if we're brutally honest, it could be far more technically accomplished. Yet somehow Shinobido ends up more than the sum of its parts. Every high point is an expected, natural evolution from Acquire's old ninja titles. And though every flaw is a missed opportunity to improve and outdo Tenchu, this never renders Shinobido anything less than on a par.

Except in one, crucial area: the design. Shinobido's levels flow with authenticity. Shinobido's towns, enclaves, forests and castles all feel like they really could exist; the gameworld is both believable and compelling, not contrived, surreal and linear, like recent Tenchus. Suspending disbelief is a crucial part of any stealth title, and even with visuals that are more functional than fantastic, Shinobido's scale and setting capture the imagination.

Ninja cravings:

A game structure based not on sequential missions, but on choosing tasks to support the story's different factions - even playing them off against each other by accepting assignments with conflicting interests - only compliments Shinobido's open-ended nature, echoing the Way of the Saumrai games and making for a progressively engaging experience.

Shinobido, then, is the ninja game we've been craving for some time. In fact, we'd say Shinobido is the game that the PS2 Tenchu titles should have been. Despite fixing none of the niggling flaws that we've come to expect from Activision's stealth games - floaty camera, fiddly controls, undignified graphics and some downright dopey A.I. - it still boasts a quality in its design and its depiction of stealth assassin escapades we've not seen since the days of the very first PlayStation.

GAME's Verdict

• Makes you feel like a badass ninja assassin
• Authentic level design that immerses you entirely in the gameworld
• Open-ended mission choices: Play rival factions off against each other and follow your own agenda

• Oversensitive movement not helped by a dodgy camera
• Immersive, but sadly none too pretty
• Some really daft A.I. Laughable rather than unforgivable

Review by: Mark Scott
Review Published: 21.09.06