136. Ninja-kun: Ashura no Shou (Micronics, Famicom, 1987)

Ninja-kun: Ashura no Shou is the sequel to game #134 the original Ninja-kun: Majou no Bouken. The original Ninja-kun was published by Jaleco on the Famicom, and was popular enough that they developed their own red cloak-wearing Ninja character: Ninja Jajamaru-kun, who would go onto star in no less than 5 Famicom games. Meanwhile, the original developer/ publisher of the Ninja-kun arcade games, UPL, also published this sequel on the Famicom (I have to assume they weren't happy with Jaleco basically ripping them off).

The core gameplay has not changed much from the first Ninja-kun, though it has been tweaked very nicely. Movement and throwing ninja stars are much faster than the original, and there are way more  enemies and enemy types, and a a few more context-sensitive character animations. You can also now can continue levels if you get a game over, which is a welcome change. There are also powerups, including a ring of fire that you can shoot out, which is great for pesky flying enemies. At one point I took too long in a level (I think) and a huge flaming wheel came to get me.

The levels actually have a decent mount of variety. While some are similar to the original in that they are generally linear towers with lots of vertical levels, others are wide open areas with a smattering of different platform sizes / heights and no immediately obvious way to proceed upwards. The fourth level starts with you falling out of the sky. If you press nothing, you fall on your face and have to wait a second to get up, but with 2 timed button presses, you can actually stick the landing and get a 1000 point bonus. I love a little touch like this.

All that said, the increased speed makes it feel more difficult to grasp what's happening, and often you are swarmed by a huge group of enemies that can just bounce you around a and stun you. For all of the interesting things Ashura no Shou adds to the original Ninja-kun, it still feels weighed down by not changing enough. While I was surprised to find myself having fun with the very basic gameplay of the first Ninja-kun, the fun is much more front and center in Ashura no Shou, even if it's not that fun.

3/5, smoother and more entertaining than the previous Ninja-kun, but it's still a floaty, rough game