Acquire is known for releasing the Tenchu series featuring ninjas slicing the heck out of enemies. It is an example of what a nice combination of stealth, action, and strategy looks like. Then Acquire also came up with Shinobido for the Playstation 2 and PSP with the same type of gameplay. Jumping (or more like Ninja leaping) to today, Vita owners get to enjoy the very same action with Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen. Let’s slice and dice with the touchscreen!
You take control of Zen who goes on various missions and side contract jobs for the three warlords in conflict amongst each other. The objectives include carrying out an assassination, freeing a prisoner, kidnapping, theft, and defeating all enemies in a given area. Sounds like a game fit for those aspiring to be criminals without the actual risk of ending up in jail! Depending on whose job you accept, the story will be affected.
The controls on the Vita while you perform quests work pretty well. When you touch the rear pad, a cursor appears which can be moved to aim your throwing weapon. To launch, you use the d-pad to release the weapon that you mapped out manually.
Attacking with the X button can get out of control if you’re pressing it like crazy. You can miss and end up slicing and dicing into the air without the ability to maneuver. The camera can also be controlled by the player which is great when you’re trying to find enemies and don’t want to risk having any obstructions in view. And if you have more than one enemy on screen, you can quickly change your view’s focus on each by touching one of the icons shaped like an eye appearing on the side of the screen.
When you complete a quest, you will get EXP which will allow you to level up in time. When that happens, you get to choose which attributes you want to upgrade. Because of this feature, this can potentially get players really addicted to this level up system.
Stealth is the very theme of Shinobido 2, especially as you get further in the game. It’s kind of like Metal Gear Solid where you have to sneak around and remain hidden in the shadows in order to be able to perform that single-hit kill. The atmosphere becomes suspenseful as you have to proceed with care and finesse if you want to carry out your mission with ease. Otherwise, if you just go on a killing spree without incorporating some strategy, you’ll most likely end up failing the mission. Even facing a boss battle would require more than just a simple hack and slash frenzy.
Shinobido 2’s graphics have a superb appearance when you look at the amount of detail in the characters. The environments are littered with smooth textures and a rainbow of attractive colors even when taking place in the dark. Watching the full motion video is a delight because of the animations being executed quite well. And what’s a ninja game without blood? Here, there’s plenty of splatter effects that appear realistic and juicy.
Stepping into the audio category, the sound effects work perfectly with the stealth game like Shinobido 2. The music helps to keep things intense and even transitions effectively when your character gets spotted by enemies, at which point the music helps to make the situation feel more enthralling.
Shinbido 2 has tons of content that definitely adds replay value and longevity. If it’s not the missions, it’s the notion that you have all these upgrades, weapons, etc. that will keep your hands glued to the Vita. When you find items either from missions or through purchases, you can blend them to create make some unique tools, which then can lead way to a whole new set of possibilities for you to approach your goals.
The AI is pretty lacking as you can see when most enemies that spot your character, Zen, will only chase him temporarily before giving up.  Some might let you throw projectiles at them while they stand idly wondering what’s going on. Most common is when enemies can start to fight against Zen but they won’t pursue him if he runs away. How they end up dropping their guard is very unrealistic.
Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen is a pretty long game that best suits those players who are looking for a violent stealth game with many chances of upgrading and creating their own weapons. If you loved the Tenchu series, then you should look at spending the $39.99 on this game without hesitation. So come out of the dark yourself and instead let Zen do the hiding, as well as the slicing, in the Vita.
