The Legend Of Kage

Legend Of Kage is the story of a young ninja named Kage on a quest to save Princess Kiri who has been kidnapped while walking in the forest. Not exactly the most original of plots but it does give you an excuse to go kick some ninja butt so I’m not complaining.

While your main opposition comes in the form of blue and red enemy ninjas there’s also a few samurai and Magic Monks roaming about making life difficult for Kage. Being a ninja means you get a unlimited supply of shurikens which you can chuck around in eight directions. For those up close and personal encounters you have your trusty kodachi (short sword) which can also deflect any enemy shurikens heading in your direction. Kage also has no problem leaping high into the air and climbing up trees.

The gameplay is basically split up into four sections. Round one sees you running through a forest killing enemies before taking on the boss at the end. Then it’s on to a stage where your goal is to kill ten enemies hiding in the water. Round four tasks you to reach the top of a vertical level and in the last round you have to make your way up some stairs to free the princess. None of the levels are very large but at the end you have to take on a boss before it all starts again. The game is very fast paced and you can’t stand still for a second. Enemies will come at you from all directions and it only takes one hit to end your life.

The graphics and audio is quite basic although the oriental tunes playing in the background isn’t bad at all. While the game doesn’t have much in the way of animations’ everything looks clear enough and there is some attempts at variety with the season changing after the game loops. Pretty minor stuff but it does relieve some of the monotony.

Legend of Kage is a very entertaining game and contains enough challenge to keep you hooked. It’s definitely worth putting a few credits in but after a while it does start to get a bit repetitive. Still it’s a nice break from all the other types of games but expect to lose some credits until you master the controls.