Kaze Kiri |
Duo |
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Review by Rob "Dire 51" |
Naxat Soft |
Platform/Fighting |
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Graphics: 9 |
Sound: 8 |
Gameplay: 7 |
Overall: 8 |
![]() One ninja game that almost completely slipped under the radar was Kaze Kiri, by Naxat Soft for the PC Engine. I first saw a review of it in GameFan magazine, back in 1994 (you know, before the mag went downhill). I thought it looked extremely cool, but since I really wasn't into importing games at the time, I filed it away in the back of my mind and promptly forgot about it. It seems that just about everyone else did too - only recently has it become a very sought-after game. Once I started getting into importing games, I tried to see if I could track down a copy of Kaze Kiri, and only now - seven years later - have I finally succeeded in getting one. The story of Kaze Kiri is presented in a great anime cinema sequence when you start the game. What's unusual, considering that this is a CD game, is the complete and total lack of voice during the sequence (there's no voice during the ending either, for that matter). The kidnapping of Shizuhime by a group of evil ninja led by Genbu and Hiei is set to nothing but the sound of drums, with the occasional sound effect punctuating what's going on. Kaze is then summoned before Yoshikage (presumably Shizuhime's father), and he sets out to infiltrate the fortress of the evil ninja and get Shizuhime back. You then see Kaze starting his mission, running at top speed and leaving a slew of dead ninja in his wake.
The controls in Kaze Kiri are extremely easy to use. Button I jumps, button II attacks, and hitting select causes Kaze to vanish in a whirlwind of leaves, only to reappear a few seconds later. Tapping the directional button twice in either direction will make Kaze do a sliding attack. Holding diagonally upper left or upper right will make Kaze run. Pushing up and button I or down and button I will make Kaze do either a forward or backward somersault (depending on which direction you pushed). If you get up next to an enemy, you can get them in a hold, and pressing down and button II will let you slam them into the ground. Alternately, you can hit button I and press in the opposite direction, and Kaze will throw them over his shoulder. You can jump, then press down and button II to do a downward flying kick. Kaze has two main methods of attack - his sword and shurikens. if you're far away from an enemy and attack, Kaze will hurl a shuriken at them. When they're up close, he uses his sword. Interestingly, every time you throw a shuriken, Kaze's life bar goes down a notch. Of course, if you get into a spot where there are no enemies, or if you can avoid being hit or avoid throwing shurikens, Kaze's life will regenerate on its own. Thrown shurikens can also be used to deflect enemy throwing stars, as can Kaze's sword. It's not uncommon to be in the middle of a pitched battle with a group of enemies and hear multiple deflections. Speaking of which, these aren't your usual, stupid brainless automatons that you're up against. These guys - and I mean everyone, including the bosses (which are all unique and all really badass) - will block Kaze's strikes and shurikens. This can make them difficult to knock down sometimes.
I'll take this opportunity to warn you about one thing - once you've reached Takanobu, the guy that's holding Shizuhime hostage, you'll see that he's carrying her. When you go to fight him, you'll see her standing there. Whatever you do, don't even get close to her once you're fighting Takanobu. If you accidentally hit her with your sword, she'll die, and you'll get the bad ending. Try not to send any shurikens her way either - she can take a little bit of damage from them, but not too much. At least Shizuhime has the good sense to stay out of the way during the final battle with Hiei. To sum everything up, Kaze Kiri is a fantastic game. It's been called "the best PC Engine game ever" by some, and while I don't think it's quite deserving of that title, it definitely ranks as one of the best PC Engine games ever made. For those of you that enjoy a good ninja game or just want a fantastic action game for your PC Engine or Turbografx-16, I recommend tracking a copy of Kaze Kiri down. Just be prepared to spend quite a bit for it, because as I said before, it's very much in demand these days.
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![]() front cover |