''3 Ninjas Kick Back'' is a

beat 'em up The beat 'em up (also known as brawler and, in some markets, beat 'em all) is a video game genre featuring hand-to-hand combat against a large number of opponents. Traditional beat 'em ups take place in scrolling, two-dimensional (2D) levels, ...

platform game A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are charac ...

for the

Sega Genesis The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...

Super Nintendo Entertainment System The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Eur ...

, and

Sega CD The Sega CD, released as the in most regions outside North America and Brazil, is a CD-ROM accessory for the Sega Genesis produced by Sega as part of the fourth generation of video game consoles. It was released on December 12, 1991, in Japan, ...

. It was released in 1994 and was developed by

Malibu Interactive Malibu Comics Entertainment, Inc. (also known as Malibu Graphics) was an American comic book publisher active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, best known for its Ultraverse line of superhero titles. Notable titles published by Malibu included '' ...

. The Genesis version was published by

Psygnosis Psygnosis Limited (known as SCE Studio Liverpool or simply Studio Liverpool from 1999) was a British video game developer and Video game publisher, publisher headquartered at Wavertree Technology Park in Liverpool. Founded in 1984 by Ian Hether ...

while the SNES and Sega CD versions were published by

Sony Imagesoft Sony Imagesoft Inc. was an American video game publisher that operated from 1989 to 1995 and was located in California. It was established in January 1989 in Los Angeles, California, as a subsidiary of the Japan-based CBS/Sony Group (CSG) and in ...

. The game is based on the film of the same name.

Plot

The master samurai competed in a ninja tournament fifty years ago for a magical dagger and an ancient samurai sword thought to be the key to opening a hidden cave full of treasure. After winning the tournament and rightfully gaining the dagger, it was stolen by the master's archrival, Koga. Though the master searched far and wide, he never found any trace of Koga or the dagger. Now, too old to continue searching, the master sends his three young apprentices, the young

ninja A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enem ...

brothers, Rocky, Colt, and Tum-Tum, to assist him in retrieving the prized dagger. Once it has been restored to its rightful owner, the dagger shall once again be passed along to younger generations, through the winners of the ninja tournament.

Gameplay

There is an initial character screen, where one of the three brothers must be chosen as the main character. The game itself is a very standard side scrolling platform game. Each of the characters has their own unique weapon. Rocky has a bo, Colt uses a

katana A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge fa ...

, and Tum-tum wields twin sai. Enemies consist of rebel ninjas working for Koga, wild animals such as dogs and bats, and hazards such as moving boulders and spikes. There are several levels to the game, each one made up of smaller zones. The game progresses by running the character through each zone, and arriving at the other end. Each level has a minor boss, with the character having to defeat Koga as the final boss. Upon retrieval of the dagger, the character rejoins the master in Japan, returning to him his stolen dagger.

Reception

Reviewing the SNES version, Tommy Glide of ''

GamePro Gamepro.com is an international multiplatform video game magazine media company that covers the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software in countries such as Germany and France. The publication, GamePro, was originally la ...

'' called the game a "below-average platform adventure", citing the last-generation character graphics and sometimes troublesome controls, though he did praise the sound effects and the two-player cooperative gameplay and acknowledged that "fans of the film might like it".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:3 Ninjas Kick Back (video game) 1994 video games Kick Back (video game) Beat 'em ups Malibu Interactive games Epic/Sony Records games Psygnosis games Video games about ninja Platform games Sega CD games Sega Genesis games Super Nintendo Entertainment System games Video games based on films Video games developed in the United States Video games scored by Richard Joseph Sony Pictures video games Japan in non-Japanese culture