The Legend of Kage 2 (DS) Review

The Legend of Kage 2 is one of those games that has critics divided. It's the first release in the Kage series for 22 years - the last one was on the NES. To be perfectly honest, its gameplay lies in that era too.

In this new version you can take control of either Kage or Chihiro, and depending on this decision, the story slightly differs. The basic premise is that you have to save a princess using your 'ninjitsu techniques' which you learn along the way.

This is a button bashing old-school type of game. Instead of the complexities of having to use the stylus, there's separate buttons for sword slices, shuriken throw and jump.

The graphics are suitably cool, looking like they belong to the NES, which only lends to the game's cool retro vibe that has players buzzing. But the sound effects are boring, repetitive and are indicative of the '90s.

The gameplay is fast and fluid, with the protagonists given the ability to leap tall trees in a single bound and run up walls, which is one of my highlights of the game.

What has a lot of hardcore gamers heaping praise upon the title is its level of complexity. After the first stage, which seems surprisingly easy, things get incredibly hard. For the everyday gamer, this is where the fun stops.

What should be an easy game (as suggested by the controls) gets frustratingly hard, even when trying to beat the easiest of bosses. Whilst you can do very little and get by, if you want to unlock every part of the game you have to explore every nook and cranny.

Unfortunately, the narrative loses lots in translation, so you're never quite sure as to what's really going on, or your motives for completing the game (other than attempting to beat a maddeningly difficult title).

Overall, the gameplay will and can appeal to everyone. It's not too tricky to get into and as suggested, it harkens back to the days of Shinobi, meaning its appeal may lie mainly with older gamers. But to me its faults narrowly outweigh its pros, if only because, as a part-time gamer I found the game far too difficult.

You need the patience of a saint and reflexes of a cat to complete even the most basic of levels and whilst I'm not condoning games you can complete with your eyes closed, being able to get past the second level without having to dedicate 3 hours and countless continues should be a pre-requisite.

If you're avid and love a challenge, then go for it. If not, give it a miss.

5.5/10

Rob Wheatley