The WORST* Ninja Game

[@WritingOnGames]

"Of course people hated it. It had the gall to hand them a brush and ask them to paint." Great line in a great video.

[@LiteraryCurtastrophe]

That line caught my attention to, as did your username above this comment, as someone else I'm subscribed to 😂 Great line. I might even try this game

[@aydennuula979]

Hell yeah.

[@TheParanoidLogician]

"Never underestimate the narrative value of a really weird guy" is definitely legitimate writing advice.

[@Stumblebee]

as someone with an unfinished bag of carrots in my refrigerator, I am offended

[@BaconSquishy]

Carrots last like months in the fridge, no reason not to have some in there

[@gamelover2222]

@@BaconSquishy I'm allergic to carrots. It's a pretty good reason not to have any.

[@MrMcSpiff]

​@@gamelover2222 Nah, you heard the guy. Go get some carrots.

[@haunted.bodega]

As a dungeon master "never underestimate the value of a weird guy" hit so different.

[@Kimosabes2hot]

You know, it's funny. KBash is the only channel I'm watching that has the uncanny ability to dredge up things I've long since forgotten and just... make me remember them as if it was yesterday.

[@maraganger]

really appreciate the way you worded the intent behind game devs in showing their games as products rather than art. despite being one to champion video games as a legitimate art form, i think folks sometimes don't realize that the industry in general was and still is a massive contributor to that sentiment. like ye sure i think drakengard is art but ask yoko taro and he'll say it was a paycheck lmao

[@maou8253]

Yoko Taro's games wouldn't be what they are if he didn't have that attitude, so I think we are alright.

[@Tenchigumi]

To be fair, Yoko Taro also says that with a fair amount of tongue-in-cheek irony, though how much is genuine vs ironic is hard to tell. The dude just does SOOOOOO much obscure (and assuredly unprofitable) side stuff. Perhaps his whole "for the love of Squeenix just PAE MEEH" shtick is genuine, if only because it funds all the wacky artistic shit 99.9% of his fans would never get to experience.

[@shawklan27]

@maraganger this is why kbash is one of the realest dudes on the site. I feel that too many gaming crtics live in this echo chamber of thinking like that yet here's kbash being blatantly real.

[@shawklan27]

Having Invader Zim, being the son of a Japanese Emperor certainly is an inspired choice.

[@NoThanks-z9g]

Yeah, I had to hid my laughter at 4AM when I heard that

[@LyrisTheCat]

man what in the hell, the thing you showed at 14:00 is literally something ive seen AAA devs nowdays not just under utilize but never even code it to work. making a damn rope work proper and be physical in games is pain and doing it on a ps2 is even more impressive.

[@someguy5319]

wait a minute this isnt yaiba: ninja gaiden z, the real worst ninja game.

[@goldskarr]

Man I walked to the mall to pick up my pre-order of that. Got to the last boss, got killed by the zombie preacher enemy I hate so goddamn much, got sent back to the *start* of the fight. Never went back. Fuck that game.

[@IcoreZero]

there is always a worse ninja game

[@gamelover2222]

@@IcoreZero There's the answer I was looking for!

[@ninjasolidsnake]

​@@IcoreZeroAlways a worse one. Waiting in the shadows for an opportune moment to strike.

[@shawklan27]

@someguy5319 what? You don't like tryhard hunt down the freeman fanfic Ninja Gaiden?

[@nalfunction552]

I randomly found this game for dirt cheep a year ago and nobody I know had even heard of it Kinda wild to see a Kbash video of it all of a sudden

[@jadedheartsz]

I remember Gameinformer bashed it pretty hard and it ended up on their worst games of 2005 list.

[@hplwonder4054]

Another month, another weird obscure old game Kbash decides to randomly take a look at F-ing love it, we love you Kbash

[@alephnole7009]

19:45 i love how this guy watches anothe guard get killed right infront of him and he puts away his sword like he didn't see anything.

[@rpgfrog2330]

Bro saw his co-worker get hanged and decided it was his time to clock out for the day

[@GAMEPRO24X]

If anyone isnt aware, some games were legit not designed for 60 fps. in some cases the game will speed up or certain animations are tied to the natural frame rate of the game so altering that can cause wonkyness. Example in DMC4 SE on pc, if you turn on turbo mode and play as vergil, his table hop (idk if thats the name but its the side dodge) will be shortend by alot. I dont have exact numbers but look at it like this. this dodge is suppose to move you 10 feet at 30 fps, if you turned the game at 60 fps, youll move 5 feet instead, because the move is tied to FPS. speeding that up prematurely ends the animation because it was coded that way. as much as i enjoy the smoothness of 60 fps, alot of older games legit break with it on so if you notice these changes. your altering the game in a way it wasnt intended at all and could ruin your perception of what the game was suppose to be. I am glad he realized that but it felt like he essentially played through a whole playthrough with these consistent issues and didnt think it was the FPS that caused it. their are alot of talented coders that have made legit 60 fps patches that dont negatively alter the animations and such, however that takes alot of time and effort. simply slapping a 60 fps mod and calling it a day isnt gonna work.

[@keeganseck7751]

Me, at the retro game store with my friends, holding a copy of Red Ninja: "Hey guys, should I get this?" My friends: "No." Me: "Really? But like... look at this box art again!" Friends: "We will bonk you!"

[@AsBizarrasAventurasdeKlonesias]

When you showed Kurenai holding a guard's neck by a thread and jumped off the roof suffocating him, i legit gasped and said "holy shit this is so cool" lmao i wasn't expecting it, i wish we had more games like this nowadays also big W for putting the SamSho 2019 menu song on this video

[@Mankey619]

Funny that this game is called Red Ninja, cause she's wearing red, and she's spilling enemies with their blood. Which is also red.

[@Alexcobra861]

Ah ! Red Ninja ! my favorite unrecognized Ninja stealth game! this game deserves to be revived or remade, I wonder who has the rights to this game today, I would like a big Japanese publisher like Capcom, Tecmo, Snk and/or Namco to buy the rights to this game to make it shine, why not have Kurenai as a guest in a Soul Calibur and/or a Samurai Shodown.

[@Cidriel]

17:51 you can't just make me remember Folklore out of the blue like this when my PS3 is sitting rotting in a closet somewhere how dare you

[@Nipah.Auauau]

24:45 It should be noted, when the gattling gun was introduced, it was in fact an "ultra mega gun" and was effectively the McGuffin for the battles it was fielded in.

[@awkwardGardener]

Speaking of busty ninjas, can't wait for the full Senran Kagura retrospective.

[@W-rock]

Man I remember this game! The camera was absolutely awful and it was hard as balls at times. But man I want this game to get a Remaster. I know it's never gonna happen and if it did it would be censored to hell and back, but still.

[@seb24789]

All i remember is an old review mentioning how the camera tends to be more interested in the protagonist's ass than the gameplay. IDK why but i found that line funny.

[@AFarCryAway]

2:57 this must be why the Ninja wear face coverings

[@kycesheppard8426]

I think this is your best video man. I've been watching since the Drakenguard videos and you've really changed the way I look at video games now. Looking forward to the stuff you're cooking up this year.

[@GodDamnRider]

Well shit, this janky ass 2005 game is all Ubisoft hoped Assassin's Creed to be

[@admirallove6180]

Carrots last so long in the fridge, I don't think I have ever seen a moldy carrot in my life

[@chexmixkitty]

I didnt realize Richard Horvitz is considered a budget voice actor lol

[@KBash]

i shoulda played the Noh Master's voice. Sounds like he's trying out for "I Want To Be Neenja"

[@KAKA42-c3t]

Holy shit! Is that a 30-minute KBash video? It’s like 2019 all over again

[@FelisImpurrator]

This touches on a thing that's been on my mind bugging me a lot lately. Specifically, it's just annoying how often game criticism is bound by this notion of "okay, but how well does this adhere to my expectations of a franchise or genre's essential identity" rather than judging games on their own merits. The allure of easy comparisons seems hard to resist for critics and players alike, even when it just kind of misses the point.

[@NoThanks-z9g]

23:00 - 23:05 Holy shit it's Richard! Hearing the voice of Zim really threw me off guard and I had to contain my laughter, since it was 4 in the morning.

[@Faapu]

My brain expanded when I saw the wall running and was like "that looks just like the wallrunning in Senran Kagura Estival Versus and Burst Re;Newal!" because of the Senran Kagura guy's involvement

[@VerumLeonhart]

Replaying or returning to a game you were initially cold on especially when outside commentary unknowingly clouds your judgement is so relatable. I originally wasn’t a fan of Stellar Blade but experiencing it for myself with different expectations I found myself getting absorbed with every about it No it wasn’t perfect but it ended becoming something I ended up really enjoying for a few weeks. It getting a patch that removed the parry lag also helped

[@EmissaryOfSmeagol]

Epic shorter KBash vid. We (the fans) love blessed content.

[@Dewm_]

The patreon read outs are absolute madness, and I love it. Thank you for having so much fun with it!

[@jayxander2988]

I can't help but feel like this video has like three conclusion segments

[@sandmaker47]

I remember red ninja. I didnt finish it. I hated it at first, when i ran out of games, i remember getting into it. It grew on me like an untreated fungus. Platforming was horrible

[@siekensou77]

Struggled on the big buddha a lot

[@ivecaughtfire7431]

Bro what is that OST playing during your Patreon credits? Jesus that went hard, it isnt in your pastebin link? EDIT: Yet again sigh, another KBash banger essay that sigh.....yet again is just pissing on the entire vidya gaem commentary space. When will someone dethrone KBash from the throne? can it even be done?

[@azumashinobi1559]

Tried playing this game a couple years ago and the camera gave me the worst motion sickness I've had in recent memory, couldn't get through it unfortunately :/

[@Zakaker]

So the trend of comparing every game to the popular From Software title was already a thing two decades ago huh

[@321cheeseman]

If you mean the comparisons to Tenchu, then... maybe? not really? It's complicated. FromSoftware had only acquired the rights to the Tenchu series one year before Red Ninja released, and hadn't yet developed a single entry in the series, though they had published the K2 LLC developed Tenchu: Fatal Shadows. The comparison was more to Tenchu as a whole though, and FromSoftware had nothing whatsoever to do with three out of four of the Tenchu games that existed at that point.

[@Zakaker]

@@321cheeseman Don't take it too seriously, it's just a joke about how people comparing the game to Tenchu reminded me of people comparing every modern action game to Dark Souls. But I appreciate the information!

[@RainbowRandolf]

When this video started, I thought you were going to cover Tenchu more extensively...now I just want a vid of you going through Tenchu.

[@RainbowRandolf]

Don't get me wrong, love the deep dive on this forgotten classic, but I had forgotten Tenchu existed until you brought it up.

[@penguinlordalan]

Hey don't diss on i-Ninja! That shit was my childhood, rocked between that game and Time Splitters 2 each day after school

[@Kupokiller]

Seriously get so excited every time you put out a video! Can’t wait for you to talk about .hack… you’re gonna do that right?????????? Maybe Shadow King Okage or Draken The Ancient Gates?

[@JMobster9]

I remember seeing this game @ a Gamestop when I was 9. I really liked the cover art and wanted to give it a try. Came back the next week and it was gone, and I couldn't remember the name, but I always remembered the cover. So... Thanks for playing this game so I could finally see what I missed I guess?

[@keeganseck7751]

Did I miss the Radiata Stories video or has KBash been dropping hints for month?

[@beat-man5167]

I have not used 60fps/widescreen hacks when playing old games bc im lazy/don't know how so i haven't ruined a game by doing that yet. I always liked Kurenai's design. Kinda simple, but her red kimono is iconic. And that wire is deadly. This game looks pretty awesome ngl.

[@cirmothe9]

I have always been intrigued by this game's box art. I wish I had played it back then. I guess it's never too late to give it a try.

[@selroa]

this video is great. I laughed a lot. Makes me wonder if you'll make a video about shinobido too since there are snippets of it in this one.

[@mattakudesu]

Red Ninja was an awesome game. I remember getting to the last boss and not being able to beat her because the hookline weapon you use to grab onto enemies kept glitching and wouldn't hook on to the boss unless it felt like it. I probably played that boss fight 20 times and could not get past that glitch.

[@Gaia_Gaistar]

I really wish this game took off and got a sequel or a better remake.

[@Zexxthecrow]

Wow that was a super random guild wars 1 nostalgia flashbang you snuck in this

[@Sand_Veil]

Such a good video, I knew this game had something too it when I first played it. Played it for a "bad game night" And I was like "wait a minute..."

[@sylviastone628]

Dang, I really should eat those carrots...

[@StrawhatFan42]

HOLY SHOT KBASH MENTIONED I NINJA, DO AN I NINJA VIDEO PLEASE

[@Plexicraft]

I thought spit takes were an exaggeration from cartoons until I heard the line “…Maybe they should”. Now I’m cleaning up my table, thanks KBash.

[@teobaldominattoscussel7865]

Was watching with headphones to not wake my wife, but then laughed out loud when he said that Perfect delivery

[@Zackaria_sMax]

I feel like I remember liking Red Ninja...

[@siekensou77]

I enjoyed it. Havent beaten it though

[@Psilocervine]

oh wow, this is kinda a blast from the past for me. I remember picking this up randomly for the xbox I had, really liking it, but then completely losing track of it when I had to sell that xbox when I was broke because like it's called "red ninja" the name doesn't really stick in the mind

[@QMMarc]

I'm glad to hear a positive take on this one! it's a cool game, it's legit one of the reasons why I stopped caring about reviews, cause like, idk man sometimes you just vibe with stuff, like, I'm currently vibing with Left Alive, the stealth answer to survival horror, survivor stealth, altho', i can see why it got received poorly, that game is not kind to you, but i digress. Anyway, since you touched on it, if someone were to release a patch that disables the camera being yoinked from your hands, or if it didn't have that originally, it legit would bump this game up, its SUCH an issue, I also dont really mind weird cameras, but man, this one just took that cake, the reason why most ''bad camera'' criticism rarely stuck true to me is that whenever i'd experience the ''bad camera'' in a game i'd be like ''Aint no Red Ninja what you guys on about''. I legit didn't know about the bleach LA writer tho', that kinda blew my mind, I've liked many of the movies he's involved in, maybe this is where it started, and i just never knew.

[@jadedheartsz]

yeah I enjoy a lot of games that got negative reviews like Mindjack, Wanted: Dead and Technomancer.

[@QMMarc]

@@jadedheartsz I legit don't understand why Wanted:Dead got so many bad review, it's a fun romp. Technomancer got negative reviews? It's pretty good, it's not as cooky as Mars War Logs but it improved on a lot of stuff.

[@jadedheartsz]

@@QMMarc well mixed reviews, those Eurojank games generally aren't critically acclaimed. I don't get the hate for Wanted Dead either, same with Front Mission Evolved.

[@Satobraze-mw1xv]

I always look foward to your videos KBash.

[@Vorance]

I played this game as a child. I had completely forgotten about this game until the cover art flashed in front of my eyes, and suddenly all the memories and frustrations came back

[@MikeyJ1572]

rope physics were way ahead of their time

[@petman515]

Also 2nd small add on about the seduction mechanic. After a great deal of messing around in the game I'm pretty sure its a flag set on each guard as to if they are seduceable or not.

[@jewyjewjew7264]

Deadass I've actually been playing this game as of late and you make a vid on it. Can we get a disgaea review video too?

[@benjiiiiiiiii]

It's a game you can play forever, but it's not nearly fun enough to do so /review

[@Rondart]

Oh do I have a trivia for you. Red Ninja marks the first* mainstream debut of illustrator called d.k., pen name of a Korean residing in Japan. *he did some illustration to an unrelased visual novel prior to this but that is neither here nor there. His illustration style, although lost in the game itself is kinda this wispy, thin women with very flowery motifs. Indeed this was some of the concept arts for Kurenai. Then one of his concept arts unrelated to this game evolved to a major character in another game. A feminine, slightly frail looking woman with braids, two jagged swords, and flowery motifs, wearing what seems to be negligee. He drew Kainé. From NieR. Indeed, d.k. would go on to make the concept illustrations for all characters in NieR Replicant AND Gestalt (yes, he made Dadnier AND o-Nier-chan). In fact, he was actually tapped to make the designs for characters in NieR:Automata as well, but he was ill at the time so Akihiko Yoshida (which is the same Akihiko Yoshida who made the racial concept arts for Final Fantasy XIV) ended up making the character designs for Automata. d.k. is still active. Hell he made some NieR official art not long ago in mid ‘24. Red Ninja is a weird stepping stone for that man but man, I am glad my hyperfixation about this game came in handy today. and if you ever wonder what the d.k. stands for? it’s his name: DongKyu Kim. His other names include Hanamimawari and Otomezakura. Very distinct artstyle, can’t miss him.

[@krischan736]

Yippee!! watching to distract myself from the fires

[@theguyinthere]

This is one of those games you would see on X-play that they would rip apart. but something about the colors of the levels gives me 2004 bright sunny day PS2 vibes.

[@shooter5769]

Ah yes, that one game I can't beat because I cannot hang a boss to death. Gotta love emulation sometimes.

[@Kneefoil]

I haven't played it myself, but I had a good time watching Bardic Broadcasts play through it last year.

[@videogamerzero1schannel]

This was cool to see a obscure game bashed by critics given a second chance kinda why I love Gungrave so much for being this obscure 3rd person action game

[@maroXUprising]

After replaying Gungrave G.o.r.e when they patched all the switch “exclusive” features, it got me really wanting some form of HD remaster of the PS2 games. I crave more Gungrave lol.

[@videogamerzero1schannel]

@maroXUprising yeah I wish those 2 games got re released

[@ParmMannREBORN]

The "these....people" said in complete disgust was so funny

[@StephenHarperRaptagon]

Wow what a great classic video from KZbin! Video posted 20 hours ago Are you telling me that there's going to be more?!

[@goon3276]

Kbash video

[@suuslime3908]

Actually really happy to see a rather great review of games that were once considered "awful" or "bad". I do wonder how much the bad reviews were due to the actual game, or due to the sentiment at the time (Heck, even today) about Japanese games. I mean, G4TV/X play was NOTORIOUS for crapping on any Japanese game daring to be interesting and unique unless it was something like MGS . Also, I love how the game incorporated Kunoichi elements with Seduction. It's the one thing Women Ninja were able to use that male Ninja could not. Easier getting into a fortified castle by posing as a woman of the night.

[@nappa0582]

You can speak it's praises and rationalize how it wasn't all bad till you're blurple in the face, the ass dialogue (that scene at the super beginning when shes fiund in the tree still sets my nerves on edge like a fork and knife scratching a plate), the garbage camera, shoddy controls, the way she does that dumb run when target locking but you're hardly tilting the stick, everything was hot garbage and knowing who is behind this is shocking.

[@superanxiety261]

I NINJA IS FLAMES SIR! Great video

[@ctdxii8007]

Gotta ask what game that was at 3:40 , is that Risen? Great stuff, shocked this passed me by when I was knee deep in stealth action games at this time!

[@crosslegluke4506]

DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK ILL OF I-NINJA. I **WILL** CRY

[@BarneyB1993]

Tried playing this a while back and gave up during the tutorial, gonna need to give another go. Great video Kbash.

[@sushiroll3002]

I worked out the mystery, all the critics must have been playing with the 60FPS patch too.

[@ctgooni]

1:50 iNinja was GOATED back in the days!!!

[@Zerohour2k12]

If I remember correctly Chiyome was the name of one of Sanada Yukimura's Kunoichi.

[@murky16]

20:25 lmao is that sound bite from Donnie wild Thorn berries 😂😂

[@RanmyakuIchi]

I've always had a soft spot for this janky little gem. It's great to see someone else remembers it.

[@ghost-in-the-ciel]

Kurenai ni somatta kono ore wo Nagusameru yatsu wa mou inai Oh! cry in deep red...

[@murky16]

28:52 hatsune miku’s crack house goes hard 😂😂

[@tabaccotantony]

Really cool seeing Kbash talk about game the not goated or a cult classic changing the formula i see

[@WushuKnight19]

With this many takedowns, I think you've found the perfect game for Fleekazoid.

[@it_is_i_deo]

Bro is never gonna find out if her can cuss on her

[@saltine6754]

Keep up the great work, I’ve been a fan for a long time and always enjoy your work!

[@Runeinc]

Ah yes, Every Room a Painting. ERP.

[@rhombusx]

I think the real issue in general is that there is value even in bad things. The whole point of criticism is to weigh the good and the bad and make an overall evaluation. For most, the bad in a bad game overwhelms the good. And even though I don't think scores are any form of objective measurement of quality, if a piece of content were truly without any merit altogether, it would get a 0. It's nice that we're able to go back and reevaluate things and maybe enjoy things that are "bad," but I also think it's disingenous to look past something's flaws and pretend they don't exist. Also, way to criticize unfair comparisons to Tenchu while playing music from Tenchu.

[@Zyemeth0]

I have this game and it was almost good. I would love a faithful remake attempt at it as it really had some inspired ideas limited by the low budget and terrible camera.

[@CrimsonOptics]

I eat every single bag of carrots I buy, tyvm

[@OwenOrsini]

what is that crt filter on the retro games you show? it looks incredible.

[@kevinbradley4811]

I saw the picture…..the nostalgia. Saw ur name as the poster….click play. Totally ready to have my childhood shattered 🤣🪦

[@tonzillaye]

I totally forgot about I-Ninja but that game had a grip on me as a kid

[@SerpentineDeity]

The worst ninja game comes out un February 2025.

[@fullaregrets5015]

Nothing beats Tenchu, not even Sekiro.

[@archmagusofevil]

I loved this game when it came out despite the reviews. The competely brutal style of the combat and stealth kills were part of the characterization. Kurenai isn't this weird image of an "honorable ninja" that people somehow get in their head. She is a woman abused and left for dead after her family was slaughtered. She's out for revenge and has no remorse for her enemy.

[@cougarswagnum]

4:43 what is that game guy ???

[@LuciferHunter-kt7pm]

I broke out the 3DS the other day during the snow storm and popped in Shinobi. Not the arcade game or the Genesis games but the 3DS version. I absolutely love that game. I remember playing it a lot back in 2014ish.