Werewolf: The Last Warrior (NES) Playthrough

A playthrough of Data East's 1990 action-platformer for the NES, Werewolf: The Last Warrior.
Werewolf: The Last Warrior is the story of the native American Chief War Wolf. The medicine man of his village, Kinju, has held communion with the Great Spirit and has seen the coming destruction of the world. A government scientist, Dr. Faryan, has been possessed by an evil spirit and now plans to release a chemical weapon in the Earth's atmosphere.
Kinju informs War Wolf that it is time to fulfill the destiny that was foretold by the chief's boyhood vision quest, and War Wolf secludes himself in a cave to undergo a metamorphosis. He emerges four weeks later as a man forever changed, and as he casts his gaze out over the ravaged landscape, he knows what he must do. He is Werewolf, the last warrior, and Dr. Faryan must pay for what he has done.
That's the setup that we're given by the comic book that was included in the box with the game. If you'd like to read it yourself, you can find a copy at online.anyflip...
Werewolf is an action game created specifically for the American market by SAS Sakata, Data East's go-to partner for NES game development who had previously worked on titles like BurgerTime, Karnov, and Robocop. The quality of their work was usually quite solid, but they really outdid themselves with Werewolf: The Last Warrior.
The game is made up of five lengthy stages in which our hairy hero must find and take down Faryan's supermutant henchman bosses. Each area contains multiple paths, all focusing on intricate platforming sequences that demand precise use of your Werewolf form's acrobatic skillset.
As the human Chief War Wolf, your attacks are weak and your mobility is limited, but after taking down the first enemy, you can grab a red W icon and transform. The werewolf, a hulking beast endowed with incredible agility and blades for arms, is the form you'll take for most of the game and helps to level the playing field, but you have to be careful - taking too much damage or picking up a blue W icon will force you back you back into your human form.
As a werewolf, you can scale walls, cling to overhead objects, backflip, and let loose screen-clearing blasts of energy, and the game's considerable challenge revolves around your ability to make the most of these abilities. You can also collect orbs to increase the anger gauge, and when you have five, you become the supremely powerful Super Werewolf for a limited time.
Werewolf starts out feeling like an extraordinarily difficulty game and it has moments that'll make you want to smash your controller in frustration, but it gets much easier as you come to grips with your abilities. Helpful items are hidden everywhere and the stages are deliberately designed to teach you the mechanics, but patience and practice are key here. It's like Ninja Gaiden in that respect: it'll beat you down again and again, but it's fair. You'll always know why you died, and as long as you are paying careful attention to and learning from your mistakes, you'll be able to see it through to its satisfying conclusion.
When I was in fourth grade, one of my friends gave me his old stack of NES carts when his parents bought him a shiny new Sega Genesis. Werewolf was one of those carts, and at first, I bounced off of it. I didn't have the manual and I couldn't make sense of the gameplay, so I set it aside for Solar Jetman, another game from that stack had since grabbed my attention. Months later, having had my fill of Solar Jetman, I craved a new challenge and decided to give Werewolf another shot.
Before long, I started to get it. I studied the rolling demos, experimented until I figured out the controls, and from there, I took it one stage at a time until I finally got to the end. Beating this one took me a long time, but it gave me a huge sense of accomplishment, and it's a game that I have regularly gone back to over the years.
The controls are great (most of the time - the ceiling grab can be a bit touchy), the graphics are detailed and full of Data East's off-beat sense of humor, the soundtrack is top-notch stuff, and the entire game is a real blast to play once you get over the initial hump.
I think that the slightly more complex than usual controls and the level of difficulty scare a lot of people off of Werewolf: The Last Warrior, but there's good reason to stick with it. It's a stylish, extremely well-made game that I'd personally rank among the best of the NES's action-platformer classics.
It's also a much better Wolverine game than the Wolverine game ever was.
(I stuck in a little bit of fun footage at the end showing a couple of weird glitches I came across. You can find that at 28:47)
_____________
No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
NintendoComplete (www.nintendocom...) punches you in the face with in-depth reviews, screenshot archives, and music from classic 8-bit NES games!

[@spoonshiro]

Gotta love Data East. The company of such weird, off-the-wall concepts that somehow work.

[@NintendoComplete]

Right? Everything they made was so bizarre, and most of it was great.

[@moescredriver5486]

@@NintendoCompleteKarnov and Chelnov!!!!!!!

[@RawrX32009]

@@NintendoComplete Really cool to see another Data East fan, BTW what's your favorite Data Eqst game? (Mine are Cliffhanger Edward Randy and Fighter's History)

[@NintendoComplete]

@Sparklyboiii2009_2 Hmm... if I had to pick just one, Bloody Wolf. There are so many classics, though. All of their 90s fighters were great. So was Werewolf, Heavy Barrel, Joe & Mac, Bad Dudes, Atomic Runner, Trio the Punch, and on and on and on lol

[@RawrX32009]

@@NintendoComplete nice pick

[@ILOVEGOOOOOOLD]

Wow this brought back some good memories. The only cartridges I ever owned for NES were Werewolf, 1943, and Mega-man 2. Good freaking times man

[@NintendoComplete]

Werewolf is a top-notch NES action cart that doesn't get near the recognition that it deserves. It's so badass! If you like this, also be sure to check out the Japanese version. It changes up a lot of stuff: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kH2wZ5Soo79rrpI

[@tonika7543]

I agree, the best action games I played.

[@rushnerd]

Even the cartridge art is awesome. They really went all out with this title even though I never got close to beating it no matter how hard I tried!

[@ShutoStriker]

I had this as a kid. Tough game you make it look easy! I tried it again later got farther but couldn't beat it still

[@rushnerd]

@@ShutoStriker Yeah I played the tar out of this, but it's so hard and fairly obtuse that I was never remotely able to get to the last section. You have to be an absolute expert at this game to even dream of getting that far. Still a really cool game, though.

[@bukkakeritual7895]

I thought I was tripping but I remember this game!!! Damn shit unlocked in my mental hard drive!! Thank you!!

[@toohie]

The best part of this channel is reading your review of the game in the description. Absolutely love that and this channel.

[@NintendoComplete]

Thank you!

[@dsubversion]

Totally forgot about this gem. It came with a comic book in the USA. Amazin little game!

[@cjgameon264]

When I first saw this game, I had to have it and got it!!! The graphics and gameplay was just next level!!

[@Jayyy667]

This was my favorite nes game growing up, pain in the ass to beat still.

[@tonika7543]

2:39-2:59 The transformation is the best and epic part of the game.

[@rushnerd]

Oh yes, I owned this on the NES. Fairly obscure game, but you get a legit NES METAL SOUNDTRACK. It's so so good. Game is really difficult though and you need to learn the tricks to a lot of the parts. Turning into the 3rd form hyperwolfman is the best.

[@workaholick]

I remember this game, and the mini comic it came with. such wonderful memories with these wild games.

[@michaellyons9555]

I had this game as a kid, classic.

[@JuraIbis]

I just watched your older video of this. Guess its time to watch it again. Simply have no choice. The music is so top notch.

[@ShutoStriker]

Great playthrough. This is one of those rage inducing games as a kid for me lol being able to cheese that fast boss, and phase 1 of final boss is huge game changer.

[@RSK412]

amazing i could barely get past the first stage of this game. well done, NC!

[@NintendoComplete]

Thanks!

[@internetonsetadd]

The damage taken sound traumatized me. I really hated this game. I can't believe it's this short. Never realized I was halfway to beating it.

[@AnxiousBlue]

Oh hell yeah, this game kicks ass, glad to see a playthrough of it from you!

[@xxHUNGRY4THETRUTHxx]

Dang catchy music! Kina the same vibe Bio Force Ape was going for.

[@Matthew.Wade27]

I remember we were traveling somewhere. I was like 7 or 8. And I begged my mom to buy this off the shelf for me. Not a great game. Definitely not one anyone ever mentions. But because my late mother bought it for me, it will always hold a special place in my heart. Thank you for sharing this video. It brings back some nostalgia.

[@dovalink744]

I remember renting this game bc the cover art was so cool looking.

[@danielramsey6141]

2:44 holy shit! When that Beat Drops! This game just got insane!

[@AshBloodfire]

Things this game teaches you -The werewolf is the mightiest force on the planet -Water is the natural enemy of the werewolf -The werewolf is the mightiest force on a planet that is mostly water. Perhaps this takes place in the Signs universe. -You don't need hands when you are a werewolf -Because you can still fire a gun, somehow -Bald muscular men are extraordinarily persistent. -The best way to fight a werewolf is to hide power ups virtually everywhere and only give your mooks borrowed from the Hellfire Club guns with a single bullet in them. -Big Head is an acceptable supervillain name. -Werewolves believe the best way to flush out evil is to climb a very tall building and then fall off it a moment later. -Werewolves feel a natural compulsion to run at their peers so their peers can punch them in the face over and over. -You can turn Native American spirit guides into mutant monsters, hence proving science's superiority over magic. -Werewolf is a proud American and also part satyr. -It is possible to take a notoriously difficult game and make it look fairly simple.

[@shamaah84]

They need to bring this to Nintendo Switch

[@gurozawa]

great playing, that flame guy is as far as i ever got as a kid

[@rabidrabbitshuggers]

I listen to this soundtrack when I work out

[@renardleblanc5556]

You mention Wolverine in the desc, but I would have guessed Beast. The first boss looks like Juggernaut, and the last boss looks like Magneto. Good game, and well played. Wall jump automatically makes any platformer 50% cooler.

[@NintendoComplete]

I could see Beast, but what really sold me on it being Wolverine was the game's box. It's the same neon yellow as Wolverine wears, and the werewolf is tearing his way out of it with his claws. And thanks!

[@Amh10780]

Also the hellfire club guards and the brood in the second level

[@deathstroke2697]

Just thinking about this gem of a game for no reason...apart for never being able to finish it...and then...boom you upload it one week ago...thats strange...

[@supershadowman6478]

Oh I remember having this game never got past the second stage but i definitely remember it it was always interesting how he had those claws like how does he eat..

[@revenant6872]

I still own this cart - it took me 5 weeks of my summer vacation in 1993 when I was just 12 years old, but beat it I did. :) I beat Dark Lord Faryan differently from you though -- I was able to rush the entire first phase by beelining him before he could do his lightning and teleport attacks. I came across that through a bit of trial and error, as it was hard for me to work out that you needed to backflip and then hi-jump to get around those attacks. My teenage reflexes were able to get right at the edge of those hitboxes and basically chase the Boss early as he jumped to the other side. His second phase is simpler than the first though, as always. :) Great memories -- great video!

[@TheTheologyProfessor]

13:58 when I was a kid my brothers and I used to keep saying egg yolk, egg yolk, egg yolk over and over again because that's what this sound almost sounds like it's saying haha

[@Jabroniville]

"We have Altered Beast at home". Man that transformation sequence is SUPER blatant, lol.

[@jerrymalonejr.6097]

I played this game as a kid. My parents watched a horror movie and it had me scared. I played this game until the sun rised 😂😂😂

[@Dorian_Scott]

I only know of game because of the Ghoul Grumps one-off. This actually looks pretty good. The graphics are very detailed, the soundtrack is awesome (Especially the werewolf theme) and these levels seem competently designed - requiring you to master the werewolf's abilities and rewarding the player for exploring every nook and cranny. I didn't even know about the backflips or Super Werewolf, to be perfectly honest. This is what Wolverine on NES should have been.

[@def2rites686]

It's what it was supposed to be... this was originally supposed to be a Wolverine game before Data East lost the license. The controls are quite difficult to master, though. The guy playing this was very determined to "git gud."

[@johngavalas712]

​​@@def2rites686git gud oh God i just had a EastAsiaSoft shoot em up flashback

[@ikecarr5989]

A game so obscure, Uwe Bowl hasn't tried to adapt it.

[@pixelgoat7317]

22:55 This whole sequence was hilarious! 😆 🤣

[@UltimaKeyMaster]

And I thought Dark Link's shins were bad.

[@majoralallenfrasertributes6987]

I used to live this game!!! Anyone ever figure out why it skipped the big head guy and went straight for the fire guy though?

[@carlosdelaguerra8302]

I thought i was the only one good at it impressive very impressive there gamer bro cheers

[@NintendoComplete]

Thanks!

[@CaioSilva-rb7yg]

O som de fase concluída desse jogo é lendário demais!

[@superstaramyrosethehardcoreyt]

Magnificent video.

[@adamb89]

He's just so pissed off all the time he even punches the air when he walks.

[@dundundata7603]

It's good to know Werewolf waves the American flag.

[@darthdome2]

I love this game ❤ it my childhood

[@captainbeastazoid7084]

Great game! And great soundtrack!

[@rezuankhalid5407]

Every Power Ups makes the Players feel epilepsy. Causing the Speedrun like a marathon queuing to Emergency Room for ENT. 😂

[@rossdavis428]

As much as I love this game's concept, it's story-line is INCREDIBLY hard to follow~

[@saidahmeddz1312]

so hard game and keep pushing play it because legendry intro

[@ChrisCrazyHouse]

I forgot all about this game.

[@bucketheadwendy5358]

This and Batman Return of Joker were the best

[@subteeninhumansamuraiamphi5019]

wow, seeing the last villain look so much like Magneto, I can see now how this was supposed to be a wolverine game.

[@01MrBLA]

I always find it kinda weird how the 2nd stage boss almost looks like juggernaut and the final boss (2nd form) looks like magneto

[@matthewspicer9242]

This was originally an X Men game but Data East didn't have the Marvel license anymore so they changed Wolverine to a werewolf.

[@NintendoComplete]

​@matthewspicer9242 That's not true afaik. May I ask your source?

[@nikfighter262]

​sources plox

[@Fishman465]

If only this got a remake

[@despawn7663]

15:32 Perfect

[@IvanKurniawan-t4o]

The best game i ever played

[@poisonshift78]

Does anyone know if there's any music for this on Spotify? I only found one song, which a guy was rapping to. Which was good but I was looking for just the songs for a playlist.

[@ReaverPrime]

As a kid I remember thinking Iron Head was such a rip off of Juggernaut. I also recall the buttons being reversed, which really awkward after a few years of being used to every game having action on B and jump on A.

[@ShadowCthulhu]

dam I remember this game myself.

[@christopherthibeault7502]

Seems there's a lot of games that give Amerindians their proper due: Forbidden Forest, Turok, and this one.

[@Soul93Taker]

That doesn't sound like a lot tho lol

[@namelessjedi2242]

…Whomp ‘Em

[@RageyRage82]

There is no such thing as "Amerindians". They're called Indigenous.

[@christopherthibeault7502]

@@Soul93TakerSampling of games.

[@NintendoComplete]

​@RageyRage82 Indigenous is not a race. It's a synonym for native.

[@phorchybug3286]

Never heard of this one before.

[@juanmarquez1679]

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh my goodness

[@oskarfgoncast8465]

Uhhhh Dios que clásico i love it😢😅😂🎉

[@fredsonfernandes6504]

Ganhou um escrito por jogar esse joga muito bom

[@SwordfighterRed]

27:08 A true patriot.

[@StoicNatsoc]

I swear i have heard the songs from this game in another one, and i cant remember from what games that was...

[@Nostalgic64]

I remember my mom bought my cousin a gba and a game that was labeled as Crash Bandicoot 4. I remember that there wasn't a Crash Bandicoot 4 and it wasn't one of the other gba crash games. So when I boot it up it just shows a beta screenshot from Crash Twinsanity, but after that this then game boots up instead and in Japanese. What's funny is that the title screen doesn't say Werewolf but says Crash Bandicoot 4 instead

[@groguwolf9321]

I am Warwolf!! My arms are glorious pleasure devices that saved the world 🌍 One for the pink, and one for the stink!

[@KingStr0ng]

The original Altered Beast. 🔥

[@Brz1981]

Fun fact:This was originally a Wolverine game.

[@jadr03]

never know this game ever existed

[@raymonderrity1419]

I only ever heard of this game because of a bootleg Game Boy Advance cartridge I got when I was 12 or so. It said it was a GBA version of Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex but after a few modded screenshots from Crash Twinsanity and Crash Purple/Fusion, it turned into this game but with all developer logos removed, the title screen modded to say Crash Bandicoot 4 and it was the Famicom version so it was all in Japanese meaning I couldn't learn what it actually was for a long time. Am I the first person on the internet to document this bootleg?

[@togurotoguro]

i still ask myself who the ,,giant head,, is..

[@ionutcotiga8766]

The bald one is semi boss

[@togurotoguro]

@@ionutcotiga8766 playing this on a fake console called Terminator in the early 2000s in romania and my thought was - hmm this giant head dude might be some hidden boss or maybe the stage has two approaches,later i thought maybe the game cartridge was busted

[@ionutcotiga8766]

@@togurotoguro the Giant head is literary the bald boss thats in every level 🤭👍

[@HiddenInTheTruth]

Wonder if it wasn't originally meant to be an actual Wolverine game since the second boss looks like the juggernaut meshed with iron man and the guys with guns are pretty blatantly Hellfire Club minions from the 80s era comics. And the final boss is a ringer for Magneto too geeze...

[@nesmandan1037]

11:38. Umm where did stage 3-1 go? After the cutscene it jumps to Stage 3-2.

[@brycelynch2138]

It's not a Data East game if there isn't an undocumented "Hold a button down to power up and then zap 'em" move.

[@aventurileluipetre]

the image at 21 is so fucking creepy I've shut down the game

[@mistercharalcorporation496]

¿Data East tenía planes de hacer una secuela de Werewolf?

[@NintendoComplete]

I think so. The ending implies that.

[@Vikashar]

No weapons worked, but a werewolf did. Nukes, artillery, none of that worked. But claws and teeth on a fuzzy dude did. Okay

[@anthonybalista7421]

So i literally never once in my life passed that first area where you're supposed to be getting electrocuted, but i also never saw that glowing orange power before. Did that make it so the electricity didn't come or was it something else?

[@NintendoComplete]

You have to grab five of those silver balls to fill the anger meter. That turns him into a super werewolf. The trick to making the electricity stop there is to keeping moving toward the right of the screen without stopping. If you are constantly pushing against the invisible threshold where you trigger the forward movement of the screen, the electricity won't fire. You can also backflip through the electricity and not get hurt. You're invincible for a few frames as the animation plays out, so it's a good move for escaping from stuff that comes at you from overhead.

[@anthonybalista7421]

@@NintendoComplete Well damn, i've spent about 30 years wondering why i could never do it and now i know heh. I'll have to load this up and try again sometime with this info :)

[@NintendoComplete]

​​@@anthonybalista7421You definitely should, it's a great game once you get the controls down. Oh wait, I just realized, the glowing orange. Were you talking about when he transforms, or about the charged up yell attack? To do that you just hold the attack button until he flashes and let go, like in Mega Man. It chews through your lifebar as a werewolf, though.

[@doblea2]

Can you make a video of shatterhand and little samson??? (Both nes games)

[@jillvalentine6168]

I remember couldnt past 2nd stage yet open the game just for human theme. Sad no opp to hear it often. Maybe a human only run?

[@SoraMainSmash]

How did you get pass thought the lightning road?

[@wordman3624]

How does he scratch his butt with those big ass claws?

[@NintendoComplete]

He probably just ooches along on a carpet like a regular dog.

[@WaldoBagelTopper]

I wish that I could have seen the difference if this had become the wolverine game it was meant to be.

[@Kucing_Oren_TV]

15:40 saya waktu kecil sangat kesulitan melawan manusia api.

[@AlexandRich89]

А игра-то совсем не простая, требовательная к навыкам и умению запоминать локацию. В детстве не смог её пройти, так хоть посмотрю, как с ней справляется профессионал. Нет сомнений, что играющий именно профессионал.

[@NintendoComplete]

Thank you very much!

[@JeremyJamesPrutchick]

So is this Nintendo's take on Altered Beast? 🤔

[@rushnerd]

_NOOOOOO!!!_

[@Jay-we2ek]

Pretty much a slighlty different "Altered Beast".

[@RETRO_Arhiva_CD_DVD]

Altered Beast from Wish

[@abetterlIfe-lv6tb]

i consider ABU arafa Jerusalem and the God is his Judge and i not praise anyone on the God i consider em werewolf the last warrior rf àbo arafa arafa rf

[@SGalliver]

It's fun that the ending of Eng ver. are different form Jp ver. In Eng ver. The werewolf become like a Hero of freedom&justice. In Jp ver. The werewolf become like the dark hero. Still have to hide in the shadow and fight in the darkness.

[@Aloysius10]

Was that Kratos?

[@TheFatBastid]

I couldn't play this game because data east liked to swap the jump and attack buttons vs every other game. My little kid brain couldn't deal with it.

[@NintendoComplete]

You could always try now on an emulator and swap the buttons.

[@cliffchampion5501]

That was definitely a juggernaut rip off lol the boss from the 3rd stage

[@gilbertramirez3344]

This was supposed to be a wolverine game but licenses were lost and such...

[@Sensui_Shinobu]

Xmen Game Real

[@_ENOVA]

yeah....

[@diabolicaldag]

How many Ls is Zangief gonna take in this playthrough

[@aes330]

Nunca lo alquilé. Parece truño

[@mokokchunglagaherowatz5497]

Upload ninja gaiden 2 🤭

[@RyuJoelPerez]

Joel Perez is alive wolf better

[@Reelphresh]

Tmnt all over it.