There is an old adage that states, in part, “what does not kill me, serves to make me stronger.” In the case of Kurenai, the article was the wire that the Black Lizard Clan used to hang her.  

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

A field of battle is seen, two rival armies. One gives the order to charge, sending hundreds of warriors in a furious charge across the field. The commander of the other gives the order to fire, and a gatling gun sprays the field with bullets, turning the advancing army into just so many dead warriors. The commander of the army with the gun is appalled, states there is no honor in such warfare and orders the gun destroyed.

In a village, the man who created the weapon is in the process of destroying the blueprints for the gun, when he is visited by his young daughter. But there are other visitors there as well, ninja. The father is killed, the plans stolen, and the young girl is left hanging by a wire from a lotus blossom tree, her blood staining the white petals below her.

A woman, traveling by horseback, passes by and sees the young girl and takes her down from the tree. She is surprised that life has not left the child. 

“You are still alive?”

“Alive?” replies the child. “No … but I’m not dead!”  

Rescued by a rival clan, Kurenai is trained in the art of ninjitsu, and the weapon (called a Tetsugen) that is her signature is that same wire that would have been the death of her. 

Vivendi Universal Games and Tranji are behind the PlayStation 2 release of Red Ninja: End of Honor, a game that blends stealth with combat that is full of blood-spraying entertainment. The weapon the Kurenai carries is capable of doing very nasty damage. With a heavy weight at one end, Kurenai can throw the weapon, wrap it around an enemy and then with a tug, cut them in half. Wrap the weapon around one member of a group and then run a circle to do area damage, and use stationary objects to anchor the weapon.

The game takes place in the 16^th century of Japan, where two large clans are battling for control. As a member of the clan opposing the one that tried to kill Kurenai, the game sets an ideal table for her bloodlust, and then gives her the tools to carry it out. However, there are some rather interesting elements that defy the whole idea of what Kurenai is about. For one, instead of wearing the full, blend-into-the-background garb of ninjas, Kurenai wears a short, red kimono that might be better suited to a geisha. But then again, Kurenai is not above using her feminine wiles to lure a somewhat stupid guard to her. Stupid? How so? Well, let’s see – a woman no one has seen before suddenly appears from nowhere and beckons Joe Guardboy over while he is on high alert. A clan that employs guards like this deserves what it gets.

Kurenai can use different weapons and has several acrobatic abilities available to her, including wall hugs and wall runs. But the camera does have a problem, at times, keeping up with her and can hang up in certain areas.

The first mission is to infiltrate an old playhouse in a mountain mining village. The mission is relatively simple – penetrate the compound and assassinate the leader of a group arriving to watch the play.

To help players, at least initially, there are “ninja butterflies.” No, these are not little bugs that wield tiny katana, but rather arcade-style help. Go under them and press the square button to hear their message.

The gameplay itself has some maze-like levels, and is rather linear, with a rush of enemies that you will have to deal with should you raise the alarms by being less than superbly stealthy.

The controls are a little clumsy at times, but if you get a handle on the configuration, you should be able to progress through the game with little trouble. Cutscenes advance the story, there are heals and weapons available throughout the levels, and the game has not minimized load times. You can assign two of the items you pick up (equip) to the triangle and O hot buttons on the PS2 controller, which makes them easy to access.

Although Kurenai can pick up and hide bodies, if you cut one in half, that ability is removed. And the bodies that are in two pieces look a little strange. The cut is perfectly horizontal and sealed.

The game’s sound it not bad, with decent voice acting and music that supports the style of the game. Graphically, this game has smooth animations, decent lighting effects and nicely styled environments. The game does not break any new territory graphically, and much like the gameplay, this is not something that has not been seen in other games. 

Red Ninja: End of Honor plays well, and is a decent action game. Just do not expect it to set new standards for the genre of ninja-fighting adventure titles, or even measure up to games such as Ninja Gaiden. If you are looking for a game that does have some unique elements, but also treads into the territory of elements that are at odds with what could have been a dark and well-told tale, then Red Ninja may supply that gaming itch. 

Gameplay: 7.0
The control elements can feel a little clunky at times and the camera can get hung up and not give a great view of enemies. The game also has not minimized load times, and you will find those following close on the heels of save points in the middle of missions.

Graphics: 7.2
The blood sprays with every hit seems gratuitous at best. The environments are nicely done though, and the animation is very smooth.

Sound: 7.0
The musical score may not fully embrace the action of the game, but it does pick up tempo in the appropriate spots and does a nice job overall. The voiceovers are decently done. 

Difficulty: Medium
The game has three difficulty settings – easy, normal and hard.

Concept: 6.8
New weapon, but same generic game really slows down the structure of this title.

Overall: 6.9
Red Ninja had the story line to present a dark tale, which would have been a major distinguishing feature of the game. But rather than pursue it, the game throws in a mix of elements at odds with the tale itself. A pale and curvaceous woman running about in a short red kimono is hardly the hardened and deadly ninja who will inspire fear. The acrobatics are solid, but the blood spilling seems a little much for a stealthy warrior. Red Ninja could have been much more than it is, and what it is is an average tale.