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The Atari Times

Kasumi Ninja
Mix it up with this exclusive Jaguar title
By Barry L. Laws Jr.
August 24, 2001

Does this cartoony title screen make you want to play?

There's just something about this shot that grabs my attention...

Seen here are Gary and Leonard. (In the background smoking something.)

Reader Average Score

58%
(35 scores.)

Poor

Kasumi Island has been taken over by someone named Gyaku, and the only way you can remove Gyaku from power is by beating him in his true form, a devil. You must compete against several other characters including Angus, a Scotsman who shoots fireballs from under his kilt [does he light his farts or something?], Alaric the King Of The Goths, Thundra, an Amazon warrior, Pakawa, a Native American [gotta be politically correct], Danja, an urban gang leader, Chagi, a Chinese kickboxer, and Habaki and Senzo, the ninja twins.
Graphics
Kasumi Ninja's graphics are the best part about this game. The backgrounds are photo-realistic (check out the background during the fight with Devil Gyaku...that background looks just 2 sweeeeeet) , and the digitized characters look nice with some decent animation, however sometimes the animation can get choppy. Also in the Gorefest setting, blood sprays constantly and stays on the ground during the fight. The "fatality" moves are okay, but not as good as Mortal Kombat "fatalities."
Sound
Decent in-game music, and decent sound FX, however the announcer sounds stupid, like some Charlie Chan impersonator. An announcer with a deeper, more menacing voice should've been used instead of the wimpy voice that was included.
Control
Awful. Controls are very sluggish and at times unresponsive. The worst part about the game. It also ruins the game to a degree.
Extras
This game features a "parental lockout" feature which allows parents to censor either 1 or 2 gore settings (the Gorefest setting [which is the highest gore setting] and possibly the next setting which is called Disturbing... death moves are found only in the Gorefest setting). This is done by inputting a six-digit password, and once set, the gore settings can only be unlocked by entering in that number (this is done via the Jaguar numerical keypad). And the only way to see the best ending is to play in Ninja God mode [the hardest setting], and don't finish off Gyaku, then you'll be transported to the Demon World [aka Hell] where you will face Demon Gyaku. You may have to do a death move on Demon Gyaku as well to get the best ending.
Overall
Although the graphics and sound in this game are quite good, the sluggish controls hurt this one a lot (see my "ruins this game to a degree" comment above in my review on control), and it does hurt.

Game Data

Scores

Title Kasumi Ninja Graphics 90%

Publisher Atari Sound/Music 60%

Genre Fighting Gameplay N/A%

System Jaguar Control 20%

Overall

50%

Reader Comments for Kasumi Ninja

Kasumi Ninja! by Superjudge3 2007-04-13 20:19:45

This is another game that I enjoy that everyone else hates. Don't get me wrong, I'm not delusional...I know the game is not prefect. But if you play it in small doses and don't take the game too seriously like everyone does with fighting games...and you'll be surprised to learn that you can actually have fun with. I know, amazing huh? I only piad $10 for this so it was worth it. No, it's not Mortal Kombat, but it's a fun game none-the-less if not played for hours on end.

A Slower Paced Fighting Game... by Guitarman 2007-05-31 23:05:40

Kasumi Ninja is a unique 2D fighting in which I've enjoyed since it was released in the mid-90's. Obviously it does not have the speed of Street Fighter or the massive popularity of Mortal Kombat but does hold its own when compared to them. It takes a true die hard fighting game fanatic to truly get into this game. Since this game does not respond with lightning quick moves it takes a little more patience and strategic planning when executing moves. I believe it's because the lack of speed that alot of players immedietely dismiss it as horrible as soon as they play it for only 10 minutes. I especially like the extreme gore involved with this title but there is one aspect that just freaks me out. This would be the special move Angus performs in which he lifts up the front of his kilt and a flameball shoots out from there...just weird.
Overall this is a great fighting game for the more patient fighting gamer.

Not so bad... by Gary 2009-01-13 11:12:28

It seems like with a number of Atari games for the Jaguar, they are not ¨jump in and play¨ but require a little patience. I found this true with Checkered Flag for example. I first played Kasumi Ninja only after I had already read some negative reviews, which tainted my opinion. The graphics were great, but I had a difficult time with the gameplay. I have since given this game a bit more time, and now I quite like it. I actually think the game is quite well done, with my main complaint is that is a bit short. It´s not quite as good as Ultra Vortek, but I still play it and have fun with it, and that is really what matters in a video game.