This classic ninja-action game first appeared in arcades in 1985 and became instantly popular. As the Iga ninja named Kage, players embark on an action-packed quest as they move toward a magic castle where the Princess Kiri is held captive by Yohshirou Yukikusa.
To stay alive, players move vertically and horizontally through forest and castle environments and execute massive jumps, all the while using throwing-star knives and a sword to take down hordes of enemies.
Review by Damien McFerran
After the recent release of the sublime Kid Icarus you could have expected that the quality of NES Virtual Console games would rise, but unfortunately The Legend of Kage is a true drop in standards!
No need for rose tinted specs here, retro fans - this game was a stinker back in 1986 and is even worse today! Games with ninjas in should, as a rule, be excellent. Legend of Kage does contain ninja-related tomfoolery, but the lead character looks daft and is the proud owner of one of the most useless swords in the history of videogames. It has a tiny attack range and which results in much frustration on the part of the player.
The controls feel stiff and stilted, given that you die after taking just one hit sometimes this can lead frustration at the lack of control you have over Kage. You are able to leap high into the air and even scale trees which is a nice touch. Even this freedom however is spoilt by a stupid downward attack which plunges you straight down with no control over what danger you may ultimately end up facing.
It is recommended that you give this one a miss. If you really must play any version of this game, pick up the recent Taito retro pack as it has the arcade version (which it has to be said is only marginally better).
Average reader rating: 2.53 (19 ratings)
Please login to rate this game.
1. Mr flibble
19 Feb 2007, 18:39 GMT
Spot on that review lads! As Seanbaby says it is a stinker:
http://www.seanbaby.com/nes/w20-09.htm
2. Eikon
19 Feb 2007, 22:34 GMT
I would definitely have to disagree with your one star rating. While Legend of Kage is hardly to be considered a NES classic, I think it deserves at least three stars.
First off, that is not a sword Kage is holding, those are tonfas. An interesting and unmentioned feature is the ability to jump very high distances and climb on trees. This makes for exciting air combat, as you must use your tonfas to deflect incoming shurikens. Another overlooked feature is that the game is infinite, with increasing difficulty. Each time you go through the game's four stages, you start anew and the graphic scheme changes to a new season, such as winter or fall.
These are just a couple of things that made LOK original and ahead of its time. For those who like a pick up and play challenge with lots of action, don't pass this game up.
3. Shrapnel09
20 Feb 2007, 10:48 GMT
lol, i was thinking about opening myself up to games i havent played/heard of before and thought about this one when i first seen the title, i guess i will avoid it now. Thanks for the reviews guys.
4. Bass X0
20 Feb 2007, 11:30 GMT
Never knew this game existed until recently, now I know why. I'm not going anywhere near this game.
5. Bill
20 Feb 2007, 17:54 GMT
I have fond memories of this game. Despite the naysayers, I'm going to spend the 5 bucks and see if this game is still cool. I remember thinking the whole playing through the seasons thing was pretty nifty.
6. Wokkel
21 Feb 2007, 00:47 GMT
totaly agree with the star rating, you should wait till ninja gaiden goes VC, that how a ninja game should be like in my opinion.
Or does anyone remember Bad Dudes hahaha
7. Bill
25 Feb 2007, 21:48 GMT
Ok, got the game. My memories betray me. This game sucks.
8. Stan
11 Mar 2007, 02:29 GMT
This game is great for one of those late nights when you have a friend over and you are both boredly staring at a Wii menu without an idea of what to play. Some great moments are hidden inside, like the killer "Ninja Song" or swinging your katana around wildly.
9. Timmy
06 Apr 2007, 01:40 GMT
This game is the ultimate turd don't get it!
10. Adamant
14 Apr 2007, 05:17 GMT
1 star? God, people, it's not THAT bad. I know there's some nostalgia involved in my fondness for this game (and yes, I did download it, and I still enjoy it), but seriously, you play as a ninja who can jump a mile into the air and pelt enemy ninjas with shuriken in all directions while using his tonfas to protect himself. That's gold right there.
11. Scott
19 May 2007, 22:08 GMT
I like this game, but I never had it on an NES, never had an NES either though, heh. I bought this with Ninja Gaiden, and I like both games, this is very fun after getting so frustrated with teh extreme difficulty of Ninja Gaiden, and I personally have a good time playing this. I'd give it 3-4 stars, and I severely hope that maybe one day some company will get the good idea to do a nice remake of this often overlooked game
12. Wolfman
28 Jun 2007, 04:05 GMT
If you're looking for some ninja action, skip Kage and go for Ninja Gaiden. Legend Of Kage is only really entertaining if you're completely and totally drunk out of your head.
Someone above named the game's never-ending style to be a highlight. It isn't. It's simply annoying, although I can't see how anyone could possibly play this long enough to really feel that. It works for Tetris; it does not work for this game. Without even an end to look forward to, either for some sense of accomplishment or just to make it stop, this game is very bleak indeed.
Another problem I have with this is purely conceptual: Your ninja is wearing what boils down to a badly colored dress with a painfully short skirt. Ninjas practice the art of invisibility. The only place Kage is going to be invisible is in a crowd of drag queens. Anywhere else, he's pretty much blown his cover in all senses of the word.
13. Manaman
01 Jul 2007, 22:50 GMT
No offense, but to suggest Legend of Kage as a game for people that 'care about gameplay, not graphics' is ludicrous. There is practically no redeeming factor about the gameplay in this rubbish that deserves any mention whatsoever. It was terrible back then and it's (predictably) hasn't aged well in this day and age. One to avoid.
14. Elmernite
21 Jul 2007, 15:27 GMT
I haven't ever played the true game but I have played a remake of it which was awesome. Perhaps he just fixed all of the problems in his remake. Can anyone that has played the real game play this and tell me how it compares?
http://eocommunity.co.uk/playprofile.php?id=5
15. Mii be you
31 Jul 2007, 03:17 GMT
Come on, guys! It's not THAT terrible. It's better then Teenage mutant ninja turtles and urban champion combined. Have mercy!
16. Jade Louise
09 Aug 2007, 19:35 GMT
When you are a kid you don't really have your own money(I started getting a £1 pocket money a week at 7 in 1990) so you have to get your family to get you games. Back in the late 80s early 90s games were very expensive. Therefore you had to choose wisely because you would not be getting another £30 to £50 game again real soon(the black box NES launch games were £19.99 but that was still expensive as £19.99 was worth more then) unless you were rich which and the vast majority of UK NES owners weren't. So if you picked out this piece of poo back in the day I really feel sorry for you. Again I tried it on the lovely NES demo deck in Toy & Hobby which saved me from many a cack game. It was rubbish at the time and its rubbish now ignore it. If you like Ninjas get Ninja Gaiden or a Shinobi game or even the fun comedy Goeman games.
17. GFrag
29 Aug 2007, 11:22 GMT
Back in the day, this game was built into my friend's "NES Clone" console. Both of us kinda liked this game, if only because he had Turbo-controllers, which meant that if you held the "Tonfa" button down all the time, you'd be practically invincible.
It's fun for a built-in freebie; however, not nearly worth the 500 Wii points it costs on the VC channel. 100, maybe. But yeah, watch the youtube movie above. If you've seen it, you've pretty much seen the entire game.
18. Mii be you
02 Sep 2007, 02:12 GMT
If you guys think that this the worst game ever made, then think again.
There are worst titles than this. Believe me.
19. GFrag
07 Sep 2007, 17:37 GMT
Like "Bokosuka Wars", right? =P
20. Mii be you
10 Sep 2007, 23:53 GMT
Wolfman, I'm not drunk out of my head because I have this game.
Gfrag, yes. Bokosuka Wars is worse.
21. beefy
26 Sep 2007, 02:45 GMT
this game reeeeeeeely looks crappyful. why buy this when kirbys adventure is only 500 wii points too
22. Mii be you
29 Sep 2007, 18:47 GMT
You know what I'd hate? If someone made fun of me because I have this game.
23. Mii be you
30 Oct 2007, 23:07 GMT
Fine. I'll say it. This game sucks. I wanted to keep my brother from thinking that it was a waste of points. When the gift-giving thing comes out, I'll get rid of this.
24. Mii be you
31 Oct 2007, 21:53 GMT
Just so you people know, I didn't Download this. My Brother did. The reason because he remembered liking it, Maybe because it was slower. My bro didn't play this on a NES. He played it on something called "100 Nintendo(NES) games for Playstation".
25. Mip
28 Nov 2007, 15:06 GMT
I really loved this game as a kid. Well I was 5 yrs old when i played this. So I guess I had very bad taste? But it was awesome back then.
Leave A Comment
Please login to post a comment.