Little Ninja Brothers (NES) Playthrough

A playthrough of Culture Brain's 1990 action-RPG for the NES, Little Ninja Brothers.

Little Ninja Brothers was the direct sequel to Kung Fu Heroes (   • Kung Fu Heroes (NES) Playthrough - Nintend...   ), a popular arcade game that was ported to the NES, and it was the second game in what is known as the Super Chinese series in Japan.

It stars a pair of brother martial artists, Jack and Ryu, who are investigating the recent troubles that have recently begun plaguing Chinaland. They'll travel the country, visiting towns and helping people with their problems as they search for colored bells that will help them restore peace.

Much of the adventure plays out in a top-down view similar to what you see in games like Dragon Warrior, but when you meet enemies in random encounters, the game switches into its action mode.

The action battle mode is lifted directly from Kung Fu Heroes. These fights take place on single-screen battlefields that are littered with rocks that can be punched to reveal items, and you can jump into a menu to equip a weapon, use an item, or cast a spell on the fly. Once you've defeated a predetermined number of bad guys, you're awarded with experience and money and returned to the world map. Boss battles ditch these action trappings in favor of menu-driven, turn-based battles.

There are also a few mini-games scattered throughout where Jack and Ryu can learn skills and magic by completing footraces and obstacle courses.

The game's sense bizarre of humor and the variety in its gameplay modes goes a long way in helping to keep things feeling fresh, and it gives the game some appeal for people that are turned off by the sedate pace of traditional JRPGs. Though the hit detection is a bit suspect and the encounter rate can be ridiculously high at times, the action portions are as fun and as fast-paced as they were in Kung Fu Heroes, and each enemy requiring its own strategy to handle effectively will keep you on your toes.

And you can even play with a second player if you want the company!

The only place where the game really fumbles is in its boss fights. Bosses love to repeatedly dodge your attacks and will spam spells that paralyze your characters, so winning these battles is typically a result of luck as much as it is strategy, and it can make things really frustrating.

That one (major) issue aside, Little Ninja Brothers is a lot of fun. It's a lighthearted romp with a welcome bit of substance, cheerful graphics, and a catchy soundtrack, and there are few games like it on the NES. It's well worth grabbing a copy if you're looking for something a bit different from the usual. _____________
No cheats were used during the recording of this video.

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