3 Ninjas Kick Back

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3 Ninjas Kick Back
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Psygnosis
Developer: Malibu Interactive
Distributor: Sony Imagesoft
Licensor: TriStar Pictures, 3 Ninjas Japan Inc.
Sound driver: Martin Walker
Genre: Action
Number of players: 1-2
Release Date RRP Code US 1994-12 T-113076
Non-Sega versions Super NES

3 Ninjas Kick Back is a platforming game developed by Malibu Interactive and published by Psygnosis (with Sony Imagesoft distributing the title) in 1994 for the Super NES and Sega Mega Drive exclusively in the US to tie in with the 1994 film of the same name.

Having once set to appear separately for the platform, the game was bundled with Hook in the 3 Ninjas Kick Back / Hook compilation for the Sega Mega-CD.

Story

Mori

The master samurai Mori competed in a ninja tournament fifty years ago for a magical dagger and an ancient samurai sword thought to be the key to opening a hidden cave full of treasure. After winning the tournament and rightfully gaining the dagger, it was stolen by the master's archrival, Koga. Though the master searched far and wide, he never found any trace of Koga or the dagger. Now, too old to continue searching, the master sends his three grandchildren, whom he has trained in the ninja arts, the young brothers Rocky, Colt, and Tum Tum, to assist him in retrieving the prized dagger. Once it has been restored to its rightful owner, the dagger shall once again be passed along to younger generations, through the winners of the ninja tournament.

Gameplay

Character select

The game is a side-scrolling action platformer played as the three young ninjas from the film. It can be played by two player simultaneously, with each player controlling a different character. The goal of each level is to make it to the end or to complete some other objective explained beforehand, such as destroying certain targets or collecting items. On these levels, a counter appears in the bottom-right that shows how many objectives remain.

The three brothers play similarly but have different weapons and special abilities. Tum Tum, the youngest brother, is armed with a pair of sai. He is the smallest and fastest. Rocky is the eldest brother and carries a staff. He is the slowest but the strongest. Colt is the middle brother and uses a katana. His attributes are in between the other two. The ninjas walk with or and crawl with or . They crouch with and jump with . They can grab ropes and platforms (including branches) by pressing while jumping in front of them. They can pull themselves up a platform with + or jump down with +. They climb ladders with and . In some levels, there are areas in the background that characters can hide in with to avoid enemy projectiles.

The ninjas attack using their weapons with , which can also be done while crouching. They attack in midair by kicking. Their attacks can be temporarily augmented with ranged shots by collecting a Blue Crystal Ball item: Tum Tum shoots a single miniature sai, Colt shoots three daggers in a spread, and Rocky shoots three shuriken in a spread. The ninjas perform a special defensive move, swinging their weapons in the air while standing in place, with +. Each ninja also has a special ability, performed with +, where they jump into the air while spinning with their weapons. However, using this ability costs one point of health. The ninjas can also acquire bombs in the levels, which are used with . Bombs are limited in supply. Hidden passages can sometimes be blown open with bombs.

The ninjas have five hit points and lose a life when they run out of hit points of the timer runs out. They restart the level at the beginning or the last checkpoint. In two-player games, when one player loses a life, he does not respawn until the other player also loses a life or completes the level. The game ends if the players run out of lives. Extra lives are awarded at 10,000, 25,000, 50,000, and 100,000 points and then every 100,000 points after that. There are three difficulty levels (Easy, Normal, and Hard). Easy mode has passwords for each level.

Items

	Treasure Chest
	Destroy to release an item.
	Item Box
	Attacking it causes it to release an item after a moment. Hitting it multiple times spins it around for a different item.
	Tokens
	Collect 100 for an extra life.
	Glass Orb
	Awards 250 points.
	Gemstone
	Awards 500 points.
	Flashing Orb
	Awards 1,000 points.
	Soda
	Restores 1 hit point.
	Apple
	Restores 2 hit points.
	Hamburger
	Restores 3 hit points.
	Yin Yang Symbol
	Fully restores the ninja's health.
	Yellow Crystal Ball
	Temporarily boosts the ninja's strength.
	Blue Crystal Ball
	Temporarily augments the ninja's attack with ranged shots.
	Red Crystal Ball
	Destroys all enemies on the screen and often knocks items down.
	Masks
	Collecting the mask corresponding to the current ninja (yellow for Tum Tum, blue for Colt, or green for Rocky) awards an extra life. Awards 5,000 points otherwise.
	White Bombs
	Equips 5 white bombs (or gives the player another 5 bombs if already equipped). White bombs are dropped downwards onto the ground.
	Black Bombs
	Equips 5 black bombs (or gives the player another 5 bombs if already equipped). Black bombs are thrown forwards in an arc.
	Hourglass
	Adds another 10 seconds to the timer.
	Checkpoint
	After passing a checkpoint, the ninjas are revived there after losing a life.

Levels

	The Woods
	The Cabin / The Cave
	The Hospital
	Japanese Garden / The Dojo
	Castle Osaka
	The escape segment is only played after defeating Koga if the players failed to find all of the gold stones in the first level.

Production credits

Sony Imagesoft Staff

• Producer: Nathan Rose
• Assistant Producer: Mark Smith
• Executive Producer: Richard Robinson
• Game Testers: Jose Cruz, Tobin A. Russell, Seth Luisi, Bruce Cochrane, Jody Kelsey Jr., Andre Leighton

Malibu Interactive Staff

• Programming: Tim Coupe
• Game Design: Terry Lloyd
• Based on an Original Idea by: Nathan Rose, David Jaffe, Mike Giam
• Additional Programming: Philip Watts
• Background Art and Map Design: Terry Lloyd
• Sprite Art and Animation: Dean Betton, Lee Pullen, Terry Lloyd
• Music and Sound Effects: Jason Page, Richard Joseph
• Manager: Ian McGee
• Story Artwork: Dean Betton
• Game Testers: Tony McColgan, Mick Thompson, Matthew Lloyd, Paul Colls, Jun Jun Caliva, Kevin Mulhall, Jason Uyeda, Bill McDonald
• Compression Software: Rob Northen

Source:

In-game credits

Magazine articles

Main article: 3 Ninjas Kick Back/Magazine articles.

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Sega Retro Average
Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 40 Sega Opisaniy i sekretov (RU) 48 VideoGames (US) 50

	46
Based on 3 reviews

3 Ninjas Kick Back

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart Manual

Technical information

Main article: 3 Ninjas Kick Back/Technical information.