Ganryu 2: Hakuma Kojiro review - Strider, Ninja Gaiden and Shinobi, all in one glorious package
Ganryu 2: Hakuma Kojiro is a sequel that I never knew I wanted until I played it. As an 80s kid, I spent a lot of my time in the 80s and 90s in whatever arcade I could get into.
I have played Ganryu for the Neo Geo MVS, and it was a perfectly fine hack ‘n’ slash. It didn’t imprint itself into my brain as a must-play, but it was good.
However, Ganryu 2: Hakuma Kojiro is on a whole different level. It’s fast-paced, intense, challenging, and brings something fresh to the table. It keeps to the theme of the original game and its story while also offering new, more modern gameplay.
While parts of the game feel brutal and unfair, that’s what I came to expect from the arcade games of my youth. It’s easy for me to forgive that sort of behavior when it looks and feels like a retro arcade game, only with much better controls.
Ganryu 2 stars Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary Japanese swordsman. Taking place after Kojiro’s death, Musashi was relaxing when the spirit of Kojiro arose and said he wasn’t finished with Musashi.
It’s a ridiculous premise, but that’s precisely the kind of amazing nonsense I was expecting. Musashi sets out to meet the spirit of Kojiro and settle things once and for all.
As a result, Musashi travels through Japan, each stage being a different region, and each stage has two acts. The stages vary pretty wildly, too, from quaint Japanese towns to futuristic areas that still somehow have ninja and evil spirits in them.
Whether running across the ground or flying through the skies and shooting down enemies, Ganryu 2 did not disappoint when it came to actual gameplay. At least for the most part.
I appreciate the challenge, and I respect that learning boss patterns are essential to getting good at a game like this.
Some of
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