Inindo: Way of the Ninja, a Promising RPG

Inindo: Way of the Ninja was released in 1991 in Japan and then in 1993 in North America. This is a turn-based RPG where you play as a ninja, and you’re trying to get revenge on Nobunaga. Like other Koei games, this is based on historical events.

Koei has an odd track record with RPGs. Some are very good, and others are a little odd. This game falls into the odd category. One thing I can say about their RPGs is that they all felt a little different from what was on the market at the time.

I’ve attempted to play this game a few times, and never got into it. This time, I’m determined to beat this game! Inindo has some unique features and gameplay mechanics, and it does have a good story. Let’s get into it and see what it has to offer.

TLDR: Inindo has a lot of unique things that make this game stand out, but it isn’t as good as it could be.

Narrative

The story for this game is fairly simple. This is a revenge story about an Iga Ninja whose village was destroyed by Oda Nobunaga. This is an alternate history story where magic and demons exist and have an impact on the real world.

Your goal is to defeat Nobunaga before a specific date. It takes place at the end of Nobunaga’s life while he was trying to unify Japan under his rule. The game starts in 1582, and you have to win before 1601. In the game, Nobunaga doesn’t kill himself during a rebellion in 1582; he is only badly injured.

It is a little hard to retell this story because it is an alternate history, and the point of divergence takes place early in the game. Much of what happens is your character traveling around Japan, training to become a stronger Ninja, and fighting against Nobunaga’s army. It all comes down to gathering items and allies so you can defeat the big boss at the end of the game.

I normally love these stories. While the setup for this game is simple, there is something about the story that I found lacking. Part of it is that this is an RPG based on my least favorite series in Koei’s library. This basic story simply didn’t connect with me as well as other historical games.

Gameplay

Inindo feels like a game that I should like. Parts of the gameplay are great, but it can get very frustrating at times. This is also one of the games where I desperately needed a map because I had no idea where I was going, even after talking with the villagers in the towns.

While this is a turn-based RPG, there are some elements of a strategy game that are going on in the background. It is very similar to Romance of the Three Kingdoms or Nobunaga’s Ambition.

One of the features in this game that I find very interesting is the time limit. Inindo’s story starts in 1582, and you have to win by 1601. If you don’t, then you lose the game. This is a very cool idea!

Monsters disappear from dungeons once you’ve completed a quest. This is one of the more frustrating things about the game, and it is something that caused me to restart a few times. Thankfully, other people have suffered through this and documented what the hell is going on.

The SNES controller has four face buttons; why one of them couldn’t be used for talking and opening chests is beyond me. To talk with people, you walk up to them. This makes for some unintentionally funny moments that quickly became annoying. I also don’t like having to open a menu to open a chest.

There are too many possibilities for potential party members. This leads to little or no character development, and it makes the game feel a little overwhelming. It is also hard to know how to get these people on your side. I like the idea of it, but the execution isn’t that great.

I really wanted to like the gameplay more than I did. Nothing is done badly, but it all feels unpolished. Inindo is competently made it simply feels like some more time in the playtesting phase of things would’ve done some good. I love the idea of this game, and really wanted to enjoy it more than I did.

Visuals

Inindo is a decent-looking RPG on the SNES. The character sprites look good, I like the comic book cutscenes, and I like how the world looks. What I don’t like is how big and confusing the game’s world is. It can be easy to get lost in this game.

There is something off about the graphics. They look fine until you see the NPCs moving around in the towns. Their movements look very jerky. It just doesn’t look like what you would expect to see on the SNES.

Character sprites for the player and enemies on the battle screen look good. Enemies are fairly unique and a mix of humans and monsters. You only see a handful of enemies on the battle screen at one time, which is why they look well-detailed.

The cutscenes look very good! I was impressed with how well the developers were able to make these look. These reminded me of what you would see in Phantasy Star. They weren’t as good, but reminded me of that. It was great to see something like this in an RPG.

Part of me really likes the world’s map because it felt like there was another game going on in the background. You’re playing on the map of Nobunaga’s Ambition, which is part of the problem. The developers added in some more towns and dungeons, but the map felt empty.

Overall, the graphics are decent. There are moments where it looks great, and other spots where things look off or average. The graphics were a bright spot in this game. Aside from some awkwardness when characters are walking around, things look quite good.

Reviews at the Time

This game didn’t get a lot of press coverage. Nintendo Power seems to have ignored the game completely, or I missed it. There were a few German-language magazines that covered it, and a GamePro review.

GamePro gave the game 15.5/10. For 1993, that is a very good score! While the reviewer called it a “good RPG,” they also criticized the long travel time. They mentioned that you have to travel across Japan, and that “traveling can be a pain.”

I can only guess that many of the magazines thought this was going to be a strategy game. There is always a chance that I missed a review of this game. At this point, I don’t think there is a consensus on this game from back in the 1990s. I’ll keep looking, but I’m not going to hold my breath.

8/10. This is better than some of the RPGs on the SNES. It has a good story and some interesting gameplay mechanics. If the combat and user interface were better, Inindo would’ve been a great game.

Pros

• Fun Gameplay
• Nice Premise
• Battle Scenes Look Good
• Unique Setting and Gameplay

Cons

• Awkward Graphics
• Too Many Companions
• Little Character Development

Conclusion

I have some big problems with this game. Inindo is a game that I should like, but it grinds on me. There is some weirdness with the graphics in the towns, the combat doesn’t feel as good, and it has an annoying menu system.

The story and the way you get to the ending of the game are fairly unique. I like that there is a time limit on the game and that you have to recruit your party members. There are a lot of them wandering around Japan, and you have plenty of options to customize your party. There is also a sort of relationship system in the game where you have to gain potential party members’ trust before they will join you.

This game also acts like a tactical RPG. It isn’t a very good one, but it felt like an attempt to make one. I wish the combat were better because it looks like something I would enjoy, but it ended up being a little frustrating.

A part of me wishes that this game had gotten a sequel. If it did, then I don’t know about it. Having a second game to iron out the kinks from this game would’ve been nice. It also would’ve been nice to see where this story might’ve gone after this.

I feel the same way about Inindo as I did about Paladin’s Quest and Secret of the Stars. All three games have good things about them, but they fall apart as I continue through the game. Inindo is better than those games, but a number of things kept this game from being great. This will give you an experience that isn’t like the other RPGs on the SNES.

If you liked this post, please check out my other RPG posts, such as Robotrek or Secret of the Stars.