/vr/ - Retro Games

[Anonymous No.10710928]

Does anyone else ever find it odd that this Ninji made just 1 solitary appearance throughout the whole game? Ninji doesn't even get credited in the game's closing credits when you beat the game. Maybe it's just me but I always found it odd that Ninjis came a dime a dozen in Super Mario Bros 2 and Nintendo randomly slaps one of these guys right towards the end of the game.

Did Nintendo ever commented on this? I just find it very obscure and interesting.

[Anonymous No.10710951]

Dude was just rollin balls and having a good time

[Anonymous No.10710957]

Sneaked in through the back entrance. Electricity was out so he hid well. Nintendo couldn't catch him until game shipped

[Anonymous No.10710964]

Always thought the whole room was strange

[Anonymous No.10710989]

Blew my mind realizing the modern depiction of Ninji with the buttons is the accurate one and not the fanged bat creature from the SMB2 manual.

[Anonymous No.10710991]

>>10710928
They're not in the credits cause you never see them in that level. Ninji in the dark is invisible

[Anonymous No.10711007]

>>10710928
Let's see what the game's guide book has to say about it...

Mini-Ninjas were driven stark raving mad within the confines of Bowser's Castle?

1) that explains that weird name they had in Hotel Mario, 2) what the FUCK, why was Bowser imprisoning Ninjis in his Dinosaur Land stronghold? Subcon POWs?!

[Anonymous No.10711065]

Lots of games have random one-off enemies, like the huge plant monster in rondo that only appears once and in a hidden path. Its a little thing commonly referred to as "soul".

[Anonymous No.10711084]

>>10711065
You mean cut content they didn’t want to go to waste.

[Anonymous No.10711132]

>>10711065
It's literally the same sprite and code from smb2. The only video game character to appear cross platform or even cross game like this. Utterly bizarre.

[Anonymous No.10711141]

>>10710989
The fanged one is a DDP vestige. All the enemies in the NES SMB2 manual reuse DDP art with the exception of Pokey for some reason. SMW artwork has the buttoned Ninji, which got used in Famicom SMUSA and has been the one used since. Guess Nintendo retconned them from star demons to suited ninjas.
Funny thing is that it resulted in Ninji having radically different designs between the Super Show and SMW cartoons, meanwhile Pokey got redesigned again and they barely reference the DDP/SMB2 or SMUSA designs.

[Anonymous No.10711145]

>>10710928
>I always found it odd that Ninjis came a dime a dozen
Well duh, living in the shadows is true path of the ninji. You just met the lazy ones.

[Anonymous No.10711169]

>>10710928
I didn't even know he was in World

[Anonymous No.10711365]

>>10711141
While the art in DPP is the same as the manual, look at the sprite. Combined with the ninja name that is also how it was called in Japan, and the little goblin design we knew was never the intent.

[Anonymous No.10711425]

>>10711365
You can't tell me that the purple All-Stars/Advance sprites don't have a goofy-ass smile.

[Anonymous No.10711503]

>>10711084
Yes, he said that already. Soul.

[Anonymous No.10711665]

Bob-ombs appeared in Mario 3, but they're originally from Doki Doki Panic.

[Anonymous No.10712352]

>>10710928
I always thought it was interesting given that Mario 2 was all a dream, yet we’re seeing one of the monsters in the “real world” now. Of course, after this we got a bunch of the Mario 2 characters in Mario RPG and Yoshi’s Island, so it didn’t really matter anymore

[Anonymous No.10712797]

>>10710928
>Ninji doesn't even get credited in the game's closing credits when you beat the game
This got me thinking, besides Bowser and the Koopalings, are there any other enemies that only appear once? I guess Fishing Boo? Or whatever that guy was called, the Ghost lakitu-like. Like, not an enemy that only appeared in one level but rather than only really appears once, like Ninji.
It's weird that there's only one in the entire game but that makes him all the more special.
Maybe he didn't get credited because he's a ninja.

[Anonymous No.10712974]

But the problem was he died when you jumped on his head. I wanted to stand on his head and ride upwards as he jumped and I was bitterly disappointed when he instead died when I landed on his head.

[Anonymous No.10713010]

>>10711065
>muh soulz!!!
Use your words like a big boy instead of relying on reddit memes

[Anonymous No.10713049]

Feel the same way about these guys towards the end of Proto Man's Castle 1
They don't even do anything but rotate around you and they move as you do, so I don't think you can even get damaged by them unless you jump into them as they're homing in towards you when they spawn.

[Anonymous No.10713494]

>>10713049
Aren't those the guys who switch lights on and off?

[Anonymous No.10713552]

>>10711065
Moonwalker had an enemy that only appeared once in the first stage. The gangster guy with brown clothes that attacks with a pool cue.

[Anonymous No.10713558]

It was a way to canonize SMB2 (USA) as the true SMB2 for all the doubters out here.

[Anonymous No.10713617]

>>10710928
WHY DOES IT HAVE RED NIPPLES?.?

[Anonymous No.10713798]

>>10711665
>>10710928
In Japan the Bowser's Castle Ninji would be the first time an explicitly DDP enemy appeared in a Mario game, so he's being treated like an easter egg or a secret cameo. Yeah Bob-omb was in SMB3 and World, but the design is different (DDP's has arms), and the two are named differently (DDP/SMUSA's are Bobu, and the others are Bomuhei - this isn't just a rename but rather an indication that they are different enemies, because they maintained Bobu even in Japanese Super Mario Advance). Note that SMW released before SMUSA in Japan.

[Anonymous No.10713889]

>>10711084
...how is it cut if it's in the game

[Anonymous No.10713904]

>>10713889
Ask the Jazz Jackrabbit 2 bonus levels.

[Anonymous No.10714019]

>>10713617
Burning hot dance moves do that to people.

[Anonymous No.10714061]

>>10710928
I'm kinda interested in seeing more games that have a single unique enemy somewhere in it.

Maybe we should have a thread about it or post examples here.
One that I remember is rabbit in Little Nemo: Dream Master on NES. It appears in only one specific place in Stage 2 and nowhere else

[Anonymous No.10714164]

>>10714061
Super Mario Land 2 has this vampire enemy who only appears once.

[Anonymous No.10714182]

>>10713798
Pokey also appears in World, as does Pidgit (though only after completing the game).

[Anonymous No.10714190]

>>10714061
Unique enemies are cool

[Anonymous No.10714194]

>>10713049
The idea I think it has they block your shots. But it's just poorly executed like most things in MM5.
Stone Man's stone throw attack can only hurt the player when he's at close to mid range, but the attack can only be triggered when the player is far away. That's the kind of things MM5 does.

[Anonymous No.10714312]

>>10714182
Really, how do you miss Pokey? The opening demo makes a big show of Yoshi eating it piece by piece.

[Anonymous No.10714314]

>>10713889
They didn’t create a level around them or add any challenges with them. They’re just there.

[Anonymous No.10715163]

Any good SMW romhacks that use ninjis?
While I'm at it I'll also ask, any romhack that includes the moving floor mechanic from chocolate Ghost house? Always thought that was well executed and wanted it on more levels.

[Anonymous No.10715390]

>>10711007
I always thought it was some kind of starfish monster with two child eyeballs in the middle of the starfish.

[Anonymous No.10715401]

>>10710928
Yes. I noticed that too back in the day. Maybe since those little niggas weee right before Bowser they were added last minute after the credits were finalized? I liked the nice touch of flames coming out of the lava when you killed their black asses.

[Anonymous No.10715404]

>>10710957
Best lore.

[Anonymous No.10716074]

They should have made a game with that little nigga as the star, he cute

[Anonymous No.10716083]

>>10714312
Damn, wasn't even thinking about Pokey's inclusion. Must be senility.

[Anonymous No.10716112]

>>10710928
Why did the overlord kid copy him for thier shitty mascot?

[Anonymous No.10716214]

I just realized something after 30 years. The blue koopas' naked body display their wings attached to their back, giving them a hunchback position compared to the other 3 Koopas which look smaller. This one also looks angry while the others have their normal face expression.
I kept noticing that some Koopas had this weird hunch position but I never realized it was only the blue ones until now, and of course the fact it's their wings.

[Anonymous No.10716224]

>>10716214
Or wait, there are koopas of other colors that have wings right? Maybe it's any koopa color that has wings.
I will check next time I play the game.

[Anonymous No.10716379]

>>10716214
the white part is just the undershirt

[Anonymous No.10716425]

>>10714061
In the Marathon: Infinity level Where Some Rarely Go, there's a singular invisible mini-S'pht which does not move but shoots projectiles at triple speed, and on hard difficulty it's a real pain to encounter when you're not expecting it. The enemy seems completely arbitrary, as if the devs just felt like creating a quick turret enemy without creating new assets, but if you explore the full level, you'll discover that a brilliant overly-ambitious Pfhor commander was demoted for engaging in unauthorized experiments, and sent to a remote outpost in the middle of a giant swamp. To pass the time said commander engaged in more experiments on creating new kinds of weapons to help the Pfhor, and in his laboratory is an area with S'pht being experimented on in crusher-rooms, explaining the origin aberrant one encountered earlier.

[Anonymous No.10717424]

>>10716379
Yes but on the 1st and 2nd Sprite there you can see a white outline, that's the wings, not the shirt.
Try it yourself, jump on winged koopaa vs non winged ones and see the difference

[Anonymous No.10717438]

>>10710928
One-time encounters in video games are kino, especially when they're otherwise full of paletteswaps or other reusable assets. I love that shit in like Zelda 3 or SoM where you run into something weird just for the hell of it and it's not overused as a gameplay challenge.

[Anonymous No.10717953]

>>10714061
Cave Story has an unusually high number of unique enemies:
>the Door with an eye that blocks the exit in the First Cave, it never even respawns
>the Chinfish in the Reservoir, does nothing but 1HP contact damage and never respawns either
>a single Giant Pignon in the Cemetery
>the Gravekeeper, also in the Cemetery, which even has its own unique AI
>Basil, the white thing that instakills you on contact running along the bottom of the Egg Corridor
>Kurara, the giant jellyfish in Grasstown/Bushlands that drops the Jellyfish Juice
>Time Bomb, only seen once in the destroyed Egg Corridor

And that's not counting enemies which aren't unique but only exist in a single area or boss encounter.

[Anonymous No.10718016]

>>10714061
Iji has a unique Tasen Soldier that doesn't look any different, but is actually a secret miniboss with busted stats and high-tier weaponry far exceeding the capabilities of any Tasen (and almost any Komato) enemies. He is actually Yukabacera, a character responsible for many of the logbooks found throughout the levels up to that point, and defeating him unlocks the Scrambler, one of the game's many secrets.

[Anonymous No.10718097]

>>10714164
I can hear this image

[Anonymous No.10718475]

>>10717424
They're buffed-up muscular Koopas hunched over to look more tough, and also showing off how strong they are to kick shells back at Mario.

[Anonymous No.10718815]

>>10718475
That's what I used to think too, but I *think* it only happens with winged koopas, which would then mean those are the wings.
Hmmm I will check tonight, it's something that always made me curious

[Anonymous No.10718854]

>>10711425
The white "eyes" are part of his hood. What you see as teeth is actually his eyes peeking out from his purple disguise.

[Anonymous No.10718897]

>>10713010
Yeah, the correct term to use here is "cool"
It's cool when devs just put weird one off things in games, people took the time to conceptualize, draw out, sprite, animate, and code an enemy used for a single area, maybe even in an optional or hidden place. Knowing that not everyone will see it. That takes guts.

It's cool, and shit like that always puts a smile on my face.

[Anonymous No.10719007]

>>10718854
Bullshit.

[Anonymous No.10719061]

>>10718815
And you're wrong. It's just a very buff Koopa that's hunched over. All Blue Koopas, winged or no, will be the buff version when they get de-shelled.

[Anonymous No.10720269]

>>10719061
Ohhh alright then, so the blue ones will be buffed
Nice, it's the first time I'm realizing this. Thought it was random and not color-coded.
Love still figuring out things about this game 3 decades later.
I wonder if the mystery of the big dot levels will ever be solved.

[Anonymous No.10720289]

>>10713010
>he thinks soul came from reddit
You need to go back kiddo

[Anonymous No.10720546]

>>10710928
>odd
>commented
What are you retarded?
It's normal to have enemies on a single stage, much less a single encounter.
Real gamedevs, before it became a fucking business for worthless failsons (or more like faildaughters) in the 00s, didn't mind "wasting time" on making a cool one-time events or making optional stuff that only 0.1% of players would ever see.
I hate that fucking corporate mindset to my core. Fuck you for giving it even a wisp of air.

[Anonymous No.10720827]

Their name implies the existence of Ninjas in Mario

Where are they?

[Anonymous No.10720970]

>>10718016
Yo, this is some real PTSD shit. Teleporting into this fucker's hideout is pure carnage even with top health + armor and surekill weapons.

[Anonymous No.10721124]

>>10714061
There's a thread about underrated horror games right now with Cold Fear as the image (>>10715694) so I was reminded of this guy. Anischenko is the leader of the russian mercenaries on the infested oil rig, and is identical to any of them except for his model.
He can be seen at 1:36:07 on this longplay: https://youtu.be/F6okg3Fa4T4?t=5767

>>10720970
I think it's possible to cheese him by acquiring the Velocithor (the yellow beam that goes through walls). If I remember right, that's the earliest point in the game you can do that, but it requires a lot of stat points.

[Anonymous No.10721904]

>>10714164
It also has those spiky guys from Kirby.

[Anonymous No.10722092]

>>10720827
turned into goombas by dr. robotnik

[Anonymous No.10722130]

[Anonymous No.10722147]

>>10722130
he monke

[Anonymous No.10722195]

>>10712797
The torpedo bill ball

[Anonymous No.10722447]

>>10722195
But there's multiple of them on soda lake

[Anonymous No.10723882]

So yeah I think Ninji is definitely the only enemy in SMW that only appeared once in the whole game.
Lakitu appears at least in 2, pretty sure Fishin' Boo also appears twice?

[Anonymous No.10724038]

I love unique enemies in games.
One of my favorites is the Geemer that appears in Super Metroid in the hallway in Crateria.
It's the only of this color, follows your every move and can't reach you but you can kill it. When you visit the same hallway from above the Geemer isn't there anymore.

[Anonymous No.10724042]

>>10724038
I could swear I posted the pic.

[Anonymous No.10724072]

>>10724038
There's also those weird egg things in the hallway before the room with the Plasma Beam. They don't move, they don't attack, but they still damage on touch.

[Anonymous No.10724157]

>>10715163
https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=section&a=details&id=23434
https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=section&a=details&id=27137
the super ninji land hacks

[Anonymous No.10724187]

>>10720827
Behind you

[Anonymous No.10724334]

>>10717953
>>10718016
>cave story and iji replies to the post right after each other and both are what I was thinking of
Holy shit I found my very own clone. Yuka was my first thought to >>10714061 but before reading the replies I went "nahh there's no way anyone else on /vr/ would know who I meant."

[Anonymous No.10725167]

"Soul" is an overused vague buzzword but this thread seems to be a good example of it

There's just something about the less "structure" of old games. You can't really justify not reusing a certain enemy in today's development (after all who the fuck would spend so much development time on one-time enemy) unless it's a boss/mini-boss, yet these old games can have these weird oddities that just don't make sense yet make the experience more meaningful and feel organic. It's hard to explain

Super Metroid is such a good example of a game filled with just weird oddities >>10724038 >>10724042

[Anonymous No.10725189]

>>10724072
The point of those weird things is to demo the plasma beam's piercing ability; it takes a dozen shots to kill them with spazer, but only one or two to kill them all with plasma.

[Anonymous No.10725203]

>>10724072
Those aren't eggs, it's a stack of those obnoxious blob fucks.

[Anonymous No.10727224]

>>10724334
Brother from another mother! Glad to find another Iji enjoyer on the wild, that game deserves to be appreciated.

>>10725167
I think it's similar to the difference between old tales and modern storytelling. Stories today tend to follow rules of narrative to weave their plots, and end up giving less importance to the more "soulful" aspects you'd find in a tale or myth. Maybe what's happening to stories, films, games, etc. is that their creators now put a greater focus on the craft, rather than the art, of making them.

[Anonymous No.10727239]

>>10710928
was ninji an original character or ripped from doki doki panic?

[Anonymous No.10727308]

>>10720289
You’re literally regurgitating /v/ memes when /v/ has been a colony of Reddit since the gamer goober days you fucking goof. Fuck off back over there

[Anonymous No.10729393]

>>10727239
In doki doki it was a black guy

[Anonymous No.10730934]

>>10710928
Based Ninji

[Anonymous No.10730987]

Always thought it was a kitty

[Anonymous No.10732118]

Bob-Omb is from Doki Doki Panic. Deal with it.

[Anonymous No.10732123]

>>10732118
Wasn't DDP originally going to be a Super Mario game before they decided to turn it into Yume Kojo?

[Anonymous No.10732151]

>>10732118
why would anyone care? DDP was still a game by Nintendo and Miyamoto, it's not like it's some game they stole from Sega or anything

[Anonymous No.10732593]

>>10732123
There's never been any actual proof that this claim is true.

[Anonymous No.10733318]

>>10732123
>>10732593
People misinterpret the wording of a few key paragraphs

https://www.wired.com/2011/04/super-mario-bros-2/
>The prototype, worked up by SRD, a company that programmed many of Nintendo’s early games, was intended to show how a Mario-style game might work if the players climbed up platforms vertically instead of walking horizontally, said Tanabe.
>“Miyamoto looked at it and said, ‘Maybe we need to change this up,'” Tanabe recalled. He suggested that Tanabe add in traditional side-scrolling gameplay and “make something a little bit more Mario-like.”

>Mario-style
>Mario-like

People read these terms and immediately think they are talking about the characters and setting. But what is happening is that the SMB1 team were experimenting with a platformer that was more vertical. Due to it being a platformer they call it a "Mario-style" game (remember this gameplay was relatively new back then). It was not going well, so Miyamoto told Kensuke Tanabe to make it "Mario-like". What he is actually talking about is adding more horizontal levels like Super Mario Bros. But nothing here hints about the setting or that there were actual Mario characters. This would actually go against Nintendo design philosophy too since Nintendo develops game ideas first and then slap on the setting later. The article itself even highlights this philosophy:

>The rapid-prototype development process on display here informs Nintendo’s design philosophy to this day. The company doesn’t begin development with characters and worlds: It starts by making sure the game boasts a fun and compelling game mechanic. If it’s not perfect, Nintendo has no qualms about throwing it out.