Xbox Live: Indie Trial Game - Parasitus: Ninja Zero

Parasitus: Ninja Zero is a 2D action adventure videogame developed by Heart Attack Machine for Xbox Live Indie Game. This game reminds me of metroidvania i swear. The first thought that came to my mind while playing Parasitus: Ninja Zero is how much it reminds me of the older Castlevania and Metroid games.

Presentation is based around 16-bit visuals coupled with lots slashing and gore. The music helped create a sense of atmosphere that was pretty impressive. The story regarding Parasitus: Ninja Zero i have absolutely no idea if there even is one. The protagonist looks like Simon Belmont Castlevania except he is wearing a trenchcoat and bandana. Might i add he swings a ninja sword also. Videogames such as Parasitus really don't need a story since its so over the top and filled with action and gore. I might add a story couldn't hurt either.

There is a tutorial gamemode that is playable. I skipped that and went straight to the main portion of the demo. The controls were as follows RB-block, A-jump, X-attack. As you progress through the various stages in the trial game you can unlock magic and special moves when you press RB+Y. The controls are not the best and lag quite a bit when trying to time jumps over spike traps. The controls are good considering the old school style of gameplay that this game is built around.

You make your way through the dangerous castle that is Parasitus: Ninja Zero you will encounter monsters. For intance, giant gargoyles, zombies, giant bats and killer wolves are around. Each enemy brings a different dynamic whether its attacks or from item drops. If you look at the top left corner of the screen it shows your health bar, score and lives. This is an old school style game you get three lives and a set number of continues.

The visuals are 16-bit goodness. If you played any 2D side scroller adventure games from the 16 bit era thats what Parasitus: Ninja Zero looks like. There is something so nostalgic about 16-bit graphics. The background and forground setting was a ruined castle with the moon cascading light from the sky. The color pallete and character models looked impressive. The monsters were designed with imagination and creativity as well.

Hands down the most memorable thing after playing this game is "WA, WA, WA, WAAAA"!!. That is the sound the ninja protagonist makes when he slices and dices monsters. Its not annoying but instead original imo. The protagonist grunts adds character to this videogame more so than the music did. The music was mostly creepy tunes.
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