Power Rangers Ninja Storm is a side-scrolling Beat 'em Up developed by Natsume and published by THQ for the Game Boy Advance in September 2003. It is based on the Power Rangers season of the same name.
Lothor is attempting to conquer the world by getting rid of the Ninja Academies, pitting them all against one another. By using the Wind, Thunder, or Samurai Rangers, the player has to defeat Lothor and his goons before the world is conquered.
In a change of pace from Natsume's other Power Rangers games, this game has different scenarios depending on which team you play as. While they all play the same, the Wind Rangers (Red, Blue, and Yellow), Thunder Rangers (Crimson and Navy), and the Green Samurai Ranger all have their own separate playthroughs, weapons, and Megazords to fight with. The story and level themes are different, but the level design is different for each campaign, leading to some replay value.
There was also a PC game released the same year by ARTECH Studios, also published by THQ. Instead of a brawler, it is instead a collection of minigames. You can ride a motorcycle through an obstacle course, attempt to grab flags by hang-gliding down a mountain, play a clone of Breakout, play a single-screen shooter, and more before you helm the Storm Megazord to take town Lothor's latest monster.
Tropes:
- Absurdly Spacious Sewer: Level 3 takes place in one of these, seemingly ripped straight out of a Ninja Turtles game.
- Action Commands: The Megazord fights in the GBA game eschew the Fighting Game-esque gameplay style previous games used and instead goes all-in on these. The A or B button will come in from one of the sides of the screen and you have to hit the corresponding button quickly, or else the enemy will regain health.
- Adaptational Curves: The Blue Ranger has a significantly bigger bust in the PC game than she does in the show.
- Adapted Out:
- The GBA game doesn't include Sensei Watanabe, Cyber Cam, any of the civilian characters, the Battilizer, Marah, Kapri, Vexacus, Motodrone, Storm Megazord's Lightning Mode, Thunderstorm Megazord, the MiniZord, Hurricane Megazord, either of the Ultrazords, or the Ram Hammer, Turtle Mace, Sting Blaster, Spider Catcher, Super Stamp, Star Blazer, or the Ninja Firebird Power Spheres.
- The PC game also doesn't have any of the above characters (except for Sensei Watanabe), but also cuts out Zurgane, Choobo, the Thunder Megazord, the Samurai Star Megazord, and the remaining Power Disc weapons aside from the Serpent Sword.
- Ascended Extra: Florabudacus and Terrormole are bosses in the GBA version, while Mad Magnet is the Final Boss in the PC version.
- Attack Reflector: Some Kelzacks can spin their blades around, deflecting your shots.
- Background Boss: Level 1 of the GBA version has various evil plant monsters in the background which attack you. Some can be defeated, some not.
- Badass in Distress: Choobo kidnaps the Thunder Rangers after Level 1. If you play as them, you fight your way out. If you play as the Wind or Samurai Rangers, you never see them again.
- Bombardier Mook: Played with. In the Green Samurai Ranger's first level, you are fighting on the side of the building and the windows below shoot fireballs at you.
- Boss Rush: Level 6 of the GBA game has you face off against Choobo and Zurgane once again.
- Botanical Abomination: The first GBA level has lots of these wrecking the city.
- Breaking Old Trends: This is the first time since the various Mighty Morphin games for the 16-bit era which actually used Monsters of the Week from the actual show, rather than going full Original Generation. The GBA version is also the first game to have separate campaigns for the various sets of Rangers, with different levels for each.
- Charge Attack: In the GBA version, you can charge up your attack for a few seconds for a more powerful strike.
- Decomposite Character: In the PC game, Cam and the Green Samurai Ranger are two separate people, with the Ranger's identity a mystery.
- Digitized Sprites: Like previous games, all of the sprites are either from screenshots of the show, promotional drawings, or CG models turned into sprites.
- Evil Knockoff: Your chosen Thunder Ranger has to deal with evil duplicates of both Rangers at once in Level 2 of the GBA version.
- Fake Shemp: Averted for the PC game. All six Rangers and Sensei are voiced by their TV show counterparts.
- Final Boss: Lothor in the GBA game, Mad Magnet in the PC game.
- Finishing Move: The Power Discs function as one of these, so much so that you can only summon them when it will be enough to kill the boss.
- Fire-Breathing Weapon: The Green Samurai Ranger's ranged weapon is a flamethrower, which can cover almost the entire length of the screen when fully powered up.
- Flying Face: Level 2 of the Thunder Rangers' GBA campaign has you facing off against a giant Choobo head.
- Fuuma Shuriken: One of the Samurai Star Megazord's weapons is to throw the giant shuriken on its chest armor.
- Lift of Doom: Level 4 on the GBA version has the traditional one of these, where it will stop at a floor, send in a few waves of baddies, then move up when you've defeated them all.
- The Maze: One of the minigames in the PC game has you run around a maze collecting flags of your Ranger color.
- Memory Match Mini-Game: One of the minigames on the PC game.
- Minigame Game: What the PC version is. You play six different minigames before fighting a giant monster at the end of the game.
- Mook Bouncer: In Level 6 of the GBA version, there's some tentacles on the ceiling that will take you all the way to the beginning of the level if they catch you.
- Palette Swap: As in other games, the Rangers and Kelzaks are simple color swaps with one another. The only one who has a truly different sprite is the Green Ranger, due to his vest and not having a weapon strapped to his back like the others.
- Power-Up: By collecting multiples of the same weapon you currently have, your attack power will go up.
- Series Continuity Error: The Thunder Megazord will always be holding the Spin Blade Power Sphere Weapon on the results screen, even if it wasn't used.
- Special Attack: Using these in Ranger form will launch an energy blast using the Rangers' specialty weapon.
- Stance System: You can fight using your sword/staff in close combat or using your rifle/flamethrower for long-range combat, switching between the two when you pick up the other weapon after defeating an enemy. Unlike previous games, you cannot switch between the two at will.
- Stealth-Based Mission: Well, Stealth-Based Section. The start of Level 6-2 has small bugs on the ground during the first hallway that will trip an alarm if you step on them.
- Super Mode: The Green Samurai Ranger transforms into his Super Samurai mode at the start of Level 3, but aside from changing his sprite, it doesn't really do much.
- Tag Team: When playing as the Wind or Thunder Rangers in the GBA game, you can freely switch between the other members of that team during levels.
- Transforming Mecha: The Samurai Star Megazord transforms into his vehicle mode for one of its attacks.
- The Unfought:
- The start of Level 4 shows Zurgane putting the finishing touches on his Megazord, and it then reappears at the end of the level when you fight Zurgane himself. However, the Megazord fight that follows has him grow giant like everyone else, leaving the Megazord to rot in the warehouse.
- The only villain you fight in the PC game is Mad Magnet. Lothor and his generals are completely missing.
- Virtual Paper Doll: For some reason, selecting your character in the PC version first requires you to place their costume on the base model piece-by-piece. You cannot customize their looks in any way, so the reasoning behind this is decision is lost.
- The Voice: Sensei and Cam both act as these in the PC game, guiding and directing you through the menus and the like.
- Womb Level: The final GBA level is one of these, presumably meant to represent Lothor's organic spaceship.
