In my opinion, this game was quite realistic with the backgrounds, the characters, and all the nasty killing. You begin in a training area where you learn all the techniques of a ninja. As you continue through each new level, some of the bad guys change just like the story. There is a secret character that you can play as, but you'll need a code to get him (Tatsumaru). The little number at the bottom-right hand side of the screen determines how close to an enemy you are. The higher the number, the closer an enemy is. That system is easy to use and very dependable, because then you'll know where the enemy is, instead of searching for them. Sometimes it gets too dark and difficult to see, but I guess that it's supposed to be like that for the background. Has some violence, pretty neat graphics, and cool.