In the 1980’s, we were saturated with all things ninja. Low-budget ninja movies filled the shelves of video stores. Toys based on ninjas were everywhere. We even flipped out over ninjas that were actually mutated adolescent turtles.

Video games seemed to get even more of the ninja fever than other forms of media. The NES alone had at solid library of games just featuring ninjas. Many of them are well-remembered, like Ninja Gaiden and TMNT, but today’s featured game seems to have slipped through the cracks. Let’s take a look at Shadow of the Ninja.

Gameplay

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The setup for this game is as basic as it gets. In the future, an evil ruler takes over the world. Two shadowy figures emerge to destroy this oppressive force and restore power back to the people. Honestly, do you need any more motivation than that?

Those figures are the ninjas Hayate and Kaede, who are basically palette-swaps (with a few minor differences). You get to choose which ninja you prefer,, but they play exactly the same. After choosing your ninja, you’re thrown onto a cargo ship and the game begins. You have the basic moving and jumping options available to you, though there’s an additional ability to cling to the bottom of platforms that plays a big part in the gameplay. You can pull yourself up to a hangable platform or drop down from standing on a platform to hanging below it. You’ll use this maneuver a lot in this game.

The game is a fairly standard action platformer in the vein of titles like Ninja Gaiden and Batman. You begin the game equipped with a sword, but you’ll come across boxes that contain other weapons, the shurikens and the flail. The flail is a longer range melee weapon than the sword and can be shot at an angle, but it’s slower. Shurikens are very useful ranged weapons, but come in a very limited supply before you revert back to your melee weapon.
Enemies are varied and interesting, including simple soldiers, robots and annoying dudes who charge at you to push you off an edge. You need to approach each enemy differently after learning their attack patterns to have any chance at progressing through the game.

This is a game that will require practice, as learning the levels and enemy placement is key. Some areas need to be taken carefully while others seem like running like hell is the best option. The challenge level of Shadow of the NInja is quite high, with just one life and 5 continues.

A welcome feature of this game is the 2-player simultaneous gameplay. Most 2-player games of the era required you to take turns, but you and a friend can take on this game at the same time. There weren’t enough games on the NES with this element, so it’s a welcome feature.

Presentation

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With dark, detailed graphics, Shadow of the Ninja nails the look of the game. From the first stage, the theme is well established. Sprites are well animated and highly detailed, but not so much that they become hard to distinguish. Backgrounds look great, which also feature nice detail, great color choices and even some animation and unique visual effects.

The game presents a dark and moody theme, with well-rendered stages that have you running through ships, sewers and buildings. The stages are varied and fairly creative to keep your interest and give the game a bit more personality.

Sound and music are also very nice, featuring excellent sound effects and great music. While not on the tier of the absolute best NES game soundtracks, the music is really impressive with an energetic feel and great melodies.

Verdict

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Shadow of the Ninja is definitely a hidden gem on the NES. It’s rarely discussed and has flown under the radar since its release in 1990. While its far from perfect and not even the best ninja game on the console, it does enough right to warrant more attention and acclaim. If you or you and a friend feel up to the challenge, its a great 2-player game for you to tackle together if you're willing to pay the fairly high asking price the game demands these days.

Score 7.5/10

Current value:

Loose: $43.99 | Complete: $128.25

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