Shadow of the Ninja
Encyclopedia
is a futuristic ninja
-themed side-scrolling action game
by Natsume for the Nintendo Entertainment System
originally released in Japan
in and in North America
and Europe
in . The PAL version
was published by Taito
under the title Blue Shadow.
clan, Lord Hayate and Lady Kaede, are sent to infiltrate Garuda's impregnable stronghold and assassinate him.
Shadow of the Ninja can be played by up to two players simultaneously, with one player controlling Hayate (the male ninja) and the other as Kaede (the female ninja
). In either mode, the player can decide which character they want to control before the game actually begins. There are no actual performance differences between either character.
The player character can run, crouch, climb ladders, attack, and jump like in most side-scrolling action games as well as hang onto an overhang
and move under it. If the player has more than half of their vitality remaining, they can perform a special attack by holding a button for an extended period, summononing a thunderstorm that will damage all on-screen enemies, but at the cost of roughly half of their maximum vitality.
The player's default weapon is a katana
, which can be traded for a kusarigama
and vice-versa. The kusarigama has a longer range than the katana and can be swung upwards diagonally and horizontally. However, the kusarigama can only damage enemies from a specific distance and does not work as well at close range like the katana. If the player picks up a weapon they already have, its attack power will be strengthen by an increment of one level (with up to three attack levels). However, if the player takes too much damage, their weapon's strength will be reduced back to its previous level. There is also the possibility to use both weapons, if the player starts with the kusarigama and collects secret powerups hidden in some levels (for example in the central wheel of level 1.3). The player can also obtain shuriken
s and hand grenades as well, both which can only be used as long the player's supply lasts before the player reverts back to using the katana or kusarigama. All four weapons are obtained by destroying item boxes scattered throughout each stage, along with vitality potions., something worth mentioning is the fact that the potions being offered in order to heal yourself if played by 2 players will have different colors, which depending if the color of the potion is the same as the character that use it, it will replenish a large amount of health but if the color of the potion is not the same it will heal less.
The game consists of five stages, with the first four stages being divided into three segments and the final stage into two. The player will fight numerous types of enemy characters throughout each stage, including bosses and sub-bosses. once a boss has been defeated it will explode, this explosion will heal players the closer they are from it, since actually the same amount of health from one stage will be carried to the next one until either recovered with potions or by dying. The game ends if the player loses all of their vitality and only five chances are provided to continue. If two players are playing the game, their continues will be shared.
version of Shadow of the Ninja following the original NES release. However, the publishing rights of the game was were picked up by Tecmo and the title was subsequently revised as a Ninja Gaiden
spinoff titled Ninja Gaiden Shadow
. The Nagoya division of Natsume developed both Shadow of the Ninja and Ninja Gaiden Shadow.
hailed the game's "superb graphics and sound". Nintendo Power
featured the game in the article "Weird Heroes", saying it had "a first" male-and-female team in the history of video games.
Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
-themed side-scrolling action game
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
by Natsume for the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
originally released in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in and in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in . The PAL version
PAL region
The PAL region is a television publication territory which covers most of Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and most of Western Europe...
was published by Taito
Taito
Taito may mean:*Taito Corporation, a Japanese developer of video game software and arcade hardware*Taito, Tokyo, a special ward located in Tokyo, Japan*Taito, also known as matai, paramount chiefs according to Fa'a Samoa...
under the title Blue Shadow.
Plot
Set in the year 2029, the evil dictator Emperor Garuda has taken over the United States of America, building a stronghold in the middle of the nation's "largest city". To stop Garuda and avenge the innocent lives that were lost in his reign, two ninja masters from the IgaIga-ryu
Iga-ryū 伊賀流 is a historical school of ninjutsu. It became one of the two most well-known ninja schools in Japan, along with the Kōga-ryū. The Iga-ryū originated in the Iga Province in the area around the towns of Iga and Ueno...
clan, Lord Hayate and Lady Kaede, are sent to infiltrate Garuda's impregnable stronghold and assassinate him.
Gameplay
Kunoichi
is the term for a female ninja or practitioner of ninjutsu .-Etymology:The term is thought to derive from the names of characters that resemble the three strokes in the kanji character for ; said in the order they are written: ku - no - ichi...
). In either mode, the player can decide which character they want to control before the game actually begins. There are no actual performance differences between either character.
The player character can run, crouch, climb ladders, attack, and jump like in most side-scrolling action games as well as hang onto an overhang
Overhang (architecture)
An overhang in architecture is a protruding structure which may provide protection for lower levels. Overhangs on two sides of Pennsylvania Dutch barns protect doors, windows, and other lower level structure. Overhangs on all four sides of barns is common in Swiss architecture...
and move under it. If the player has more than half of their vitality remaining, they can perform a special attack by holding a button for an extended period, summononing a thunderstorm that will damage all on-screen enemies, but at the cost of roughly half of their maximum vitality.
The player's default weapon is a katana
Katana
A Japanese sword, or , is one of the traditional bladed weapons of Japan. There are several types of Japanese swords, according to size, field of application and method of manufacture.-Description:...
, which can be traded for a kusarigama
Kusarigama
The is a traditional Japanese weapon that consists of a kama on a metal chain with a heavy iron weight at the end. The kusarigama is said to have developed during the Muromachi period...
and vice-versa. The kusarigama has a longer range than the katana and can be swung upwards diagonally and horizontally. However, the kusarigama can only damage enemies from a specific distance and does not work as well at close range like the katana. If the player picks up a weapon they already have, its attack power will be strengthen by an increment of one level (with up to three attack levels). However, if the player takes too much damage, their weapon's strength will be reduced back to its previous level. There is also the possibility to use both weapons, if the player starts with the kusarigama and collects secret powerups hidden in some levels (for example in the central wheel of level 1.3). The player can also obtain shuriken
Shuriken
A shuriken is a traditional Japanese concealed weapon that was generally used for throwing, and sometimes stabbing or slashing...
s and hand grenades as well, both which can only be used as long the player's supply lasts before the player reverts back to using the katana or kusarigama. All four weapons are obtained by destroying item boxes scattered throughout each stage, along with vitality potions., something worth mentioning is the fact that the potions being offered in order to heal yourself if played by 2 players will have different colors, which depending if the color of the potion is the same as the character that use it, it will replenish a large amount of health but if the color of the potion is not the same it will heal less.
The game consists of five stages, with the first four stages being divided into three segments and the final stage into two. The player will fight numerous types of enemy characters throughout each stage, including bosses and sub-bosses. once a boss has been defeated it will explode, this explosion will heal players the closer they are from it, since actually the same amount of health from one stage will be carried to the next one until either recovered with potions or by dying. The game ends if the player loses all of their vitality and only five chances are provided to continue. If two players are playing the game, their continues will be shared.
Planned Game Boy version
Natsume began development of a Game BoyGame Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
version of Shadow of the Ninja following the original NES release. However, the publishing rights of the game was were picked up by Tecmo and the title was subsequently revised as a Ninja Gaiden
Ninja Gaiden
is a series of video games by Tecmo featuring the ninja Ryu Hayabusa as its protagonist. The series was originally known as in Japan. The word "gaiden" in the North American Ninja Gaiden title means "side-story" in Japanese, even though the Ninja Gaiden series is not a spinoff of a previous series...
spinoff titled Ninja Gaiden Shadow
Ninja Gaiden Shadow
Ninja Gaiden Shadow, released in Japan as and in Europe and Australia as Shadow Warriors, is a side-scrolling action game released for the Game Boy in 1991 by Tecmo...
. The Nagoya division of Natsume developed both Shadow of the Ninja and Ninja Gaiden Shadow.
Reception
Electronic Gaming MonthlyElectronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
hailed the game's "superb graphics and sound". Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
featured the game in the article "Weird Heroes", saying it had "a first" male-and-female team in the history of video games.
External links
- Shadow of the Ninja at GameFAQsGameFAQsGameFAQs is a website that hosts FAQs and walkthroughs for video games. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff "CJayC" Veasey and was bought by CNET Networks in May 2003. It is currently owned by CBS Interactive. The site has a database of video game information, cheat codes, reviews, game saves,...
- Shadow of the Ninja at Classic Gaming (GameSpyGameSpyGameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
)