PixlBit

It's another ninja-tastic game featuring the mighty Shinobi

Shinobi games are those rad ninja games on the Sega Genesis. Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi was originally released in arcades in 1989. It is the second game in the Shinobi series, and apparently the Genesis version is loosely based on the arcade version. It was developed and published by Sega and released for the Genesis in 1990. It's an action platformer, but certainly more action than platformer.

As usual, Shinobi must defeat some kind of Samurai overlord who's taken over New York City and is holding hostages. With his faithful dog by his side, the ninja master sets out to rescue the hostages and kick the Samurai dude right where it hurts. Before you begin, you can go to Options to choose a mode (normal or non-shuriken, meaning you have to kill everyone close-up), a difficulty, adjust the controls, and listen to the sound test (great music!).

The controls actually use all three buttons on the Genesis controller (which I prefer): one button jumps, another throws shurikens (unlimited supply), and another uses your ninja powers. You can configure which button does what in the Options. Shinobi is very stiff and doesn't move fast, but it's really not a problem. His dog is by his side the whole time, but sadly, he's useless as all he ever does is bark at enemies. He never attacks or anything. Worse still, a second player cannot control him, which would have been awesome.

Each level is broken up into three small sections. The first two sections have you rescuing hostages and defeating enemies. Sometimes these areas are very linear, sometimes there are places above and below to check. You can't leave the area until you've rescued all the hostages. The different locations are reminiscient of NYC, such as city streets, a bridge, and even the Statue of Liberty.

Unfortunately you can't run in with all guns blazing because one good hit will kill you! Until you're familiar with an area, it's best to move forward slowly. Some enemies shoot at you with guns, while others wait for you to get close before attacking. Ninjas will jump at you with swords swirling in the air; if that sword touches you, even in the foot, you're dead. And should a bullet graze your foot, you're also dead. Seriously, no one has ever died by being shot in the foot! Plus, Shinobi is a ninja!

Don't get me wrong, though, Shinobi is an awesome ninja. He throws shuriken if an enemy is far away, but if he's right next to an enemy, he'll pull out his sword and do them in quickly. Sometimes he'll kick a nearby enemy. You can also upgrade your shuriken to a powerful blast. Some enemies can block shuriken, but none of the enemies can block the upgraded shuriken, making them very useful. With these, you can blaze through the rest of the area, but you'll lose the uprgrade when you finish the area. There are also two ninja powers in the game: wind and fire. You can only use it once per area. Using either one will destroy all enemies on-screen, again very helpful.

In between each level are bonus stages. These are some of the best bonus stages ever! Shinobi jumps off a roof and is free-falling; the goal is to shoot as many ninjas as possible while falling. The ninjas will jump up the side of the buildings coming towards you. So it's like a shooter, only in awesome ninja form. If you shoot enough ninjas, you'll get a 1up or maybe even a 2up. Otherwise you'll just get some extra points.

Level design is fine, but not spectacular. Each level is distinct in its setting and look. One of the parts that stands out to me is in level three, in which you ride up an elevator with the Statue of Liberty in the background. Of course, on the way, you have to deal with ninjas. The level's boss fight takes place right in front of the statue's head, which is epic. The last level is a set of rooms filled with different enemies. The last two rooms can be tricky due to a lot of ninjas jumping all over the place. Watch out for those pointy swords, one touch and you're history.

               Whoa! Lady, have you considered joining a basketball team?

The bosses are surprisingly easy. Some of the bosses are giant warriors, one is a creepy rock face, and one is a flaming wheel. Each boss only has two attacks, and they're never heard to dodge. The boss of the third level stands out to me only because it's a seven-foot-tall lady who throws a buzzsaw at you! Freaky weird, but anything goes in Shinobi games.

Finally, the music is great, and of course it is, it's Shinobi music. Shinobi III had some of the coolest music on the Genesis, and Shadow Dancer does as well. Many of the themes are driven with a groovy beat, and some even have voices that are shouting. I'll be sure to post a couple of the themes below.

Final Verdict--4 Stars: Recommended

Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi is a great action game. It's not a long game by any means; only five levels. This makes sense because the game is an arcade port. Distinct levels, fun bosses, awesome ninja moves, and great music make this an excellent action game for the Genesis. You'll be happy to know that the game is actually beatable (unlike Shinobi III, in which the last level is impossible). The game is available on the Wii Virtual Console. If you like action ninja games, you'll like this one, and that's no secret.

Join me every Saturday as we take a look back at all kinds of retro games, good and bad.