Shadow of the Ninja (NES) Playthrough - NintendoComplete
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- čas přidán 21. 02. 2018
- A playthrough of Natsume's 1990 action platforming game for the NES, Shadow of the Ninja.
Shadow of the Ninja is among the many fantastic games that Natsume developed for the NES, and like most of their NES games, despite its positive critical reception, it really never saw much popularity.
It starts out with a cinematic inteo that vaguely details how in 2029 America has come under the control of some evil emperor that floats in the skies over New York. Apparently dropping a nuke over New York City isn't considered an acceptable option, so what's plan B? Ninjas.
Yup. Ninjas. Saving America from a dictator.... What?
But no matter how patently absurd the set up is (because, really, how many NES game plots actually made sense?), Shadow of the Ninja nails the game play, and does it with a whole lot of style.
It looks and feels a bit like Ninja Gaiden (and its Game Boy sequel was actually licensed by Tecmo and summarily turned into Ninja Gaiden Shadow), but there are some important differences. First of all, it features a simultaneous two-player mode! This type of play is a fair rarity on the NES, but given that Shadow of the Ninja doesn't generally throw many enemies on the screen at once, instances of slowdown and flicker are surprisingly rare. If you play it alone, you get your choice of Hayate (the purple ninja) or Kaede (Hayate's orangey-pink doppelganger) - they play exactly the same as each other.
You don't get the full bevy of powers like you would in Ninja Gaiden, but you get your choice of two standard weapons - a sword or a sickle (well, technically it's actually called a kusarigama) that can be upgraded to extend the reach. You also get a couple of throwing weapons (ninja stars and grenades) at a number of points. The setups lends itself nicely to the fast paced game play, and it comes with a few cool moves. Hayate and Kaede have the ability to hang from ledges and to flip between floors as they dodge and attack, which lends the game a better sense of fluidity than most NES platformers.
The graphics and sounds are really well done. The first level starts out with a dramatic storm going on, stage four features a burning cityscape in the background, and even the more mundane industrial-looking areas have a lot of detail to flesh them out. The soundtrack is classic Natsume all the way - even without Hiroyuki Iwatsuki on composing duty, Shadow of the Ninja's soundtrack is top-shelf all the way through.
It does go for fairly steep prices, but I'd say that if you can get the cart for $50, snap it up. I enjoy this one far more than many of the $60 games out there for the current generation of systems. and it's easy to play this one again and again without ever getting bored. In terms of quality, it's on even footing with Shatterhand, SCAT, and Dragon Fighter. And if you've ever played any of those, you'll know exactly how strong of a recommendation that is.
This is a brand new playthrough to replace the original 240p video in my NES playlist.
_
No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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Criminally underrated game. One the absolute best nes platform had to offer.
true true true
omg, I finally found it! it's been 20 years and me and my best buddy loved it so much. we never completed it but it was one of the best games on nes and underrated. The music is one of the best in this genre
this game and the mega man games by far have the best music
I completed this
Yeah same goes for me too
Same here. I knew it had shadow in the name but whenever I search for it it keep bringing up shadowgate
A remake coming for 2023
Shadow of the Ninja is a classic Natsume action title in the vein of Shatterhand and Dragon Fighter. If you're looking for an unsung hero of the NES library, this one is hard to top.
currently being sold by limitedrun, (came here to watch this video after seeing it for sale)
@@firesharkable Oh really? That's cool, it totally deserves a rerelease.
Yeah go have a look. I never played the game but seriously considering! Collectors edition brings the soundtrack cd as well
Known as Blue Shadow in Europe.
The soundtrack was so ahead of its time.
It also sounds a lot like Castlevania.
@@MoltoRubato88 composer was an ex Konami so it makes all sense.
@@MoltoRubato88Shatterhand aka "robokop 4" (As I knew it) . And sound effects seem same.
One of the few NES games that feels fair without memorizing rooms and attack patterns.
Yep. The only real hard part is maybe when last boss health goes under half as he becomes faster.
One of my favorite nes games. I played this game with my friend too! I liked Kaede more than Hayate.
I loved this game and it's music. I look it up every now and then to feel that childhoodNes. I miss being a kid.
@Ryu T 35
I loved this one back in the day, played through it multiple times. Easily recognizable sound effects, too - they appeared pretty much in all Natsume's games on the NES. ;) The story reminds me vaguely of Ninja Crusaders - no need for the professional army, instead you just send in ninjas to do the job, no matter the threat... aliens, demons, dictators - they can take care of everything alone!
cyber shadow trailer go watch it
Homing shurikens and weapon upgrades - I didn't know about that. Natsume games on NES are awesome.
One of the badass ninja games ever! 🔥
Such a good game. The 13 Y.old me would love to finally beat the final boss, which I never succeeded to to
I had vague memories of this gem as a small child. I spent a long time looking for it. Whenever I asked people they would always say Ninja Gaiden and I would be like nah I’m sure it something else. I eventually gave up and now here it is! Thank you!!!!
Hold the attack button to use special move (Thunder strike)
I used to play it's Famicom version known as KAGE available in 4 in 1 pirate multicarts lol back in the day when I didn't even know that they were not genuine copies 😝😫😓
One of my Top 5 NES games. Brings so many memories. Love the music in this game. 🔥🔥🔥
This game is finally making a comeback! Wishlist on steam now
Best games for 90’s kid ever
I agree. I was 10 when I first played this. Know I'm 41 and still enjoy it. :D
@@johnaustin20930+ 😅
Ninjas, Samurais, Boomerangs, Shurikens... this game has it all
Que saudades!Jogava com meu pai! Nós dois zeramos várias vezes!
eu jogava muito também, 2011
I have been playing this game for over twenty years, the best Nintendo console game
One of my favorit game from nes, damn it's like 25years ago
And soon, we're also be getting a remake to it!!
The music is perfect
This game looks very awesome! I never played any of the games that were released after the Super Nintendo, I had gotten a SNES an never bought another NES game, Until way later when I started my little collection
A remake coming for 2023
I bought this game a couple of weeks ago, and beat it just the other day... what an awesome piece of work! Except here in Australia, it's called _Blue Shadow._ Glad to have it in my NES collection.
A remake coming for 2023
Yeah man, we always played just to beat it to hear this killer ass track at the end.. beast
finally found it! 25 years ago...
wow.
as a kid, I played this ninja game more than Ninja Gaiden, and I love every second of it, especially playing with my homie on the couch. Ninja Gaiden 3 is way better than the first one (fite me!), but god Shadow of the Ninja has one thing that Ninja Gaiden didn't have.
3 words
2 PLAYERS CO-OP.
Shadow of the Ninja and Ninja Gaiden ll was my fav nes games😢
Geez everything from Natsume was awesome and was a sleeper in here in the US! Too bad it wasn’t as big as Konami and Capcom here
i played it all my childhood for 7 years and i was never able to kill last dragon
and it took me years to be able to reach there this game is extremely HARD
This looks like more of an alternative to Ninja Gaiden.
This shit slaps so hard even after all these years
The ending theme song is so epic!
I never heard of this game until this year for some reason and it’s amazing. So weird.
This game is my favorite childhood memories game love it so much, miss the good day game console
Yes finally i remember, one of my fav games, 😍
This and Ninja Gaiden games are awesome!
Nunca habia visto este juego. Para la epoca veo que exprimia la nes 👍🏻 buen video
Love the soundtrack!
I never played this game LOL!!! this is fantastic game
And soon, we're also be getting a remake to it!!
"2029 A.D."
That's gonna be 5 years from now isn't it.
The OST in 2-1 sound like Flash Man's theme in Megaman 2.
7 more years to meet the “Ninjia”
One of the most kickass NES games ever made, it can easily hang with Ninja Gaiden 1-3. I'm lucky to have this, and the Ninja Gaiden NES trilogy in my collection, but prices may keep one away from this, and Ninja Gaiden 3 these days. My copy was $10 cart only, crappy condition label, but meh, it's all about having another kickass game to play. Not going to pay out the ass to get another copy, just to have a nice label.
The Japanese version, Kage, fares no better with prices, it seems to sell for a little more than the NES version, save for occasionally it might sell for less from Japanese sellers, but not always. Couple in EMS shipping charges, and you still pay out the back side for the game, unless you go SAL, and wait 1-2 months for your game to arrive, no thanks.
Sweet playthrough of this.
And, to others viewing, again, it must be remembered this game was made in 1990, so something like 9/11 was almost unthinkable back then. (Almost.)
Aaand we are reborn
umm... how come i've never heard of this awesome looking game until now? why have i never heard anyone ever talk about it? it looks like so much fun.
It's awesome.
I've rented it back in the 90's. Tecmo had bought this game out because they wanted to be the only Ninja gaming developers.
Didn't know Natsume had games before harvest moon.
It's expensive. Like $45 for the cartridge. About $200 complete. It's awesome and know ninja stuff.
Ninja Master Wow, I didn't realize complete copies were up that high now. Makes me glad I kept minty complete copy on the shelf instead of hawking it on eBay.
How to do the lighting attack. I hold down attack button and release after the life line flashes. But nothing happens. Do I need to keep the button pressed and not release it and it will do it automatically. Or do I have to press any other button while pressing the button
Just hold it down. If you have enough life it'll do it automatically.
I'm not lucky, I didn't know there were games this good in the NES era 😭 . This is similar to "Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master Mega Drive" 👍
Love this game.
My old game 7 years past I am playing this game
Ninjas + NES is the best combo
Shuriken was OP
So nostalgia
Epic still After 30 years
Relly liked this game , sad it was short and so easy
I remember I first picked the harpoon because of the range, but then after getting my ass whooped at the metal samurai boss fight, I gave the sword a try and behold, it had similar range and it was even faster, and that's how I was able to beat the game.
Let’s go, Kage SotN remake 2024!!!
Great game . I beat it when I was 13. Jem of a game
The hitpoints for some bosses was too much for the game to handle. It definitely wasn't infinite despite what was seen at glance.
As kids, we used to call that second boss "the robot with two dicks". To this day, I still can't unsee it haha! Awesome game, one of the best on the NES.
Brilliant
Very awesomeness
"Wtf is that?" dunno! keep goin! bad guys were totally unexplained, and the whole thing just shrouded in mystery, and thats what I love about the old games. These complex machines and sets have to mean something, but you're so busy staying alive, and the music is driving you on to the most epic quest of your life.
Love the boss music, and the samurai of antiquity and the hawk-man fights were always my fav. Every time the boss came on scene i used to yell "Fry him!!" with the lightening from the sky. Those super whirlwind ninjas come on scene and you just throw a frag on his lap- lol. Just like negates all the badass'edness of his clearly superior skills.
Was there ever any perks to busting the samurai boss' hip? Always wondered, but it made me feel empowered (and frantic)
The bad guys were explained, in the manual. Those things don't quite exist anymore.
3:17 Castlevania flea monster survived to see the future
الله ايام زمان ولا غدرت اختمهه .واخيرن شفت النهايه
Por que sus ataquees están potenciados? Tiene nivel 3 en todos los ataques
Oh poor me , i never heard this game before..
Which one do you like better this or ninja gaiden 1?
Ninja Gaiden for me, personally. This isn't far behind it though.
Picked this up today..$60 game..curious about it
Holding the attack button or something for 10 seconds unleashes an Ultimate Lightning attack that drains ½ your health but strikes everything on the screen. Not worth it when I had a Game Genie active, LOL
Took me 30 years to know that one. 🤣
I played a ninja game back then in which there was a helping sentinel robot behind the ninja character. The in-game language was not English so I've not recognized its true identity yet. The setting and plot was similar to the Ninja Gaiden series; maybe it's one of these NG titles. Can anyone help me with this?
A sentinel robot? The only ninja game I can think of with robots that help you is Ninja Crusaders, but you can transform into them. Shatterhand and SCAT both give you sentinel robots, but neither if them are ninja games. Ninja Gaiden 2, 3, and Wrath of the Black Manta all had ninjas with clone power ups that could attack the enemies. That's all I can think of for now. Is it any of those?
@@artinhjollder4779 Ooh, that sounds like the cover the European version of Ninja Gaiden. It was called Shadow Warriors - is that it?
@@NintendoComplete Yes, exactly. The cover art I described is Ninja Ryukenden III but it seems that I'm confusing two games . In fact, getting a beloved cartridge mixed up with a blurred memory of a NG-like game. So with respect to your reply, I'm going to delete my previous comment as it would probably make a fool of me .... Then, maybe I should give up.
@@artinhjollder4779 Yeah, sorry. If it isn't one of those ones that I listed, I really have no idea.
may i help you :
the game is Shatterhand ... or Tokyuu Shirei Solbrain.
What is the power up he is evading?
It was a sickle and chain. I would typically take the weapon. It allows you to strike overhead and up at an angle. This was a phenomenal game that came toward the twilight era of Nintendo.
Back in the day, I'd take games down to the market and swap them for £5. I'd have games that were my all time favourites and I never got rid of. Strangely though, there's games I DID get rid of and I don't know why.
This for example. No idea why I swapped this. Or the Castlevania games, no idea why I swapped them either.
Maybe it was just a harder choice than I remember though and these weren't games I went off, they were just my 'least all time favourites'.
omg i am crying
Need link to download this game on android
Looks like Strider H.
Can i have the download link bro?
Memory not lost
Finally found it
3:55 🗡⚡️
They’re remaking it for current systems and it’s coming out in 2024
And remaking it in the same style as the Wild Guns, Pocky & Rocky, and Ninja Warriors remakes. :)
Who came here after seeing the remake "Shadow of the Ninja - Reborn"?
Ох, как мне нравилась эта игра, но пройти ее так и не получилось. У меня даже отец в нее играл. Саундтрек божественен!!!!!
Çok oynadık zamanında
Мастер меча
Chơi hay thế, 1 mình phá đảo, ngày xưa chơi 2 player ko phá đảo được 😊
Its like mega man or mega man its like it.
Si pierdes te regresan al inicio
at first i never past stage 2 first boss later i pass i just pass through.the best i overcome was stage 4 i think i never complete this game.
I'm getting this for 20 usd :D
Sweet deal!
Shattered Ninja.
1 more year
I played this when im about 9 Years old and now im 27 and still had no girl friend 😂😂
I know this as kage.
Sad to see that the World Trade Center didn’t make it to 2029…
🙀🙀🙀
なんか少し曲がボンバーキングに似てる感じがするね。
2029
Usan mascarilla 🤐
Jajaajjajaaj