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| Ninja Gaiden Shadow | |
|---|---|
 North American cover art | |
| Developer | Natsume Co., Ltd. |
| Publisher | Tecmo |
| Composer | Hiroyuki Iwatsuki |
| Series | Ninja Gaiden |
| Platform | Game Boy |
| Release | |
| Genres | Platform,hack and slash |
| Mode | Single-player |
Ninja Gaiden Shadow, released in Japan asNinja Ryūkenden GB: Matenrō Kessen (Japanese:忍者龍剣伝GB 摩天楼決戦; literally "Legend of the Ninja Dragon Sword GB: Skyscraper Showdown") and in Europe and Australia asShadow Warriors, is a 1991hack and slashplatform game developed byNatsume Co., Ltd. and published byTecmo for theGame Boy. It is a prequel to theNESNinja Gaiden trilogy.
Set in aretro-futuristic version of 1985, three years before the events of the firstNinja Gaiden (NES), the player controlsRyu Hayabusa, who must save New York City from the forces of Emperor Garuda, a servant of Jaquio. Garuda's minions include the cyborg "Spider",kickboxer Gregory and his manager Jack, formermilitary commander Colonel Allen, and the Japanese nobleman Whokisai (風鬼斎,Fūkisai).
Ninja Gaiden Shadow features simplified play mechanics compared to those used in the NES trilogy. In contrast to the variety of ninja arts and power-ups available in the NES games, Ryu only has a basic sword attack and a Fire Wheel attack that can be replenished for up to five uses. While Ryu cannot stick to or climb walls like in the NES games, he can hang onto railings and move underneath them like inNinja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom, and use both his sword attack and the Fire Wheel art while hanging onto railings. Unique to this installment, Ryu is equipped with agrappling hook that allows him to latch onto hard-to-reach railings. Like in the NES versions, Ryu can find health potions, fire wheel stocks, and extra lives by destroying item containers.
Ninja Gaiden Shadow was originally planned to be a Game Boy adaptation of the NES gameShadow of the Ninja.[1] The Nagoya division ofNatsume, which developedShadow of the Ninja, also developedNinja Gaiden Shadow.
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| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| ACE |   [2] |
| Computer and Video Games | 90/100[3] |
| GamePro | 18/25[4] |
| Joypad | 87%[5] |
| Video Games (DE) | 62%[7] |
| VideoGames & Computer Entertainment | 8/10[6] |
| Power Play | 65%[8] |
Another (Game Boy title) to look for is Shadow of the Ninja, a Game Boy adaptation of the NES ninja thriller.
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