It’s that time once again, where I take some game you’ve probably never heard of, and drop the knowledge like it’s hot, most likely on its head, repeatedly, until it can look forward to a lifetime of mental retardation.  Today’s installment is Shadow of the Ninja for the NES, or Blue Shadow, as it is known in Europe, where the word "ninja" used to be the very embodiment of evil and death.  Some of them had porn on basic cable, so it all balances out.  But, I digress, and ramble entirely too much in the intro.  Fire up the content!

Shadow of the Ninja was released at the end of 1990 by Natsume, smack between Tecmo’s Ninja Gaiden II and III.  For the most part, Tecmo’s mega hit series gobbled it down into the cracks, barely to be heard of, and with good reason.  The Ninja Gaiden series had more levels, an involved story, beautiful cut scenes between each level, lots of fun power-ups, and the big, established name in the market to back all of that up.  Cross that with no major Nintendo Power features (if you were a NES game, and you didn’t make it into NP, you probably failed), and it was pretty much a losing battle out of the gate.  But, lo (lo, damn ye, lo!), wrapped within that trodden plastic casing is pure classic gaming.

You play as a pair of ninjas… Oh, yes.  This game is two-player.  This game is two-player co-op.  Think two Ryu Hayabusas bouncing about, bringing double the ninja smack down.  It’s like Contra with swords.  Yes, it’s that level of greatness.

So, as I was saying, you play as a pair of ninjas (not "pair of ninja", these are ninjas, damn it), Hayate and Kaede, in the year 2029.  Those are their names, and you know this because it’s right there at the character select screen, but you’ll neither remember nor use them.  They are, in actuality, "The Dude" and "Chick Ninja", respectively.  You’ve appeared from the shadows (granting a convenient lack of back-story) to defeat the evil Emperor Garuda, and end his tyrannical rule over the city. 

I only know this much, because I can’t stop watching the opening movie.  It’s pure awesomeness, as NES games go.  The music, both here and through the entire game, is some of the best ever put out on the console.  It quickly becomes familiar and classic, touching that special gaming nerve.  I again parallel Contra.  That level of greatness.

The controls are both basic and fun.  You can run, jump, and slash your sword.  Sword upgrades can be found, giving a ranged energy wave to your blade, so that you can hang further back and keep your skooshy ninja tooshie out of harm’s way.  Or, you can trade in the tired steel for a kasuri-gama (scythe on a chain), which has more reach and can be aimed upward, but is slower and difficult to use in close quarters.  Bombs and shurikens occasionally pop up as special weapons, replacing your current one until they run out.  What, you wanted to save them for later?  What kind of pansy ninja are you?

Also, you can hang on the underside of platforms, where you’re free to move side to side, attack, flip yourself up onto it, or drop down.  You don’t get the Ninja Gaiden wall jump, but given the level design, the platform clinging feels far more useful.

Being a side-scrolling platformer with ninjas, this game just wouldn’t be proper without being hard as a brick wall on Viagra.  There’s only 5 levels (with some split into sub-levels), and you get 5 continues, 1 life each.  Falling in a pit takes away energy, and respawns you onto a platform.  In single player, continuing sends you back to the beginning of the area.  In multi-player, you spawn back on the screen, but you share the 5 continues.  I’ve reached level 5 without cheating, only to be horribly curb checked.  Therefore, the obvious solution is to cheat!

OMG, h4x!

Invincibility!  Begin by putting the cart into ye old NES.  Make sure both controllers are plugged in.  Turn it on.  Turn it off.  Take the game out, blow into it.  Repeat this a few times, then go get some Q-Tips and rub the contacts clean.  After about 15 minutes of all of this, put the game back in, power on, and wait through the opening movie.  It’s not required to cheat, but what can I say, the music is awesome.

At the player select screen, move the star to 1 Player.  If you actually have any friends, congratulations!  Move it to 2 Players.  Don’t press Start yet.  Enter the code on controller 1:

A, A, A, A, B, B, B, B, A, B, A, B, A, B, A, B

That’s 4 "A"s, 4 "B"s, then 4 "A, B"s.  If you did it right, you will hear a tone.  If not, you fail at life.  Reset the console and watch the opening movie again.  If you succeeded, hold down on controller 2 and press Start on controller 1.  Select either The Dude or Chick Ninja and begin shamelessly cheating.  You’re invincible to everything except pits.

The Wrap

Shadow of the Ninja isn’t a perfectly polished title.  If you’re seeking to solo another deep ninja drama, and have already beaten all of the Ninja Gaiden games, then I don’t know what to say to you (besides "got damn!").  This isn’t your game.  But, if your gaming evenings have been known to consist of at least one other person, a case of beer, Contra, and a 30 life code, then this deserves a place in your gaming rotation.

• Axel always has dibs on Chick Ninja.

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