by Russell Cohrs

Created on: October 06, 2009   Last Updated: October 08, 2009

This is the first game in a long series that still continues on modern day platforms.

Story

Two ninjas fight in an epic battle, which is over with the flash of a blade. Ken Hayabusa, leader of the family clan that guards the sacred Dragon Sword, has been defeated. As Ryu Hayabusa, son of Ken, you find a mysterious letter to be opened on the defeat of your father. The letter sends you to America, where an ancient battle between good and evil is about to reach its climax.

Gameplay

This was an arcade action platformer. You controlled Ryu, who could attack with the Dragon Sword, use magic like the Art of the Fire Wheel, and perform trick jumping and climbing maneuvers. There was a very fast pace to the game, with a numerous amount of enemies, and a boss at the end of levels. Along the way Ryu can destroy lanterns and other similar items to find various ninja special weapons and magic, points to use your special weapons, 1-ups, and other bonuses.

One of the most noteworthy aspects of the game was special cut scenes found between levels. These helped to further develop the story in a unique way. They were known for introducing a huge conspiracy involving government agents, researchers, an international thief, and statues that could summon a world destroying demon.

There were six levels to the game, which were called "Acts." Levels were divided into sections, which varied from two to four depending on the stage. If you died you could continue from the last section you reached, as long as you still had lives to spare. There were infinite continues, which placed you at the beginning of the stage. There was no password or save feature, so the game had to be beaten in one go.

The game was notorious for its high level of difficulty. One of the reasons for this was that enemies regenerated even if you moved slight away from their spawn points, forcing you to fight the same battle numerous times on many occasions. There were also a wide amount of tricky jumps, with well placed enemies that would knock you into pits. The bosses weren't exceptionally difficult, until the fifth and sixth level, with the final boss being a massive challenge.

Graphics

Ninja Gaiden was an early entry for the NES, but it had fairly good graphics. The cut scenes especially are considered a milestone for video games. The backgrounds were unique to the level, while there were also a variety of enemy sprites. While the game shows its age now, it still looks fairly nice and distinctive.

Sound

The levels mainly featured high paced action oriented background music. Cut scenes were set up with dramatic style that helped create a feel of tension. Sound effects were also well done, and anyone who's played the game is probably very familiar with the short tune that plays when you die.

Tips and Tricks

Sound test: When the introduction screen says Tecmo Presents, 1989, hold Left, Down, Select, A, B, and press Start.

Extra Lives: In Area 5-3, it's possible to collect 1-up repeatedly by going back down the ladder and then up again.

Faster Sword: To make your sword faster when you jump, hold down when you attack. Release down and repeat up to three or four times per jump.

If you beat the first incarnation of the final boss and die, you will have to start the level over, but you'll get to skip the first incarnation when you reach the final boss again.

Overall

I would give Ninja Gaiden a 4/5. It's a great arcade game that has a great NES port. It was extremely challenging, but the gameplay, graphics, and sound kept players coming back for more. It could have used a password or save feature, although this was added in the SNES remake. I would recommend this to any class action platformer fan.

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