Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi

Moby ID: 10854
Genesis Specs
Buy on Genesis
$128.97 used on eBay
Buy on Windows
$0.99 new on Steam
Note: We may earn an affiliate commission on purchases made via eBay or Amazon links (prices updated 3/23 4:19 PM )

Description

A.D. 1997, New York City

Having vanquished the evil crime empire, Neo Zeed, the ninja master Shinobi and his combat ninja skills were not heard from for some time. But a new threat arose, in a reptilian form that lived on vicious instinct alone. The colossal monster moved slowly and quietly, and its attack was relentless. The souls unfortunate enough to survive became hostages, and mass panic swept the streets.

It remained only for Shinobi to take action. His weapons were stealth and quickness of attack, his only allies facing overwhelming forces. Relying on Ninja weapons and magic, Shinobi fought on, assisted by his faithful dog.

Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi is similar to Shadow Dancer for home computers, and consists of five missions containing three stages each. However, there are a few differences between the two. For example, in this Sega Genesis/Mega Drive exclusive, the stages are different, and you rescue hostages rather than disarm bombs. Each mission ends up with you fighting a boss, and when you defeat each (except the final one), you also participate in a bonus stage where you must shoot all ninja flying towards you.

Some of the enemies are also quite different. Some of the lizards, which appear in later missions, leave a "lizard coin", which you can collect for bonus lives.

Spellings

  • シャドー・ダンサー ザ・シークレット・オブ・シノビ - Japanese spelling

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Credits (Genesis version)

16 People (13 developers, 3 thanks)

Program
Character Design
Graphic Design
Assistant Graphic Design
Game Design
Music Composer
Supervisor
  • Kankan
  • Tantan (as Tantan)
  • Hayhay
Test Player
Thanks to
  • Arcade 'Shadow Dancer' Staff
  • Arcade 'Shinobi' Staff
and ... Special Thanks to
  • All Players

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 82% (based on 26 ratings)

Players

Average score: 4.0 out of 5 (based on 40 ratings with 6 reviews)

My Shinobi Sense Is Tingling

The Good
Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi is a solid, platforming sequel to the original Shinobi title. Our heroic ninja warrior must (once again) rescue hostages, beat up bad guys, bosses and the head of a strange reptilian-theme criminal syndicate.

Ok, it is not the most creative of story lines (and the American version differs from the Japanese one) but its still fun to play if you are in the mood for ninja platforming. The sequel has better graphics, animation, music and sound effects and a few other...interesting additions.

Along with the familiar set of ninja weapons and power-ups standard for the series, you got a loyal (and helpful) canine guard dog.

The Bad
Changes were made to the storyline in translating the game into English. Originally, you were the son of the hero from the previous game, where as the English version depicts him as being the former hero coming out of retirement. I think the original version is better.

The Bottom Line
Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi is a solid, platforming sequel to the original Shinobi title.

Genesis · by ETJB (428) · 2013

Ninjas should have better armor....

The Good
Shadow Dancer had superb graphics and gameplay and the levels were very interesting. The programmers were smart enough to make it different than the arcade version by giving it more elaborate levels and different graphics.

Some complained about the graphics being different than the arcade version. However, I've played the arcade version and in my opinion the arcade version is all about eye candy and little to do with replay value. Arcade games tended not to have deep play mechanics. If it had been exactly like the arcade most players would have played it a few times and never come back to it.

Shadow Dancer on the Genesis actually takes some skill and strategy and has more imaginative graphics and levels than the arcade version. Its more fun.

The Bad
Its very annoying that your character drops dead upon being hit one time by any projectile, when the character in Revenge of Shinobi could take several hits before dying.

Revenge of Shinobi had great play mechanics, such as being able to double jump and shoot multiple shurikens. This ninja can't do that. He couldn't do it in the arcade either, but its strange that he would have lost such advantages in a sequel.

The Wolf who accompanies you in the game is completely worthless. It actually only served to distract me and get me killed when I played the game.

The American and UK version of the cover art is the single worst example of cover art for any video game I have ever seen. Many people avoided this game simply because of it. Sega of America did some weird things.

The Bottom Line
If Revenge of Shinobi hadn't been so wonderful this game would have been more popular. Its still an awesome game and should not be missed.

8 out 10

If you like this one you'll probably like Revenge of Shinobi and Shinobi III.

Genesis · by Majestic Lizard (670) · 2006

Shinobi comes out of retirement & is a brittle old man.

The Good
This is a good Shinobi game, much better than the arcade rendition of a similar name (which is a different game all together). The bosses & bonus stages are fun & challenging. The dog never got in my way or troubled me. The stages look great. The bridge stage is a lot of fun. The statue of liberty looks great. At one point you have to fight 3 ninjas & a helicopter at the same time!! That is awesome & obviously deadly.

The Bad
This game is incredibly hard. I'm talking 1 hit death & lose all your lives in the first 2 minutes hard. I only absolutely needed to use the dog twice in the whole game. In the arcade game you need him a lot. He's still useful here but not necessary. The spin-wheel boss (#4) is very confusing as to how to attack it. There is a stage where shadows block your view & ninja's attack you in the dark. This is really cheap & incredibly hard.

The Bottom Line
Better than the arcade game & even harder. Stage, boss, & graphic variety keep you glued. You may have to unleash all of your cheating powers to beat this one.

Genesis · by Emperor MAR (2598) · 2013

[ View all 6 player reviews ]

Analytics

MobyPro Early Access

Upgrade to MobyPro to view research rankings!

Related Games

Shinobi non Grata
Released 2023 on Windows
Shadow Dancer
Released 1991 on Amiga, Atari ST, SEGA Master System...
Full Secret
Released 1995 on Windows, Macintosh
Shadow of the Beast
Released 1989 on Amiga, Genesis, Lynx...
Shadow: War of Succession
Released 1994 on 3DO
Shadow of the Beast II
Released 1990 on Amiga, Genesis, 1994 on SEGA CD...
The Revenge of Shinobi
Released 1989 on Genesis, Windows, 2012 on PlayStation 3...
Shinobi
Released 1989 on Amiga, DOS, NES...
Shinobi
Released 2002 on PlayStation 2, 2012 on PlayStation 3

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 10854
  • [ Please login / register to view all identifiers ]

Contribute

Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.

Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Katakis | カタキス.

Wii added by Charly2.0. Windows, Linux, Macintosh added by Foxhack.

Additional contributors: j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】.

Game added November 2, 2003. Last modified February 4, 2024.