Shinobi
- Shinobi (1989 on Dedicated handheld)
- Shinobi (1991 on Game Gear, 2003 on Palm OS, 2012 on Nintendo 3DS)
- Shinobi (2002 on PlayStation 2, 2012 on PlayStation 3)
- Shinobi (2009 on J2ME)
- Shinobi (2011 on Nintendo 3DS)
Description official descriptions
You control a shinobi, Joe Musashi, who must battle his way through each level in search of hostages which must be rescued. You have shurikens, kicks and punches to defend yourself with, as well as powerful ninja magic which can clear the screen of enemies in one go.
Each level is broken down into smaller scenes, and hostages are guarded by big blokes who throw swords. Watch out for gun-toting enemy henchmen and ninjas.
Reaching the end of each level will find you battling it out with a boss. These range from 8ft tall giants to helicopter gunships.
Spellings
- 忍 - Japanese spelling
Groups +
Screenshots
Promos
Credits (Arcade version)
12 People (10 developers, 2 thanks)
Staff |
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Special Thanks |
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Music Composer |
Reviews
Critics
Average score: 73% (based on 56 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.6 out of 5 (based on 134 ratings with 7 reviews)
A colorful and challenging title featuring abundant ninjas
The Good
Shinobi is old-school. No one in their right mind would play it today for more than five minutes, but back in the late-80s this was solid gold. I remember spending damn-near $100 on the cartridge when I was around ten, which was about all the money I would get for an entire year!
It's got evocative music (though constrained by the Master System's primitive audio system), well-designed levels, very interesting bosses, a variety of different challenges, as well as some very cool weapons.
The Bad
It's a rather difficult game and I'm quite sure than I never beat it without using the level select cheat.
Apart from that its only real flaw is that it was made in the 80s, so it's quite primitive by today's standards.
The Bottom Line
A fun little game, quite addictive (at least it was), intriguing ambiance, and quite challenging.
SEGA Master System · by Chris Wright (85) · 2013
The Good
The play control is excellent, and the levels are laid out same as the arcade version. The bonus rounds are same as the arcade version. And the music is the same, too.
The Bad
Okay, why does Shinobi look like Prince Charles of England? Did I miss something? I also know this is based on the Master System version (and not the excellent PC Engine version, or even the various home computer versions?) What also blows, though it is a feature of the original game, is the lost-it-all after I died. And some of those cheap-ass enemies. Why? Shame, shame, shame. I mean, this is the same Tengen that did After Burner on the NES? (The same After Burner so powerful only original NES hardware can run it.) What the hell?! Then there's the problem with the magic. Why not use the Select button to use it? Nay, it's this complex whatever button mash and they it activates, with Atari 2600...no, make that RCA Studio II graphical results, and a fart sound.
The Bottom Line
I always wanted to see RCA Studio II games on the NES. Was Tengen going for Studio II emulation or what? Boo on Tengen! And Boo on Sega for signing off on this poor translation!
NES · by Fake Spam (85) · 2008
One of the classic platformers, classic arcade game
The Good
So Namco's Rolling Thunder was released in late '86 and introduced the "leap up/drop down" platforming idea, used in Shinobi a year later. You played a spy in Rolling Thunder and play an unmasked ninja in Shinobi and can slip behind enemies and their defenses and beat them. I think Shinobi is an improvement, better background graphics, enemies and bosses and you have short range attacks as well as long, but like Rolling Thunder, the game plays quite fairly, your ninja is quite fast and maneuverable. The game has good, Japanese-rock, background music.
The Bad
I can't think of anything specific, but the game certainly isn't perfect. I can't complain too much about how hard the game becomes later, when so many other games are tough right from the start.
The Bottom Line
A classic arcade platformer, with interesting gameplay, introducing or at least building on some ideas.
Arcade · by Andrew Fisher (697) · 2018
Discussion
Subject | By | Date |
---|---|---|
Arcade to SMS port has a couple of 'RPG' or let's say home gaming, long-term play touches that make it a bit more than a weaker port of the original. | Andrew Fisher (697) | Jan 31, 2024 |
Trivia
1001 Video Games
The Arcade version of Shinobi appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.
Arcade Version
In comparison to the original arcade version, there are a few missing features in the TurboGrafx-16 version (the status of the other home conversions is unknown): the machine gun, the bonus round and a few enemies (including the boss of the second mission).
Hidden messages
The Amiga version contains this message to crackers, hidden within the game code:
Fuck me! I never thought you would do it!! Bet it took a long time though!
By the way, the only way to crack this game is if you have at least 4mb of fast ram... theres a hint! Are you enjoying this, by the way? Me (Richard Aplin) and Tim (the programmer) thought we might give you a little challange... I reckon I'll hold you off for about a week. Oh, by the way Quartex, you told me at the SAE party this would be EASY.. Well is it? I'm sure POPULOUS was easy too! (hehe)
Well, obviously you weren't fooled earlier!! I'm impressed! Not a bad bit of hacking.. but the best is yet to come!! Hehehehehe.. Just wait, cos now it gets REALLY good..
If you are reading this message on a pirated version of Shinobi, may all your days in prison be computerless!
Title
Shinobi in Japanese means: stealing (into); spy; sneak thief; surreptitious visit to house of ill repute. The Chinese character displayed on the title screen and throughout the game is the character for Shinobi in Japanese.
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Related Sites +
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Game Map (Sega Master System) on SMS Power!
Maps of all levels of the Master System version. -
OC ReMix Game Profile
Fan remixes of music from Shinobi.
Identifiers +
Contribute
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Macintrash.
Wii added by sgtcook. NES, SEGA Master System added by PCGamer77. Nintendo Switch added by Kam1Kaz3NL77. ZX Spectrum, Atari ST added by Martin Smith. Arcade added by Pseudo_Intellectual. MSX added by Игги Друге. Xbox 360 added by Ben K. Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Amiga, TurboGrafx-16 added by Katakis | カタキス.
Additional contributors: Katakis | カタキス, chirinea, Игги Друге, Cantillon, Patrick Bregger, Thomas Thompson, Jo ST, FatherJack.
Game added July 4, 2000. Last modified April 24, 2024.