Shinobi/Gameplay

Controls

 * Joystick: Press the joystick left or right to make Joe walk in either direction. Press the joystick down to crouch, and press the controller diagonally down to crawl in either direction.
 * Jump: Press the jump button to leap into the air. Press left or right while jumping to leap in either direction.  Press the attack button while jumping to perform a mid-air attack.  Hold the joystick up while pressing jump to leap up to an upper platform.  Hold the joystick down while pressing jump to hop back down to the ground below.
 * Attack: Attack an enemy character by pressing the attack button. When you are away from the enemy character, you will throw a shuriken straight ahead. When you are close to the enemy character, you will perform a melee attack.
 * Ninjitsu: A third button can be pressed to invoke a special ninja ability once per stage. There are three types of ninjutsu, and since the ninjutsu that can be used is determined by the stage, it cannot be selected. All ninjutsu effects are attacks on all enemies.

Types of Ninjutsu

 * Alter Ego Jutsu - The protagonist's alter ego flies in 8 directions.
 * Lightning Jutsu - Creates lightning bolts from the main character's body.
 * Tornado Jutsu - Creates a tornado around the main character.

Joe Musashi
Joe Musashi has no life meter, and can be easily killed in one hit. However, simply coming into contact with an enemy will not kill him. Instead, you will simply bump off of one another and repel each other away. You will only truly lose a life if you are struck by an enemies weapon, whether it is a sword, or a projectile. You can also immediately lose a life if you fall into a hole through the bottom of the screen. If you lose all of your remaining lives, the game will be over. If you choose to continue, you begin on the stage where you died with a new set of lives, but your score will reset to zero.