- For the arcade game, see Ninja Gaiden. For the Xbox version and all newer revisions, see Ninja Gaiden (Xbox).
Ninja Gaiden (NINJA外伝?), known in Japan as Ninja Ryūkenden (忍者龍剣伝? literally "Legend of the Ninja Dragon Sword") and as Shadow Warriors in Europe, is a side-scrolling platform game developed and published by Tecmo for the NES. It was released on December 9, 1988 in Japan, March 1989 in North America, and August 15, 1991 in Europe. The game was developed and released alongside the beat 'em up arcade version of the same name.
Ninja Gaiden has been renowned for its elaborate story and usage of anime-like cinematic cutscenes. The game's success spawned two sequels, and it was ported to other video game systems, including the PC Engine, the SNES (as part of the Ninja Gaiden Trilogy compilation), the Wii Virtual Console, and mobile phones.
In 2004, Tecmo began releasing low-priced episodic installments of Ninja Gaiden for AT&T and Verizon mobile phones on both BREW and Java platforms. The official English Tecmo Games mobile website advertised it for a future release along with a mobile version of Tecmo Bowl. They planned to release the entire game throughout 2004 in a series of four installments – similar to what Upstart Games did when they ported the NES version of Castlevania to mobile phones. The port featured the same visuals and soundtrack found on the NES version, and each installment was to consist of several levels of gameplay at a time. The first installment, titled Ninja Gaiden Episode I: Destiny, was released on July 15, 2004, and it included only the first Act from the NES version but added two new levels. The second installment was planned to be released in North America and was previewed by GameSpot in September 2004, but it – along with the third and fourth installments – was never released.
The game received extensive coverage in Nintendo Power magazine, and it was novelized as part of the Worlds of Power NES game adaptations written by Seth Godin and Peter Lerangis. It has been considered one of the best arcade-style games on the NES as well as the best ninja-related game on the system.
The story follows a ninja named Ryu Hayabusa, as he journeys to America to seek revenge for the death of his father. He then finds himself involved in a sinister plot that threatens the entire world. Featuring platforming gameplay similar to Castlevania, players control Ryu through six levels called "Acts" and find out the mysteries behind his father's death. Players encounter enemies that must be dispatched with Ryu's katana and other secondary weapons.
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European cover art.
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Japanese cover art.
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