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Ninja Gaiden (NES)

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This article is about Ninja Gaiden for the Nintendo Entertainment System. For other games of the same name, see Ninja Gaiden.
Ninja Gaiden
Image:Ninja Gaiden (NES).jpg
North American boxart, NES version
Developer(s) Tecmo
Publisher(s) Tecmo (NES)
Hudson Soft (PC Engine)
Designer(s) Shuichi Sakurazaki
Platform(s) NES, TurboGrafx-16, Super NES, Mobile phones, Virtual Console
Release date(s) NES
JP December 9, 1988 (1988-12-09)
NA March 1989
EU August 15, 1991 (1991-08-15)
PC Engine
JP January 24, 1992 (1992-01-24)
Virtual Console
JP April 10, 2007 (NES)
April 21, 2009 (PC Engine)
NA May 14, 2007
EU September 21, 2007
Genre(s) Platformer
Mode(s) Single-player
Rating(s) ESRB: E
Media Cartridge
Input methods Control pad

Ninja Gaiden (忍者外伝?, literally "Ninja Story"), 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 platform game developed and published by Tecmo—known for their later achievements such as the Tecmo Bowl series, Rygar, and the Xbox Ninja Gaiden series—for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It was released on December 9, 1988 (1988-12-09) in Japan, March 1989 in North America, and August 15, 1991 (1991-08-15) in Europe. The title has been ported to the TurboGrafx-16 by Hudson Soft, and it was also ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as part of the Ninja Gaiden Trilogy compilation.

The story follows a ninja named Ryu Hayabusa, as he journeys to America and seeks revenge for the death of his father. However, Ryu eventually finds himself involved in a sinister plot that threatens the entire world. In the game, the player must control Ryu through six platforming levels and find out the mysteries behind his father's death. Players encounter many enemies along the way that must be dispatched with Ryu's katana sword.

Ninja Gaiden is renowned for its innovative use of cinematic cutscenes as well as a full, movie-like story. The game's success spawned two sequels and several ports to other video game systems. It also garnered extensive coverage in Nintendo Power magazine, and it was also novelized as part of the Worlds of Power game adaptations written by F.X. Nine.

Contents

[edit] Gameplay

Gameplay of Ninja Gaiden for the NES

The player controls Ryu Hayabusa through six platforming levels, known as "Acts".[1] The player has a life meter which denotes the player's "physical strength".[2] The player's life meter drops every time the player gets hit by an enemy or a projectile. The player loses a life when the player's life meter runs out, when the player falls off the screen, or when the timer runs out; the game ends when the player has lost all lives.[2] However, players can continue the game and restart the level in which the player has lost all their lives.[3][4] At the end of every act, the player fights a boss. Unlike the regular enemies, bosses have a life meter; they can endure greater damage than their underlings before being defeated.[2]

Players mainly attack by thrusting with Ryu's Dragon Sword—a katana–like sword that has been passed down the Hayabusa clan for generations.[5] They can also use other "secondary" weapons that rely on Ryu's "spiritual strength" as ammunition. These secondary weapons include shurikens, fire wheels, and "jump and slash" techniques. Every time the player uses a secondary weapon, the player's spiritual strength decreases; when the spiritual strength meter becomes too low, the player cannot use that particular subweapon. However, players can replenish spiritual strength by collecting various items.[6]

[edit] Plot

Ninja Gaiden features a ninja named Ryu Hayabusa who journeys to America and seeks revenge for the death of his father, only to find himself involved in a sinister plot that threatens the entire world.[7] The story begins with the death of Ken, Ryu's father, by an unknown assailant. Ryu finds a letter written by his father, telling him to find an archeologist named Walter Smith in America.[8] Before Ryu can find Walter, however, Ryu is kidnapped by a young policewoman, who hands him a demonic looking statue before releasing him.

Eventually, Ryu finds Walter, who tells him of the demon statues that he and Ryu’s father had found in the Amazon ruins, as well as the origins and history of an evil demon and of "Light" and "Shadow" demon statues required to awaken him.[9][10] Ryu shows Walter the "Shadow" demon statue he received from the policewoman. During their conversation, a masked figure suddenly breaks into the cabin and steals the Shadow statue.[11] Ryu gives chase and retrieves the statue, but upon returning finds Walter, dead, and the Light statue missing. A moment later, Ryu is captured by three armed men.

The opening scene of Ninja Gaiden, featuring the two dueling ninjas, in which Ryu's father Ken (orange ninja) is killed.

Ryu is taken to an interrogation room, where he is addressed by Foster, head of the Special Auxiliary Unit of the Central Intelligence Agency. Foster explains to Ryu that they have been monitoring the activity of someone named Guardia de Mieux—also known as "The Jaquio"—who has moved into an Amazon temple where the body of the demon is located.[12] Using the statues, Jaquio will awaken the demon and destroy the world.[13] Foster asks Ryu to find the temple and eliminate Jaquio.[14]

At the temple, Ryu discovers that Jaquio is holding the policewoman captive. He also discovers that his father was not killed, but taken over by an evil figure.[15] After Ryu destroys the evil figure, releasing his father from its hold on him, Jaquio, enraged because Ryu's father was freed from the evil control, shows himself and immediately tries to kill Ryu with a projectile of power. Ken throws himself in front of his son, absorbing the attack. Jaquio is presumably killed during the ensuing fight, but then a lunar eclipse causes the demon statues to transform into the demon.[16] After defeating the demon, Ryu's father tells Ryu he hasn't got much longer due to Jaquio's attack and to leave him behind in the temple as it collapses and to take the policewoman with him.[17] Afterwards, Foster, communicating via satellite, orders the young lady to kill Ryu, but she refuses to carry out the deed, choosing to be with Ryu instead. Ryu finally kisses the policewoman, who reveals that her name is Irene.

[edit] Development

Ninja Gaiden was developed by Tecmo—the same company that developed the Tecmo Bowl, Rygar, and the Xbox Ninja Gaiden series—[18]and was made for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was developed and directed by Shuichi Sakurazaki, who would go on to develop and direct the game's sequel, Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos.[19][20] Ninja Gaiden was released in Japan for the Famicom on December 9, 1988 (1988-12-09) under the title Ninja Ryukenden. It was then released in North America as Ninja Gaiden in March 1989. Finally, it was released in Europe on August 15, 1991 (1991-08-15) and was renamed as Shadow Warriors.[19] Ninja Gaiden was the second title to bear its name, the first being the arcade version also released by Tecmo in 1988.[21]

The NES version of Ninja Gaiden has been ported to several platforms, including the PC Engine, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the Virtual Console, and mobile phones. The game's first port was on the PC Engine in 1992 and was only released in Japan. The PC Engine version featured an alternate English translation, more colorful and detailed graphics, and various difficulty and gameplay tweaks.[22] The game appeared as an enhanced remake on the Ninja Gaiden Trilogy compilation for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Some reviewers appreciated the redrawn graphics and music in this version, but others found it an inadequate effort. Electronic Gaming Monthly reviewers compared it unfavorably to another updated NES remake, Mega Man: The Wily Wars, and called Ninja Gaiden Trilogy "an exact port–over with no noticeable enhancements in graphics, sound and play control".[23] The PC Engine version of the game was released for the Virtual Console in Japan on April 21, 2009.[24]

The NES version of Ninja Gaiden was released on Wii's Virtual Console on April 10, 2007 (2007-04-10) in Japan, on May 14, 2007 (2007-05-14) in North America, and on September 21, 2007 (2007-09-21) in Europe.[25] Europeans, Australians, and New Zealanders have been able to purchase Ninja Gaiden as part of "Hanabi Festival".[26] The PC Engine version of the game was released for Virtual Console on April 21, 2009 and was published by Hudson Soft.[27] In 2004, Tecmo began releasing episodic chapters of Ninja Gaiden for mobile phones in low–priced installments for small groups of levels.[28] It is only available for purchase in Japan, although the official English Tecmo Games mobile website advertised it for a future release along with a mobile version of Tecmo Bowl.[29] The complete game was planned for mobile release in four installments.[30]

[edit] Reception

 Ratings
Aggregate scores
Aggregator Score
MobyGames 86/100[31]
Review scores
Publication Score
1UP.com B-[32]
GameSpot 8.7[33]
GameTrailers 8.5[34]

Upon its release, Ninja Gaiden was met with high praise, especially with its elaborate story, amount of narrative, and usage of anime-like cinematic sequences.[32] However, some critics have bemoaned Ninja Gaiden's gameplay as being too similar to another successful NES platformer, Castlevania, even though Castlevania and Ninja Gaiden have different dynamics, and that several actions possible in Ninja Gaiden would be impossible in Castlevania.[35] More recently, reviewers have considered the game "groundbreaking" for its pioneering use of stylized cutscenes, its high quality music, and dark atmosphere.[36][37] Other reviewers have criticized the game for its particularly high and unforgiving difficulty level especially late in the game; one reviewer has referred to the latter levels of the game as an "unfair display of intentional cheapness".[32]

Ninja Gaiden received strong publicity in Nintendo Power during 1989. It was featured on the cover of the magazine's fifth issue and was referenced in the following issue in a Howard and Nester comic strip.[38][39] Underlining the game's difficulty, the game appeared in several issues that same year in the magazine's Counselor's Corner and Classified Information help sections.[40]

Over fifteen years after its creation, Ninja Gaiden has maintained its position as one of the most popular games for the Nintendo Entertainment System. In a 2006 Joystiq reader poll comprising of over 12,000 votes, Ninja Gaiden ranked tenth in a list of top NES games.[41] In a follow-up feature to an Electronic Gaming Monthly article, "The 200 Greatest Videogames of Their Time", readers wrote in to discuss games they felt were ignored in the list; Ninja Gaiden placed 16th in the top 25 games discussed.[42] At the end of 2005, Nintendo Power ran a serial feature, the Top 200 Nintendo Games Ever, spanning games for all Nintendo systems where Ninja Gaiden was ranked 89th.[43]

[edit] Other appearances

A novelization of this game under the Worlds of Power line of NES game adaptations was published in July 1990 by Scholastic Press. It was written by Peter Lerangis under the pseudonym "A.L. Singer", though the book is also often credited to "F.X. Nine", a pen name for the creator and packager of the Worlds of Power series, Seth Godin.[44] As with all of the Worlds of Power books, the amount of violence present in the video game was severely toned down for the novel, due to concerns of appropriateness for the young target audience. Similarly, it did not strictly adhere to the storyline of the game, changing the ending so that Ryu's father survived at the conclusion. The book's cover, which was a replication of the North American box art, was infamous for the kunai held in Ryu's front hand being airbrushed out, leaving him prodding an empty fist.[45]

A soundtrack CD, Ninja Ryukenden: Tecmo GSM-1, was released by Pony Canyon in February 1989. It features an arranged medley of various music from the game, as well as slightly enhanced versions of the original game's tracks. The CD also included music from the original arcade version of Ninja Gaiden.[46]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Instruction Manual, "Acts of the Story's Progression".
  2. ^ a b c Instruction Manual, "Indicator Display".
  3. ^ Exception: If the player loses all lives during the final three boss battles in Acts 6-4, 6-5, or 6-6; the player can only continue the game at Act 6-1.
  4. ^ Instruction Manual, "A Supply of Power for the Defeated".
  5. ^ Instruction Manual, "Run, Ryu!"
  6. ^ Instruction Manual, "The Ultimate in the Art of the Ninja".
  7. ^ Instruction Manual, "Prologue."
  8. ^ Ken Hayabusa: (In letter to Ryu) Ryu, I am on my way to a life or death duel. If it is my destiny that I not return, you are to take the Dragon sword of the Hayabusa family and go to to America and see the archaeologist, Walter Smith. (in English) Ninja Gaiden (NES), Tecmo, March 1989 
  9. ^ Walter Smith: The demon came to this earth and caused many deaths. But then SHINOBI appeared to stop the demon. (in English) Ninja Gaiden (NES), Tecmo, March 1989 
  10. ^ Walter Smith: So SHINOBI confined the evil power of the demon in two statues of 'LIGHT' and 'SHADOW.' …and the body of the demon was confined in a temple." (in English) Ninja Gaiden (NES), Tecmo, March 1989 
  11. ^ While not made clear in the storyline, this "masked figure" is assumed to be the Malice Four member Basaquer.
  12. ^ Foster: However, a man moved in and took over the ruins. His name is Guardia de mieux. He calls himself the Jaquio. (in English) Ninja Gaiden (NES), Tecmo, March 1989 
  13. ^ Foster: If someone brings the demon back to life, he will gain incredible power…enough to control the entire world. (in English) Ninja Gaiden, Tecmo, March 1989 
  14. ^ Barnholt, Ray (2008-05-28), Ninja Gaiden vs. Ninja Gaiden, 1up.com, http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3167971, retrieved on 2008-06-27 
  15. ^ Masked Devil: Your father was not killed. He was just turned into the Masked Devil. (in English) Ninja Gaiden, Tecmo, March 1989 
  16. ^ The reference to a "black moon" on the demon statues' tablet was referring to a lunar eclipse.
  17. ^ Ken: Ryu, you are a man, now. My destiny is tied to the demon statue. (in English) Ninja Gaiden, Tecmo, March 1989 
  18. ^ Tecmo, IGN, http://games.ign.com/objects/025/025071.html, retrieved on 2008-06-29 
  19. ^ a b Ninja Gaiden Release Date, GameFAQs, http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/nes/data/587488.html, retrieved on 2008-06-26 
  20. ^ Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos Release Date, GameFAQs, http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/nes/data/587489.html, retrieved on 2008-06-26 
  21. ^ Ninja Gaiden (Arcade) Release Date, GameFAQs, http://www.gamefaqs.com/coinop/arcade/data/568362.html, retrieved on 2008-06-26 
  22. ^ Ninja Gaiden, IGN, http://cheats.ign.com/objects/619/619249.html, retrieved on 2008-06-29 
  23. ^ "Ninja Gaiden Trilogy Review", Electronic Gaming Monthly (73), August 1995 
  24. ^ "Ninja Gaiden (TG16) Release Information for Wii". GameFAQs. http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/wii/data/959050.html. Retrieved on 2009-07-01. 
  25. ^ Thomas, Lucas (2007-05-14), Ninja Gaiden Review, IGN, http://wii.ign.com/articles/788/788152p1.html, retrieved on 2009-03-02 
  26. ^ Karabinus, Alisha (2007-09-21), VC Friday: Nintendo chooses their horse, Joystiq, http://nintendo.joystiq.com/tag/hanabi-festival, retrieved on 2009-03-02 
  27. ^ Ninja Gaiden (TG16) Release Information for Wii, GameFAQs, http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/wii/data/959050.html, retrieved on 2009-04-26 
  28. ^ Buchanan, Levy (2004-07-16), Ninja Gaiden Episode I: Destiny — Tecmo's classic ninja roars into action on handsets, IGN, http://wireless.ign.com/articles/530/530985p1.html, retrieved on 2006-08-10 
  29. ^ Tecmo 100% Games — Mobile, http://www.tecmogames.com/mobile.asp, retrieved on 2006-08-10 
  30. ^ Score, Avery (2004-09-28), Ninja Gaiden Preview, Episodes II–IV, GameSpot, http://www.gamespot.com/mobile/action/ninjagaidenepisodeii/news.html?sid=6109073&mode=previews, retrieved on 2008-06-27 
  31. ^ Ninja Gaiden for NES, MobyGames, http://www.mobygames.com/game/nes/ninja-gaiden, retrieved on 2008-06-29 
  32. ^ a b c Ninja Gaiden NES Review Index, Ninja Gaiden Reviews, 1up.com, 2000-01-01, http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3120166&p=26&sec=REVIEWS, retrieved on 2008-06-29 
  33. ^ Ninja Gaiden NES Game, GameSpot, http://www.gamespot.com/nes/action/ninjagaiden/index.html?tag=result;title;6, retrieved on 2008-06-29 
  34. ^ Ninja Gaiden Trailers, Reviews, Interviews, Gametrailers, http://www.gametrailers.com/game/3524.html, retrieved on 2008-06-29 
  35. ^ Kohler, Chris (2006-01-30), Retro Rip-Offs: Some of the Most Egregious Plagiarisms in Classic Gaming, 1UP.com, http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=6&cId=3147544, retrieved on 2006-08-10 
  36. ^ Turner, Benjmain and Christian Nutt (2003-07-15), Nintendo Famicom: 20 Years of Fun, GameSpy, http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/july03/famicom/index24.shtml, retrieved on 2006-08-10 
  37. ^ Waugh, Eric-Jon Rossel (2006-06-27), The Ten Greatest Years in Gaming, Next Generation Magazine, http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3313&Itemid=2, retrieved on 2008-06-27 
  38. ^ Nintendo Power (5), March/April 1989 
  39. ^ "Howard and Nester – May/June 1989", Nintendo Power (6), May/June 1989, http://hn.iodized.net/08.htm, retrieved on 2008-06-27 
  40. ^ Nintendo Power (6, 7, 8, 9), May-December 1989 
  41. ^ Readers vote on top 10 NES games, Joystiq, 2006-06-18, http://fighting.joystiq.com/2006/06/18/readers-vote-on-top-10-nes-games/, retrieved on 2006-08-10 
  42. ^ The Top 25 Games EGM 25 Dissed!, Electronic Gaming Monthly, 2006-02-28, http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=1&cId=3148279, retrieved on 2008-06-27 
  43. ^ Nintendo Power (198): 74, December 2005 
  44. ^ Nine, F.X.; A. L. Singer (July 1990), Ninja Gaiden, New York, NY: Scholastic Corporation, ISBN 0590437763 
  45. ^ Struck, Shawn and Scott Sharkey (2006-08-03), 8-Bit Lit: Inside the NES' Worlds of Power Series, 1up.com, http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=1&cId=3152540, retrieved on 2008-06-27 
  46. ^ Nussbaum, Jeff, Miscellaneous, Gamespy, http://ninjagaiden.classicgaming.gamespy.com/misc.html, retrieved on 2006-08-10 

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Ninja Gaiden video games
First series
Stand-alone games
Second series
Characters
Related games
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja_Gaiden_(NES)"
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