From Tecmo to Team Ninja, there is a series of games that inspire respect and create a legend that is hard to surpass. The series has a huge and devoted fanbase. She was known for her precise control, combat, and brutality. It has been called many different names, including Shadow Warriors in PAL regions, Legend of the Ninja Dragon Sword in Japan, and Ninjagaiden in the US. Whatever she is called, Ryu Hyabusa’s side story spans decades and is familiar to many.

The company behind this legendary game series was originally called Tehkan Ltd, and at the time they manufactured pachinko machines, and even tried selling cleaning supplies at one point. Just before the first arcade game was released, the name was changed to US. Tehkan, Inc. renamed the company and merged in 1986 to create Tecmo.

The company was now fully focused on video games, and was determined to create something that set them apart. The team that was supposed to develop Ninjagaiden was initially tasked with creating a ninja game that would capitalize on the craze for these mystical characters in the West. Tecmo had the two teams develop a similar but different game with the same name. They agreed on some aesthetic aspects and some basic details, but most importantly, the game was to be challenging.

All of this culminated in the beginning of a legend that fans would never forget.

Ninja Gaiden – Arcade (1988)

The first game with this iconic title was designed for an American audience and hoped to build on Taito’s success with Double Dragon. The cooperative beat-em-up seemed like a perfect idea at the time, but its theme, graphics, new platforming elements, and extra buttons on the joystick made it stand out from the crowd. Players also had to learn how to throw enemies into boxes to smash them, to get power-ups, and to deal with situations where they couldn’t rely on their swords. These were only available as one of the exclusive items mentioned above. Once the concept was set, it was just a matter of adding pain.

Ninjagaiden will grab a lot of attention for its visuals. The opening features a ninja smashing through glass, which has become an iconic image for the arcade and the series. The protagonists descend onto the stage like a tornado. Excellent animation, the number of enemies on screen, and destructible environments made the game fun. Perhaps most memorable was when the player failed, showing the protagonist struggling with a circular saw thrust upon him, a beautiful yet nasty finale for many who had exhausted their offerings for this quarter-gulping machine.

I’ll never forget standing next to that machine in Link and watching a random parent and child die as they walked by. She was shocked at the sight and quickly took the younger child with her. This image has always been a defining element of the series for me.

The story is a bit ridiculous as it focuses on fighting an evil cult led by the descendants of Nostradamus. It was exaggerated and based on the peculiarities of being an American Ninja. Regardless of what attracted players to the game, Ninjagaiden gained a fairly large cult following and was successful enough to spawn several ports, including for the Commodore 64 and Amiga, and even the handheld Atari Lynx (arguably the best port). However, most look much worse or don’t have the levels, so nothing beats the arcade experience. Raze Magazine named it the best arcade game in the United States in 1990.
The
development team took note that people enjoyed the cruelty as much as the theme. Ninjagaiden unleashed as many enemies as possible on the player from all directions. The damage on the American machines was increased, and many who considered themselves experienced in the beat’em up genre were unable to even get past the first level. All of this has taught the newly formed Team Strong a lot about the version planned for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

Ninja Gaiden – NES (1989)

Hideo Yoshizawa (aka Shuichi Sakurazaki) led the newly founded Team Strong in an attempt to extend the ideas of Ninja Gaiden to home consoles and bring Tecmo’s next hit. Instead of choosing another fighting game this time, perhaps due to hardware limitations or a desire to evolve the gameplay, Ryu Hayabusa picks up his sword in a sideways hack-and-slash adventure that sets a new standard. The
NES game is very different from its arcade counterpart, as it doesn’t use any of the game’s mechanics, but adopts most of its style. You can see this influence in the opening and some of the enemy designs. It also maintained the challenges mentioned above. Many would argue that this version of Ninjagaiden is one of the most challenging on the console, but that is very controversial. However, the game is difficult, and many people cannot see the ending without cheating.

As the box cover says, Ninjagaiden on the NES is “the fight of your life.” This was true even for team members who tested the game, who reportedly came close to tears. It’s actually the flaws that make this game so difficult to master to the end. Ryu must defeat three bosses in a row, but when he dies, he returns to the beginning of the level, not just the boss battle. Yoshizawa said the team found the bug before the game was finished, but decided to leave it in for someone to challenge players.

This new outing focuses on a story that revolves around two statues that have the potential to destroy the world, with Ryu’s father Ken playing a key role. Ninjagaiden brought cinematic cutscenes to the NES and impressed fans with this new way of telling stories on a home console.

It’s a platform game that refines the design rather than reinventing the genre. One of the most notable features is the ability to stick to walls and climb with creative use of your thumbs. The game also added Ninja Art, or Shinobijutsu, to Ryu’s arsenal. These magical weapons allow him to use “spiritual powers” to kill more efficiently. Each attack keeps the action going without the player having to slow down as they move through the levels.

Ninja Gaiden’s debut on the NES was a success, earning critical acclaim as well as being ported. Hudson developed a version for the PC Engine, which was only available in Japan, but fortunately the text was in English. The game featured different translations, improved graphics with parallax scrolling, and a reduced difficulty. The biggest change is that you can keep your sub-weapon after death.

This port also includes rearranged tracks, but many fans aren’t thrilled with this compilation, which is a shame, as the original offered audiences some of the best music on the NES.

In 2004, there was also an attempt to bring the NES version of Ninjagaiden to mobile phones. It was planned to be divided into several parts, but only the first part was released. Unfortunately, it seems that this game is no longer playable. Although the

arcade game came first, this NES game was the first step in cementing the gaming tradition. The first Ninjagaiden is best known in the industry for its cutscenes and storyline, but it has also won several awards for its gameplay.

Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos – NES (1990)

After the success of the previous game, the urge to continue the game led the team to quickly return to the studio. They would create a slightly bigger and slightly more refined work, without changing the core concept. Ninjagaiden II had an even bigger marketing budget, and Nintendo needed more time to build hype for the second adventure.

Ryu returns to face a new villain, Ashtar, Emperor of Chaos. He was apparently Jakio’s master. In the story, he tries to rescue former CIA agent Irene Lu and destroy the titular Dark Sword. The story isn’t as good and is still based on older games, but the presentation and gameplay make up for it.

This entry looked perhaps the best of the trilogy, with smoother animations and bolder colors. Weather effects were added to accentuate the levels and support the action. These environmental changes are not only visually appealing, but also distracting to the player in most areas. One of the best achievements is the introduction of Clone, a new sub-weapon that allows multiple transparent versions of Ryu to be on-screen at once. It was impressive to see these new copies occupy the same plane as the character and run so well on the NES.

New secondary weapons have been added, including clones that mimic Ryu’s attacks. More importantly, these power-ups are carefully placed throughout the levels, improving the flow of the game. Ryu now always starts with a shuriken in his inventory by default. Additionally, the ninja protagonist can now jump and stand up without using the D-pad, and can climb walls he can cling to.

While the combat remained the same, the team improved the boss fights. These fights force players to utilize Ryu’s mobility, and are much easier with the secondary weapons given to them. Once again, there are three encounters at the end, but this time there are no issues that send players back to the start of the level. Health and extra lives are readily available and easy to obtain, but the other pickups feel more useful overall.

Ninjagaiden II was well received and was ported by GameTek and released on MS-DOS and Commodore Amiga with an improved color palette. Additionally, players could save at any point in the game, making for an easier gaming experience.

In many ways, this entry was a safe sequel, guaranteed to give fans more of what they wanted, evolving the mechanics to show change, but not enough to stand out. While not by much, it is considered the easiest of the original three. None of these titles are a walk in the park. However, for many avid gamers, it was difficult to justify buying Ninja Gaiden II, or to convince their parents to buy it for them, since the previous game was still fairly new and unbeatable for most fans.

Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom – NES (1991)

After two hugely successful games on the NES, it was only natural to give it another try. However, this time the new additions would play it less safe and there would be some changes. The team would be slightly changed, with series mainstay Hideo Yoshizawa taking on a new role within the company and his involvement in the third installment being significantly reduced. Masato Kato, aka Ranmaru, would be in charge.

This changed the direction of Ninja Gaiden’s aesthetics, incorporating more influences from technology instead of realistic settings where Ryu battles the occult. The levels look more mechanical, and the enemies look like robots or rejected laboratory experiments called “bionoids”. The plot this time is more interesting, but also harder to understand. Our protagonist is accused of murdering Irene Lu, there are doppelgangers and betrayals, and all this before a rift between dimensions. To make things a bit more confusing, this story takes place between Ninjagaiden and Ninjagaiden II.

Another change was in the core mechanics, as Ryu himself moves differently. Jumping is now slightly slower, but at the expense of some height, allowing you to reach greater distances. Some players may not realize this unless they know the first two parts. Ninja Master now has new surfaces to climb and can hang from many vertical platforms. A new main ninja technique extends the range of Ryu’s sword, lasting until death or the level is completed.

However, the North American version of the game is more demanding, making this likely the hardest entry on the NES. Whereas players were used to jumping into challenging levels with unlimited sequels, Ninjagaiden III only offers five before the game restarts entirely. Attacks on heroes deal double damage and suffer reduced knockback. There are fewer health pickups and useful items. Additionally, dying on a boss sends players back to the start of the level, making checkpoints more punishing if a continue is required. The timer is merciless, and the password system is gone.

The increase in difficulty between versions is probably due to the rental culture of the game and the fact that Tecmo’s higher-ups were convinced that Americans would like the violent nature of the series. It’s not all bad. Sure, the American version added more enemies, but now they stay dead even when defeated. New to the series. Weather effects and gimmick levels are reduced, and the final boss is a bit more fun.

The game was ported to the Atari Lynx handheld system without sacrificing content, making it the first mobile version of Ninjagaiden outside of the Tiger Electronics games. Although it received good reviews, critics did not seem to like this third installment as much as the first two. Ninjagaiden III did not sell well, in part because fans were skeptical of buying the second installment so soon after the first, and in part because the new consoles were coming out in less than two months. While the game has a loyal following that claims it is the best of the trilogy, most people considered it to be the worst of the trilogy for years to come.

Although these Ninjagaiden games started in arcades, exploded on the NES, and quickly faded away, they do not remain the only titles that defined the era.