Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi

Shadow Dancer - The Secret of Shinobi is the second game in the series to grace the Genesis/Mega Drive and it appears to be a game that has split Sega fans down the middle. I will start by saying that I feel this home port is actually much more fun than the version Sega put out in the arcades. Keep on reading to see if this is a classic Sega game that is worth checking out!

Taking Down Union Lizard!

For an early 90s Sega game, Shadow Dancer - The Secret of Shinobi has a pretty fun story. This is technically a sequel to The Revenge of Shinobi which is cool. There is an organization called Union Lizard and they are aiming to take over the world. They have destroyed most of the city and taken a bunch of hostages and only you can stop them. For a side-scroller, the story is pretty solid in all honesty.

Tough Like A Ninja

In my experience what makes people, not like this game is how hard it is. This game does not screw around and truth be told, it is borderline aggravating. Before we get to that let me tell you more about the way the game plays. This is a side-scrolling action game, you have a sword and shuriken’s that you can use to kill enemies. The main “gimmick” of this game is that you can use a dog to attack enemies too.

You move through each level, taking down enemies and the main goal is to rescue all of the hostages. If you miss one and have to go back, enemies will have respawned. There are five stages with each one having a few levels. There is a bonus stage after a level and there is a decent number of boss fights too. I

Hit Me Baby One More Time

The two things that stop Shadow Dancer - The Secret of Shinobi from being a true classic are first of all the one-hit deaths. One hit and you are dead and you have to start the level from the beginning, no matter how far through it you were! The second annoying thing is the enemy placement and respawning. The majority of the time you will die in this game will be from an enemy that shoots you off-screen or from an enemy that appears out of nowhere, giving you no time to react. This can make you want to turn the game off and never play it again.

That Sega Look

This is a solid-looking game; each area has its own theme and the way your character moves and is animated is very well done. It has that Sega late 80s early 90s style that is so beloved. The game also has a rocking soundtrack which I feel is often overlooked when people talk about this game. It may not be as good in the music department as the game that came before it, but it is a damn fine soundtrack on its own.

Pros:

• This game has a kickass soundtrack
• I liked the visuals
• The way you can set the dog on people is fun
• It controls well enough

Cons:

• The one-hit deaths are more frustrating than challenging
• The way the enemies come out of nowhere is annoying