Shinobi
Shinobi, known as 忍 [Shinobu], "Ninja" in Japan, is a run-and-gun platform game developed and published by Sega for the arcade in 1987, and then ported to the majority of platforms of the day. In the game, you play the ninja Joe Musashi who must fight his way through various stages rescuing hostage children who have been kidnapped by a terrorist organization named Zeed.
My first memory of Shinobi was at the arcade room in Lakeland Arena in the late 1980s. Since my parents never game me quarters, I could never play it myself, by I enjoyed watching other people play it. I thought the game looked pretty cool, but nobody who played it ever got very far into the game. Only once did I ever see someone beat the bonus round. Years later, with the help of MAME, I was able to play the game through using freeplay.
Status
I do not own any of the port and haven't beat any.
Review
- Overall: 4/10
- Best Version: Arcade
Good
- The game has great graphics and sound for the day.
- Ninjas were really popular in the late 1980s, and this game delivered. There are ninja stars, swords, guns, and scary Japanese bosses, etc.
Bad
- Like most arcade games, Shinobi is meant to eat quarters. In the later stages, the game play becomes extremely unfair. There are all sorts of enemies that show up and attack before you're able to react requiring dozens of play-throughs before you memorize the game.
Ugly
- Nothing.
Media
Links
- mobygames.com/game/shinobi - MobyGames.
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinobi_(video_game) - Wikipedia.