Shinobi

Shinobi is a side-scrolling action game where ninja master Joe Musashi fights to stop the evil Zeed clan from plunging Japan into darkness. You are hired to track down crime bosses guilty of kidnapping innocent girls. Navigate through five enemy bases, defeating henchmen with lightning-fast swordplay and ninjutsu magic while freeing captured hostages. Execute precision sword strikes, throw unlimited shurikens at distant foes, perform acrobatic jumps, and master ninjutsu techniques. Bonus stages pit you in shooting galleries firing endless shuriken at ninja racing across platforms. One-hit kills demand perfect reflexes and pattern memorization for survival.

Master System

Developed and published by Sega and released in June 1988 in Japan, followed by North America and Europe, the Master System conversion earned critical acclaim. Introduces major gameplay refinements replacing arcade's one-hit kills with a health gauge, making the game significantly more forgiving. Features exclusive weapons including throwing knives, grenades, pistols, nunchaku, and manriki-gusari chain weapons. Includes eight different ninjutsu magic techniques unavailable in arcade. Hostage rescues become optional yet required to access bonus stages featuring first-person shooting perspectives. The conversion presents attractively designed stages with well-animated sprites and decent environments, though color palette choices sometimes feel unsettling. Boss encounters are well-designed and memorable. Difficulty proves challenging but fair due to health mechanics. A gem of the Master System library that stands head-and-shoulders above the infamous Tengen NES conversion.