Exceptional ninja platformer, known in Europe under this name. Precise mechanics, beautiful nocturnal atmosphere, memorable bosses. Fully on par with Ninja Gaiden. Unjustly overlooked.
Your verdict
Category
Action1 player12+
Co-op
Description
Action platformer featuring two ninjas Kaede and Hayate battling a demon army in a nocturnal city. Published by Taito, released in the USA in 1990. Two ninjas in side-scrolling view with katana and sub-weapons, two-player co-op, imposing bosses and dark visuals. An original Taito ninja platformer on NES.
Shadow of the Ninja review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
The European edition keeps the nocturnal urban scenery and its marked contrasts: factories, trains, sewers, towers under construction beneath a dark sky. The ninja always stands out in a bright tint, and the enemy sprites are drawn broad to stay readable against backgrounds often heavily loaded with metallic detail.
The writing exploits the three voices with remarkable density: a mobile bass running beneath the melody, a continuous countermelody, themes built in distinct sections. The pieces lean toward a dark, tense register, in keeping with the nocturnal scenery, and keep a clean melodic line despite the sonic load.
The original American NES edition of Shadow of the Ninja, released by Taito in 1990, holds a different place than its modern reissue. A technical, demanding action platformer, it stays firmly valued for the quality of Natsume's production and its two-ninja co-op, now a genre benchmark on the console. Its vintage worth rests on the game's enduring reputation and a standard late-8-bit NTSC run, with no late overproduction.
An underrated gem
Often compared to Ninja Gaiden, this Natsume run-and-gun drops two ninjas into urban and futuristic settings, with two-player co-op that changes everything. Released to indifference under several regional names, it never broke through. Its demanding action and razor-sharp controls will thrill fans of old-school ninja challenges.
Is Shadow of the Ninja still worth playing in 2026?
A horizontal run and gun from Natsume, Blue Shadow, known in Japan as Shadow of the Ninja, sends a ninja to face enemies across Japanese and futuristic levels, wielding sword and grappling hook with great fluidity. The snappy pace, the wall climbing, the co-op mode and a careful production evoke the machine's best action games, in the spirit of Ninja Gaiden and Shinobi. The difficulty stays high. For a retro ninja action fan, someone curious about Natsume gems or a collector, the title keeps a remarkable bite and quality.
