Ninja Gaiden Shadow, released in Japan as and in Europe and Australia as Shadow Warriors, is a side-scrolling action game

Action game

Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...

 released for the Game Boy

Game Boy

The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...

 in 1991

1991 in video gaming

-Notable releases:*Microprose creates Civilization, Sid Meier's most successful game .*Electronic Arts releases James Pond 2 and Road Rash for Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, starting a series of games that were popular in the 1990s....

 by Tecmo. It is a spinoff of the Ninja Gaiden

Ninja Gaiden

is a series of video games by Tecmo featuring the ninja Ryu Hayabusa as its protagonist. The series was originally known as in Japan. The word "gaiden" in the North American Ninja Gaiden title means "side-story" in Japanese, even though the Ninja Gaiden series is not a spinoff of a previous series...

series.

Plot

Set three years before the events of the first Ninja Gaiden for the NES, the player controls Ryu Hayabusa, who must save New York City from the forces of Emperor Garuda (Emperor Gulf in the European version), a servant of Jaquio. Garuda's minions includes the cyborg "Spider", kickboxer Gregory and his manager Jack, former military commander Colonel Allen, and the Japanese nobleman Fūkisai.

Gameplay

Ninja Gaiden Shadow features simplified play mechanics compared to the one used in the NES trilogy. In contrast to the variety of ninja arts and power-ups in the NES games, Ryu only has a basic sword attack and a Fire Wheel attack that can be replenish for up to five uses. While Ryu cannot stick to or climb walls like in the NES games, he can hang onto railings and move underneath them like in Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom

Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom

Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom, known in Japan as is a side-scrolling platforming video game developed and published by Tecmo. It was released in Japan on for the Famicom and in North America in August 1991 for the Nintendo Entertainment System...

, and use both, his sword attack and the Fire Wheel art, while hanging unto railings. Ryu is also equipped with a grappling hook that allows him to latch unto hard-to-reach railings. Like in the NES versions, Ryu can find health potions, fire wheel stocks, and extra lives by destroying item containers.

Development

Ninja Gaiden Shadow was originally planned to be a Game Boy adaptation of the NES game Shadow of the Ninja

Shadow of the Ninja

is a futuristic ninja-themed side-scrolling action game by Natsume for the Nintendo Entertainment System originally released in Japan in and in North America and Europe in...

. The Nagoya division of Natsume

Natsume Co., Ltd

is a Japanese video game developer and publisher in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan founded on October 20, 1987. Its American branch, Natsume Inc., is located in Burlingame, California...

, which developed Shadow of the Ninja, also developed Ninja Gaiden Shadow.