Ninja Spirit
Encyclopedia
Ninja Spirit, known in Japan
as , is a 1988
platform
arcade game
developed and published by Irem.
who lost his father to a mysterious half-man half-beast creature. The plot of Ninja Spirit is based on the quest of his revenge in an alternative feudal Japan.
The ninja is always armed with the sword Righteous Cloud which can be fluidly used to attack in all directions. Extra weapons include the Swirling Leaf (shuriken
s), the Bamboo Thunder (bombs), and the Rising Dragon (kusarigama
). There are also several powerup items, such as one unleashing multiple ninja ghosts to assist the player.
format being the most popular (in this version there were two styles of mode: the PC engine mode which provides a lengthy healthbar, and the Arcade mode, which is a more challenging mode where the ninja dies with the slightest contact). On May 14, 2007, this game was ported to the Nintendo Wii's Virtual Console
.
Ninja Spirit later appeared in the Japan-only Game Boy
title, Shuyaku Sentai Irem Fighter
along with other characters from the game, as well as characters from three other Irem franchises: R-Type
, Mr. Heli and Hammerin' Harry
.
.
. In 2010, CraveOnline
featured this version in the article Top 10 Ninja Games Of All Time, commenting: "Ninja Spirit for the TurboGrafx-16 was a lot like “Legend of Kage
” on the NES, except better in every way ... both challenging and sort of relaxing at the same time."
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as , is a 1988
1988 in video gaming
-Events:*June — Nintendo releases the last issue of "Nintendo fun club news";*July — Nintendo releases the first issue of Nintendo Power magazine.-Notable releases:*January 8, Konami releases Super Contra....
platform
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
developed and published by Irem.
Story
The game's hero, Moonlight (Gekkou, 月光), is a young ninjaNinja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
who lost his father to a mysterious half-man half-beast creature. The plot of Ninja Spirit is based on the quest of his revenge in an alternative feudal Japan.
Gameplay
There are a total of seven stages varying from woodlands, wastelands, swamps, temples and cliffs. Each stage begins with the player slashing his way to the end, until he confronts a level boss.The ninja is always armed with the sword Righteous Cloud which can be fluidly used to attack in all directions. Extra weapons include the Swirling Leaf (shuriken
Shuriken
A shuriken is a traditional Japanese concealed weapon that was generally used for throwing, and sometimes stabbing or slashing...
s), the Bamboo Thunder (bombs), and the Rising Dragon (kusarigama
Kusarigama
The is a traditional Japanese weapon that consists of a kama on a metal chain with a heavy iron weight at the end. The kusarigama is said to have developed during the Muromachi period...
). There are also several powerup items, such as one unleashing multiple ninja ghosts to assist the player.
Ports and related releases
The game was successfully ported onto multiple platforms, with the TurboGrafx-16TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16, fully titled as TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem and known in Japan as the , is a video game console developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, released in Japan on October 30, 1987, and in North America on August 29, 1989....
format being the most popular (in this version there were two styles of mode: the PC engine mode which provides a lengthy healthbar, and the Arcade mode, which is a more challenging mode where the ninja dies with the slightest contact). On May 14, 2007, this game was ported to the Nintendo Wii's Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
.
Ninja Spirit later appeared in the Japan-only 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...
title, Shuyaku Sentai Irem Fighter
Shuyaku Sentai Irem Fighter
is a 1993 strategy video game developed and published by Irem exclusively in Japan for the Nintendo Game Boy on July 30, 1993. It features characters from four of Irem's franchises: R-Type, Mr. Heli, Ninja Spirit, and Hammerin' Harry....
along with other characters from the game, as well as characters from three other Irem franchises: R-Type
R-Type
is a side scrolling shoot-em-up arcade game produced by Irem in 1987. The player controls a space fighter named R-9a "Arrowhead" to defend humanity against a mysterious but powerful alien life-form known as "Bydo", which was later discovered to be not entirely alien in origin...
, Mr. Heli and Hammerin' Harry
Hammerin' Harry (series)
Hammerin' Harry, known in Japan as , is a series of platforming video games developed and published by Irem in 1990. The titles were developed and published for the arcades, NES, Game Boy, Famicom and Sony PSP platforms.-Games:...
.
Soundtrack
The original soundtrack for the game was released on December 21, 1988 by Alfa RecordsAlfa Records
, originally Alfa Music, was established in 1969 by composer and record producer Kunihiko Murai. It was formed into an independent record label known as Alfa Records in 1977.- History :The company faced much hardship in the 1990s...
.
Reception
Ninja Spirit for the Turbografx-16 was also the first game in history to receive a 10 in Electronic Gaming MonthlyElectronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
. In 2010, CraveOnline
CraveOnline
CraveOnline is a male lifestyle website based in Los Angeles with sales offices in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. The site is owned by media company AtomicOnline, the publishing division of Evolve Media Corp.- History :...
featured this version in the article Top 10 Ninja Games Of All Time, commenting: "Ninja Spirit for the TurboGrafx-16 was a lot like “Legend of Kage
Legend of Kage
The Legend of Kage is a 1985 arcade game by Taito and was released for several contemporary home computer systems in 1986.-Story:...
” on the NES, except better in every way ... both challenging and sort of relaxing at the same time."
External links
- Ninja Spirit Strategy Guide (TurboGrafx-16) at TurboPlayTurboPlayTurboPlay Magazine was a bi-monthly, U.S.-based video game magazine published by L.F.P. from June/July 1990 through August/September 1992. It was available via subscription only . A total of 14 issues were released, on schedule...
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