Ninjas and 8-bit go together like chocolate and peanut butter, and fans of katanas and throwing stars had more than a few options when it came to pixelated ninja games. One that stood above the pack was Shadow of the Ninja by Natsume, a two-player action game originally released on the Nintendo Entertainment System back in 1990. Now comes Shadow of the Ninja Reborn, a brand-new reimagining of the classic game that will come with new levels, improved graphics, upgraded gameplay and new music from Iku Mizutani, the iconic composer who worked on many of Natsume’s best games. While Shadow of the Ninja Reborn won’t be out until summer, pre-orders are open right now to get your hands on the physical release, as well as a $70 Collector’s Edition pack that comes with the soundtrack and more.
As a huge fan of the 8-bit original, I can’t wait to get my hands on the newly updated version. I think we can all agree that this is genuinely great news, but I still need to ask the question: Is the original Shadow of the Ninja worth playing? To answer that question I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Video Games & Computer Entertainment, GamePro and more classic magazines to see what the critics said back when this game was first released. So, go and get all your ninja cliches ready, because this is Shadow of the Ninja Review Crew.
0:00 – Introduction
1:35 – Shadow of the Ninja (NES)
4:46 – Ninja Gaiden Shadow (Game Boy)
8:08 – Question of the Day
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