The Revenge of Shinobi

Overview

The opposing ninja clan from the original Shinobi title, Zeed, has returned and renamed itself Neo Zeed. They seek revenge on Joe Musashi and his clan.

Gameplay

The game is a 2-D side scrolling beat-em up. Joe is armed with shuriken for distance attacks and ninja magic to handle difficult bosses. He is armed with the Ninjitsu, or quite simply, Ninja Magic. The game consists of differing difficulty levels, with the higher difficulty levels having more enemies, less ability to handle damage, and fewer lives to start with.

Ninjitsu

Special techniques that the player can use that can cause massive damage, increase mobility, and provide invulnerability.

Ikazuchi, the Art of Thunder

You call upon Thunder to surround you with its protection. While enveloped in Ikazuch, you will not be injured and your Life Bar won't decrease. After taking several enemy hits, Ikazuchi fades away.

Kariu, the Art of the Fire Dragon

Assume this jitsu to envelope yourself in a fire column, which then spits and travels, scorching every enemy it touches. Kariu is over when the fire columns disappear.

Fushin, the Art of Floating

Increase your jumping prowess with this jitsu. When you assume Fushin, your jumps and somersaults have maximun height and distance. Fushin stays with you until the scene ends, even if you assume another jitsu.

Mijin, the Art of Pulverizing

By assuming Mijin you become a human explosion that destroys everything in its blast. Use Mijin as a desperate resort, when your life bar is short. Mihin takes your life, so make sure you have another life remaining.

Crates

Inside crates the player will find a variety of items, that will both help, or hinder their progress.

Power Pack

Increases your strength and adds to your weapons. You throw your Shurikins faster and more accurately, you gain a lethals sword for combat, and you apply the skill of Cross Guard, warding off enemy Death Stars with crossed Shurikins.

5 Shurikins

You gain 5 more throwing knives.

20 Shurikins

You acquire 20 more throwing knives.

Small Heart

Your Life Bar gains 2 small bars.

Large Heart

Your Life Bar increases to full strength.

Musashi

You gain an extra life.

Ninjitsu

Ninjitsu (ninja magic) can be used again in the same life, even if you've used it already.

Bomb

An explosive that detonates either when you touch it or its time runs down. Keep away from the blast!

Legacy

Revenge of Shinobi is somewhat well-known for some infamous instances of copyright infringement. The game had bosses who very closely resembled Spider-Man, Batman, Godzilla & The Terminator. All Bosses were altered or replaced in later versions of the game: In version 1.01 Batman was replaced by a bat-like mutant, in 1.02 Spiderman is re-designed to look more like the character (because Sega was developing The Amazing Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin for the Genesis at the time) also the bat creature is removed from the battle entirely, and in 1.03 Godzilla is replaced by a skeletal dinosaur. The copyright issues have been a major reason why the game is not often included in Sega compilation discs. The Virtual Console version has a totally unique version where Spider-Man had a palette swap, but identical abilities (this is due to the license for using Spider-Man was for only limited time, that license is now owned by Activision).

SEGA AGES

As part of the SEGA AGES Online initiative, the game will hit Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Network on May 23rd in Japan (as it's Japanese title, The Super Shinobi). For the PlayStation 3, the title is released for ¥600. For the Xbox 360, the title is released in a bundle with Alex Kidd in Miracle World and Super Hang-On for 800 MS Points.