Shadow Dancer
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| Shadow Dancer | |
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| Developer(s) | Sega |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Composer(s) | Yuri Kobayashi (Tsukachan) |
| Series | Shinobi series |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Sega Master System, Sega Genesis, ZX Spectrum, Virtual Console, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable |
| Release date(s) | Arcade on December 31, 1989, Master System on June 1, 1991, other ports in 1991 |
| Genre(s) | Side-scroller |
| Mode(s) | Up to 2 players, alternating turns |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: E10+ |
| Input methods | Joystick |
| Cabinet | Upright |
| Arcade system | Sega System 18 |
Shadow Dancer (シャドー・ダンサー) is an arcade game, developed and published by Sega in 1989. It is the arcade sequel to the original Shinobi.
A heavily altered Genesis version of the game was released, titled Shadow Dancer: The Secret of the Shinobi (シャドー・ダンサー ザ・シークレット・オブ・シノビ). This version was itself ported to the PlayStation Portable and the PlayStation 2 in the Sega Genesis Collection.
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[edit] Plot
The plot, and even the main character's identity, varies between versions of the game, although the actual game has no in-game storyline. In the original Japanese plot of the Mega Drive version, the main character is Joe Musashi's son, Hayate (疾風), who was brought over to America raised by a Japanese-American named "Dick C. Kato", along with his pet dog Yamato (大和). Hayate and Yamato sets out to avenge Kato's death after he is killed by a mysterious organization called the Union Lizard.[1] In the English localization of Mega Drive/Genesis game, the main character is actually Musashi himself (instead of his son) and Kato is made into one of Musashi's students, who is also killed in this version of the plot. Yamato is made into Kato's pet dog, which Musashi adopts after his original owner's death.
[edit] Gameplay
The gameplay is very similar to previous Shinobi games except with the addition of the dog as a game mechanic. The dog can harass enemies, allowing the player to kill them more easily. Some enemy types are designed in such a way that killing them is extremely difficult without the assistance of the dog. In the arcade version, the player can press down and attack to call the dog. It is not possible to summon the dog while standing up. When the dog is hurt, it shrinks into a puppy, incapable of attacking until the next power-up is obtained, a certain amount of time has passed, or a new stage or life is started. In the home versions, the dog is always present, and must be given manual attack orders by holding down the attack button to charge a meter. If the dog is hurt, it automatically heals after a short amount of time.
Bombs (or hostages in the home versions) are scattered across the stage waiting to be disarmed. The goal of each stage is to disarm a certain number of bombs before facing the boss.
The player character's standard weapons are an unlimited supply of throwing stars, along with his sword when attacking at close range. He can also perform "ninja magic," which may be used only once per stage and kills (or damages, in the case of bosses) all enemies on the screen. On the arcade version, in order to entice you to continue to play once all your lives have been exhausted, you are offered from 2-4 ninja magics for that stage, with more ninja magics being offered for the longer you continue. A single power-up exists, which upgrades the shuriken into flaming shurikens and changes the close-range attacks to more powerful sword slashes.
The game contains 4 rounds divided into sub sections totaling 15 stages. The Sega Master System port is the shortest game among all versions. Every round has only one regular and one boss stage.
The arcade version of Shadow Dancer featured bonus stages where the player will go up against a group of ninjas climbing down a building in the style of a first person shooter. The bonus stage is the same on all the ports except for Mega Drive version. In this version, the player is depicted free-falling between two buildings while enemies wall-jump back and forth between them. The player moves left and right, throwing shuriken to hit the enemies before they jump past the top of the screen. The SMS version has both bonus rounds.
[edit] Reception
The game was reviewed in 1991 in Dragon #172 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 5 out of 5 stars.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ "シャドー・ダンサー ザ・シークレット・オブ・シノビ" (in Japanese). http://vc.sega.jp/vc_shadow/. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
- ^ Lesser, Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk (August 1991). "The Role of Computers". Dragon (172): 55-64.
[edit] External links
- Shinobi Expanded Universe
- Shadow Dancer at the Killer List of Videogames
- Covers and Sega Master System screenshots
- Classic Gaming
- Shadow Dancer at MobyGames
- Shadow Dancer at World of Spectrum
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