Ninja Gaiden (NES) Playthrough
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Publicado 2023-11-18
Tecmo finally hit their stride in the North American NES market in early 1989 with the release of a pair of games that would go on to establish two of the biggest and most recognizable third-party names of the era – Tecmo Bowl ( • Tecmo Bowl (NES) Playthrough ) and Ninja Gaiden.
Ninja Gaiden (known as Shadow Warriors in PAL territories) was developed alongside the arcade title of the same name, though the games bear little resemblance to one another. Ninja Gaiden on the NES is an action-platformer, and when it first released, it was celebrated for its refined gameplay mechanics, high level of difficulty, excellent graphics and sound, and the cinematic presentation of its story.
The intro opens with a dramatic shot of an open field under a full moon. Two ninja break into a sprint and leap toward one another, blades drawn, and meet with a sharp metallic clang. As we watch one of the men slump to the ground in the distance, the narrator questions why his father had to die in such a way. In his father’s belongings, Ryu finds a letter telling him that he must bring the family's sword to an archaeologist in America. "I will get my revenge!"
What a way to kick off the adventure! That iconic sequence served as a striking introduction to the “Tecmo Theater Cinema Display," a collection of techniques used to create the plot driving cutscenes, and the game makes heavy use of this innovation throughout. These lengthy sequences bookend each of Ninja Gaiden's six acts, and they place the story at the forefront more than any other game had so far on the NES. They make up roughly half the game's playtime, and their novelty and the quality of the art and storytelling will keep you on the edge of your seat, pushing you to keep going in order to see what happens next.
Ninja Gaiden isn't all flash, though. The mechanics and controls stand with the best action games on the NES, and the first half does a nice job of easing you into the action. The game is an absolute blast to play, but be warned: Ninja Gaiden‘s reputation as one of the hardest NES games is well deserved.
The gloves come off when you hit Act V. Enemies relentlessly flood the screen, endlessly respawn, and constantly attempt to knock you back into bottomless pits. It takes some real dedication to get through the final areas, even with unlimited continues. It's especially cruel the way it sends you all the way back to stage 6-1 if you die during the final boss rush. I raged so hard at that as a kid, but I had such a feeling of accomplishment when I beat it for the first time!
Ninja Gaiden was an excellent game that set a new high bar for presentation and storytelling in the 8-bit era, and it was one of the NES library's defining classics. I love it.
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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Todos los comentarios (21)
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In 1989, Ninja Gaiden was the epitome of epic storytelling, cutting edge 8-bit graphics, and unrelenting challenge in video games. What a classic.
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I remember being a kid and seeing these cutscenes and thinking how incredible and cinematic the game felt. And the fact that you got to play an awesome action game between them was icing on the cake to me 😂
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A game that's punishingly hard but you feel like a champion when you finally get through it. What a gem.
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Tecmo's classic sure hits different. I can only imagine how incredible those cutscenes were at the time.
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The music in this game is so good!
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'Come and fight, young Hayab..." explodes
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I received Ninja Gaiden as a birthday present as a kid. It mesmerized me and I view it as a masterpiece. You have to learn how to navigate this game inch by inch or you will die, often. It is like the first Castlevania or Super Ghouls N Ghosts in that way, but it is so rewarding when you finally finish it. The opening cinematic and the cut scenes are incredible. I also would venture to say that it has one of the best soundtracks in any video game ever. I still think of this game, its atmosphere, music, sounds, bosses and graphics over 30 years later. What a rare gem it is.
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I swear I remember very well when I was young, my love for this game, and I started to finish it without dying once and with absolutely minimal damage
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TECMO was waaaaaay ahead of its time with cutscenes in video games.
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I couldn’t beat this game until I became an adult. The music & cutscenes are top tier 🤌🏽 still my favorite game on the nes console.
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What can I say about this game that hasn't been previously said. It has been 35 years since it was first released in Japan. Although the other two games in the trilogy have all the refinements, the first one remains my favorite.
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18:31 So the cut scenes between levels were revolutionary but this one in particular towers above the rest for me. The way the game abruptly cuts to it, then has ominous music build and crescendo with Ryu in the foreground and the Jaquio's demented castle in the background as a cold wind blows - just epic. No dialogue, no melodrama, just everything you need to know described with a few measures of music and one striking image. It's the kind of thing that you'd think would happen right before the last level but it occurs at just over the halfway point, showing just how involved Ninja Gaiden's story was compared to everything else at the time.
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Thanks for reminding me how ludicrously overpowered that spinning jump move was... 😂
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The soundtrack of this game is one of the most amazing of not only in the 8-Bit era, but of all time!
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This, Gauntlet II, Metroid and Super Mario Bros 3 are my all-time favorite NES games.
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Absolutely nailed it! Your Ninja Gaiden playthrough is a true masterpiece. The way you navigated through those intense levels and conquered every challenge was incredibly impressive. Your skill and dedication to showcasing this classic game's essence shine brightly. Can't wait for more content like this - keep up the fantastic work!
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I love retro graphics and music!
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I used to play this everyday after school I ❤️ this game
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I am sure a lot of controllers were broken after a loss to one of the final bosses. I will never forget the look on my older brother’s face when that happened to him for the first time.
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Even though the difficulty is unforgivable, this game is a fan-favorite among NES players. At least the cutscenes are awesome for the time.
