Kikoskia plays Ninja Gaiden Shadow - Part 1 of 4

Believe it or not, Ninja Gaiden actually appeared on Game Boy. Too bad it's not the experience I hoped for.

All maps by Will Mallia.

Interestingly, the game takes place in 1985. This game actually takes place before the first Ninja Gaiden game. It should also be mentioned that this is made by the same developers as Shadow of the Ninja for NES, and the game was originally meant to be a port of that game.

Anyway, you're saving New York City from the evil forces of Emperor Garuda (Emperor Gulf in the European version), who is a servant of Jaquio. 

Stage 1

Map

You just have six units of health as well as only one ninjitsu attack that you can store multiple uses of (the fire wheel power from the NES series).

The flashing crystal balls contain the power-ups you'll be hunting for in this game. The ninpo orb gives you another ninjitsu attack, while the potions refill your health. A small bottle fills up two units, while the big one gives you full health.

This game is noticeably slower than the NES games.

In this stage, you'll be dealing with missile-firing cannon (duck under the missiles), guys that seemingly try to alert people of your presence (for no reason), and bombs that shoot up a fire pillar when destroyed.

Unlike the other Ninja Gaiden games, you can't wall jump. Instead, the game gives you a grappling hook. Up and the A button throws it up. Why they couldn't put wall jumping into the game, I don't know. All I know is that the lack of it combined with other factors makes this game feel a lot like the odd man out.

The boss here is the cyborg Spider. Attack him as he crawls around before he jumps up to the ceiling and starts crawling on it. When you're under him, he'll either come straight down at you or come down to the floor at a slight angle. He's more likely to jump straight down if you just stand there. Move around so he won't hit you on the way down, then start slashing at him again until his attack pattern repeats once more. He's an easy boss, but he can be a pain in the pants if you don't know what not to do.

Stage 2

Map

This stage introduces the mainstays of the Ninja Gaiden earlier than the NES games do. Most notably, you'll be dealing with flying robots that vertically track you, men with guns and cyborgs that send flames across the ground. You'll also see conveyor belts now and again, too.

If you go back for the seemingly unreachable orb at the start of the second section of the stage, you'll get an extra life (just a circle with a picture of Ryu's head on it).

The men with the shields stop moving every so often to hold up their shields to protect themselves from harm. When they start moving again, they're completely vulnerable.