Shadow Dancer (GEN/MD) - The OST

Here's the entire soundtrack in one playlist...

...and the entire soundtrack in one video.

PrinceWatercress plays Shadow Dancer (GEN/MD) - Part 5 of 5

This round is without a doubt the toughest, but if you can get past the five rooms and beat the boss, give yourself a pat on the back!

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Round 5: In The Darkness

Stage 5-1

Instead of stages, you have five rooms. As you go through all the rooms, the enemies will get tougher. The first room has gunmen, the second room has the rolling claw guys, the third room has the green men, the fourth room has the ninjas....and then there's the fifth room. Here, you'll also meet the black ninjas, which take three hits with the normal shurikens instead of two. These guys will make the fifth and final room tough. At least you don't have a time limit anymore.

The third room has a hidden extra life.

If you die at any point, you'll be taken back to the beginning of the room where you died.

To beat Sauros - the final boss - you'll need to contend with the black ninjas that are summoned out from the sides as best as you can, then you will need to get underneath the pillars at the sides, wait for the fire that shoots out of the boss to land on the ground - and the pillars - and disappear. As this happens, the boss' neck will be exposed. Throw two shurikens at that glowing circle above the now-floating ahead before the head lands back on the body. You will have to keep doing this until you beat the boss, and judging by all the deaths that I leave in, this is not the easiest thing in the world, especially as you have to deal with more and more ninjas as you do more damage to the boss. Also, don't even bother using your ninjutsu for a free hit on the boss at that point. It does no damage, and is only good for clearing out ninjas.

PrinceWatercress plays Shadow Dancer (GEN/MD) - Part 4 of 5

In this entry, we're in the dark for a good while. Thankfully, the dog can take care of enemies we can't see.

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Round 4: In The Darkness

Stage 4-1

If you stay at the ends of the "steps," you'll be able to slice any enemies who come your way with the sword.

I usually use my ninjutsu at the first hostage. From here, use the dog attack to make the gunmen afterwards easier to deal with, and be patient when jumping over the pits to keep from making careless mistakes.

Stage 4-2

The cave is not completely lit up. Keep an eye open for any enemies that appear, and if any enemies such as gunmen are in the dark, use the dog attack to find out where they are.

Stage 4-3

The boss here is a Japanese fire wheel enemy. Strike at the boss in the air repeatedly on the off chance that you can hit the glowing sphere in the center as it slows down before it throws fireballs at you. If you're too late, keep a good distance.

The sky in the bonus level is pitch black.

Classic Game Room reviews Shadow Dancer (GEN/MD)

Good thing I was able to find a review for this game...it's Shadow Dancer, for the Sega Genesis!

PrinceWatercress plays Shadow Dancer (GEN/MD) - Part 3 of 5

This is where the game starts getting harder. You'll be fighting for your life as you make your way up the Statue of Liberty in the heart of New York City!

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Round 3: Statue of Liberty

Stage 3-1

In this stage, you'll be making your way up to the exit while fighting various enemies.

The green guys will drop down when you least expect them and crawl towards you once you're in range and they can see you. They are a bit fast and they will not hesitate to jump when necessary.

The hidden 2-Up is on a very small platform on the far right side, and you'll have to do quite a bit of moving around to get it. It is still somewhat easy to get, though.

Stage 3-2

Here, you'll be on the platform where the Stage 3-1 exit was, and it will slowly move up to the top of the Statue of Liberty. As this goes on, you'll have to face a bunch of ninjas. The red and blue ninjas love to hop around, but the yellow ones will definitely charge at you for sure.

If you see the helicopter, jump towards it and over the machine gun fire to avoid getting shot.

When you're able to hold Up and jump to the torch, you're done.

Stage 3-3

The boss here is a warrior with two blade-like discs who alternates between the left and right sides of the platform. Make a walking jump over the blades and throw shurikens on the way down to ensure that you hit the boss in the face. 

The sky in the bonus stage is purple.

PrinceWatercress plays Shadow Dancer (GEN/MD) - Part 2 of 5

Things get a little easier - and a little more interesting - but the difficulty curve in this game will be coming soon enough.

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Round 2: Battle on the Railway

Stage 2-1

Here, you'll be on a destroyed bridge. Look high and low to hunt for hostages and take out enemies, but don't fall in the water or else you're dead.

The ninjas with two swords can appear out of nowhere. They take two hits to kill unless you have an attack power-up.

The platform with the two gunmen near the end has a hidden 2-Up to the right of it. Use your ninjutsu to get rid of the gunmen and reveal the 2-Up, and be careful while getting it.

Stage 2-2

Up and C lets you jump into the background, while Down and C lets you jump back into the foreground. This is useful when you want to get everything on both sides of a chain link fence. Be sure to plan your movements carefully at the second fence; the gunmen will shoot and hit you you when you get on their end.

Stage 2-3

This boss just pops out of the wall and moves its arms at you. Stay as far away from the face as possible and keep throwing shurikens at the face. That's all there is to this boss, which is much easier than the first one.

The bonus stage has a slightly darker sky.

PrinceWatercress plays Shadow Dancer (GEN/MD) - Part 1 of 5

A.D. 1997, New York City. Having vanquished the evil crime empire Neo Zeed, Shinobi was not heard from again. His combat ninja skills were not needed in a peaceful world.

But a new threat arose, in a reptilian form that lived on vicious instinct alone. The colossal monster moved slowly and quietly, and its attack was relentless. The souls unfortunate enough to live became 'hostages'. Mass panic swept the streets.

It remained only for Shinobi to take action. The ninja of the shadows. His weapons were stealth and quickness of attack. His only allies when facing overwhelming force.

Relying on ninja weapons and magic, Shinobi fought on, assisted by his faithful dog. This is the story of their defiance...

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Round 1: Burning Downtown

Stage 1-1

The Control Pad lets you move around, and you can duck walk with Down+Left and Down+Right. A lets you use your ninjutsu, B lets you attack and C lets you jump. Holding Up and pressing C to jump lets you jump up to higher levels in certain locations, much like Namco's Rolling Thunder series. As a matter of fact, the game feels like a ninja-fied Rolling Thunder. One hit, and you're dead.

Holding B charges up the dog's lunge attack, and if the dog runs into an enemy, the dog can latch hold and stun them, leaving you free to attack them. It is possible for the dog to be struck during the lunge or while latched onto an enemy, shrinking the dog into a puppy. Until you save a hostage, you won't be able to get the dog back to normal.

At the top of the screen is your current score, the highest score you've gotten and the amount of time you have left. At the bottom is your ninjutsu, the charge meter for the dog, and the amount of hostages you have left to save before the game lets you leave the current stage.

Moving into hostages lets you rescue them. Some hostages give you points, while others will power-up your weapon, turning your shurikens into blue flames.

The enemies that come at you when they see you are easy enough to defeat.

Watch out with the manholes; towering jets of fire can come out of them, and they hurt if you run into them.

You can duck under the shots from the guys with guns. The best way to fight them is to know when they stand up to fire, then attack them before they attack you.

The dog attack can take care of the guys with shields, making it easier to hit them as their guard is down. If they are throwing a shield, they will also leave themselves open to attack. If you've powered up your shurikens into blue flames, or if you can get close to them and hit them with your sword, however, you can power through their shields and defeat them without any problems. (You will use your sword instead of a shuriken if you an attack an enemy while you are right next to them.)

It is possible to find hidden Union Lizard icons, and if you find them and get them, you can get extra lives from them. The one here is just before the second-to-last manhole.

When you make it to the end, you'll get a time bonus as well as a special bonus for your ninjutsu if you went the whole stage without using it. Your ninjutsu will clear the screen of all enemies currently on the screen if you press A.

Stage 1-2

Here, you'll want to watch out for the rubble that drops down at the start. Also, some enemies will come out of windows; these enemies are clad in red, will roll at you and are dangerous to the touch. They are only vulnerable when not curled up into a ball.

The biggest hazard here, however, are the earthquakes. While they aren't that bad, they do move parts of the stage around and create bottomless pits.

Stage 1-3

Here's your first boss. The weak spot is the head; attack it while avoiding the rubble that drops down. If the boss shoots a fireball, duck under it; jumping over it will not work.

If you can't avoid the rubble in time, use your ninjutsu. You'll hit the boss while also clearing off all the rubble.

At the end of every round is a bonus stage. If you shoot all the ninjas, you'll get an extra life. If you shoot no ninjas, you get an extra life. Don't shoot any ninjas so you can get rewarded for doing absolutely nothing; it's better that way.