Ninjas and 8-bit go together like chocolate and peanut butter, and fans of katanas and throwing stars had more than a few options when it came to pixelated ninja games. One that stood above the pack was Shadow of the Ninja by Natsume, a two-player action game originally released on the Nintendo Entertainment System back in 1990. Now comes Shadow of the Ninja Reborn, a brand-new reimagining of the classic game that will come with new levels, improved graphics, upgraded gameplay and new music from Iku Mizutani, the iconic composer who worked on many of Natsume's best games. While Shadow of the Ninja Reborn won't be out until summer, pre-orders are open right now to get your hands on the physical release, as well as a $70 Collector's Edition pack that comes with the soundtrack and more.

As a huge fan of the 8-bit original, I can't wait to get my hands on the newly updated version. I think we can all agree that this is genuinely great news, but I still need to ask the question: Is the original Shadow of the Ninja worth playing? To answer that question I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Video Games & Computer Entertainment, GamePro and more classic magazines to see what the critics said back when this game was first released. So, go and get all your ninja cliches ready, because this is Shadow of the Ninja Review Crew.


If you were a fan of ninjas in the 8-bit era, then you sure had a lot of great action games to choose between. From Ninja Gaiden to Shinobi to Wrath of the Black Manta, this was an era filled to the brim with men in dark pajamas sneaking around the city streets. While the Ninja Gaiden trilogy is hard to top, Shadow of the Ninja comes in a close second. It's an exciting action game that mimics a lot of what Ryu Hayabusa was doing back in the day. In fact, this game was so similar to Tecmo's trilogy, that when it came time to create a Game Boy version of Ninja Gaiden, they opted to port and rename Shadow of the Ninja. That's pretty cool, but this Nintendo Entertainment System version is the one to play, thanks to its color graphics and two-player ninja action. Let's see what the critics had to say about back in 1990.

As you probably expected, Electronic Gaming Monthly's resident fake-ninja, Sushi-X, absolutely loved Shadow of the Ninja: “NOT just another ninja game, but the best one since Gaiden. Two can play, but best as a lone ninja. I really like the character animation and new moves that combine to make this non-stop entertainment.” Steve also loved the game, going as far as to praise the up-and-coming developer: “Shadow of the Ninja is a tremendous first effort from Natsume. The graphics and play action are incredible for this configuration, and have all the action you'd expect in a first-rate title. Expect big things from Natsume!” EGM ended up giving Shadow an average score of 8 out of 10.

That's quite a bit higher than Nintendo Power, who could only muster up a 3.3 out of 5 when they reviewed it. GamePro, on the other hand, matched EGM's score with a 4 out of 5, raving about the graphics and gameplay. “Does the name Natsume ring a bell? This is the first NES cart from that company, whose programming prowess appears in a bunch of other carts, such as Contra and Abadox. Natsume's video game-making experience is certainly in evidence here. This is an exciting adventure cart with excellent graphics and challenging gameplay. The graphics are sharp, with picture perfect stills between levels. The sound effects are great, even the background tunes are catchy.”

The highest score I could find came from Video Games & Computer Entertainment, who gave the game a stellar 9 out of 10. Their biggest criticism was directed at the cliched nature of the martial-arts storyline: “As an entertainment medium, video games are just as legitimate as books or movies, and there's no reason why the subject matter should be limited to spaceships, ninjas and baseball. But Natsume shouldn't be criticized for bringing out ‘another ninja game,' because Shadow of the Ninja is one of the best games of ANY genre.” Now that's a statement I can get behind. If you haven't already, give Shadow of the Ninja a stab.

While it may have the Ninja Gaiden name and may even star Ryu Hayabusa, make no mistakes about it, this Game Boy spin-off started its life as a portable version of Shadow of the Ninja. You can certainly see that in the name, Ninja Gaiden Shadow, as well as the level designs and even the gameplay, which takes a lot of its cues from the 1990 Natsume game. And there's good reason for that, because this Ninja Gaiden spin-off was actually developed by the same team that made Shadow of the Ninja, making this a fun hybrid, no matter which ninja franchise you are a fan of. But what did the critics say all those years ago? Did they mind that this wasn't a proper Ninja Gaiden sequel?

Of all the magazines that reviewed Ninja Gaiden Shadow, only Video Games & Computer Entertainment brought up the connection to Shadow of the Ninja. I like the way they handled it in their review: “Ryu Hayabusa's first appearance on the Game Boy is called Ninja Gaiden Shadow because it was created by Natsume as a portable version of its NES hit, Shadow of the Ninja. A little tweaking, a new introductory sequence and a title change were all it took to convert Natsume's efforts into Tecmo's latest martial arts masterpiece. Aside from the missing intermissions, you won't hear any complaints from me. In some ways, Shadow of the Ninja could be considered a better game than the original Ninja Gaiden.” They concluded that “detailed graphics, realistic animation, a throbbing musical score, nasty boss characters and satisfying gameplay have been the hallmarks of the Ninja Gaiden series to date, and Ninja Gaiden Shadow has no problem meeting any of those criteria.” Video Games & Computer Entertainment gave the game an 8 out of 10.

For what it's worth, not every magazine was as won over by the palate swapping. For example, you saw Nintendo Power give the game a 3.7 out of 5. GamePro went even lower, giving the game a surprising scoring of 3 out of5, arguing that “video ninja masters will note that although Ninja Gaiden Shadow closely resembles the NES games, it doesn't live up to the standard in length or challenge. However, the crisp, authentic graphics and that old black ninja magic make this a good cart for ninja wannabes and a nice afternoon's diversion for hardcore Ryu fans.”

Naysayers aside, most of the critics loved Ninja Gaiden Shadow. You saw ACE ditch their usual (and ridiculous) one-thousand-point scale to give this Game Boy game a 4 out of 5. Computer & Video Games off-shoot, GO!, liked it even more, giving it a high score of 90%. Paul Rand was nearly out of breath when he reviewed it in the magazine's eighth issue: “Phew! Ninja Gaiden Shadow is a furious frenzy from start to finish! You'll go glassy-eyed over the graphics, slaver over the sound and pop a cork over the playability! A brilliant beat ‘em up worthy of anyone's time and money.”

While I prefer the NES original, this Game Boy spin-off is still worth checking out. Let's hope that it comes to the Nintendo Switch Online service or maybe Tecmo decides to release a comprehensive Ninja Gaiden collection. Either way, Ninja Gaiden Shadow is an 8-bit action game that is well-worth playing.