The Revenge of Shinobi

1989 · Platform · Genesis

Overview

The Revenge of Shinobi (1989) is Sega's Genesis ninja game scored by Yuzo Koshiro, whose enemies looked so like Spider-Man, Batman and Godzilla that it went through several revisions.

Deep Dive

Joe Musashi crosses eight districts, each with two platforming scenes and a boss. A somersault lets him throw eight shuriken at once in mid-air. There are four difficulty levels and two endings, depending on whether he saves his bride.

Developer Story

Noriyoshi Ohba directed it. Koshiro's score was a turning point in his career, and Ohba later asked him to compose Streets of Rage. Dragon gave it five stars, though it found the final boss too hard.

Did You Know?

Spider-Man was licensed only in some versions, and later re-releases replaced him with a recoloured character.
In Japan it was called The Super Shinobi.