HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

is a side-scrolling
hack-and-slash Hack and slash, also known as hack and slay (H&S or HnS) or slash 'em up, refers to a type of gameplay that emphasizes combat with melee-based weapons (such as swords or blades). They may also feature projectile-based weapons as well (such as ...
action game An action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes a large variety of sub-genres, such as fighting games, beat 'em ups, shooter games, and platform ...
produced by Sega and originally released as an arcade game in
1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker ru ...
. It is the second and the final arcade game in the ''
Shinobi A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance, espionage, infiltration, deception, ambush, bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu.Kawakami, pp. 2 ...
'' series, following the original ''
Shinobi A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance, espionage, infiltration, deception, ambush, bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu.Kawakami, pp. 2 ...
'' itself. The player controls a ninja aided by an attack dog, who is fighting to save the city from a terrorist organization. ''Shadow Dancer'' was the first game developed for the
Sega System 18 Sega is a video game developer, publisher, and hardware development company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, with multiple offices around the world. The company's involvement in the arcade game industry began as a Japan-based distributor of co ...
arcade board hardware, and its generally well-received home versions were released for the
Master System The is an 8-bit History of video game consoles (third generation), third-generation home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was originally a remodeled export version of the Sega Mark III, the third iteration of the SG-1000 series of ...
console and several home computer systems in 1991. A loose adaptation titled '' Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi'' was released exclusively for the
Mega Drive/Genesis The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...
in 1990.


Gameplay

The play mechanics of ''Shadow Dancer'' are similar to these of the arcade version of the original ''
Shinobi A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance, espionage, infiltration, deception, ambush, bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu.Kawakami, pp. 2 ...
''. The controls and almost all of the player's moves from the original ''Shinobi'' are present here as well. The biggest change is the addition of a canine companion, Shadow, that follows the protagonist around. When the dog barks towards an enemy, the player can sic the dog on the enemy by pressing the attack button while crouching, allowing the player an opportunity to attack the enemy while it is being bitten by the dog. However, if the player takes too long to attack the bitten enemy or the enemy has a strong defense, then the dog will be hurt and turn into a harmless pup. The dog will then remain in pup form until the player acquires the next time bomb or finishes the stage. The player's weapons consists of an unlimited supply of
shuriken A ''shuriken'' ( ja, 手裏剣; literally: "hidden hand blade") is a Japanese concealed weapon that was used as a hidden dagger or metsubushi to distract or misdirect. They are also known as throwing stars, or ninja stars, although they we ...
and a sword which is used when adjacent to an enemy. When the player collects half of the time bombs in each stage, stronger weapons are granted until the player finishes the stage or loses a life. The player can also use one of three random ninja magic ('' ninpo'') techniques that will clear the entire screen of enemies. Normally, these techniques can only be used once per stage, but if the player continues the game by inserting more coins and pressing START, the protagonist restarts the stage with two units instead of one. Bonus points are awarded if the player completes the game without using shuriken or ninja magic. There are four different missions, consisting of three stages for the first mission and four stages each for the remaining three. In the first few stages of each mission, the player must collect a certain amount of time bombs scattered throughout the stage in order to proceed to the goal. The final stage in each mission is a confrontation between him and one of four
boss Boss may refer to: Occupations * Supervisor, often referred to as boss * Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier * Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization * Fire boss, a p ...
es: an armoured giant throwing energy balls, a weaponized tank engine, a woman armed with a shield/weapon device, and a female ninja using magic and a
naginata The ''naginata'' (, ) is a pole weapon and one of several varieties of traditionally made Japanese blades ('' nihontō''). ''Naginata'' were originally used by the samurai class of feudal Japan, as well as by ashigaru (foot soldiers) and sōhei ...
(the dog does not appear during boss battles). Between each mission, there is a bonus stage
minigame A minigame (also spelled mini game and mini-game, sometimes called a subgame or microgame) is a short game often contained within another video game. A minigame contains different gameplay elements, and is often smaller or more simplistic, than th ...
seen from the character's perspective as he tosses shuriken at enemy ninjas dropping down from a building. The player is awarded an extra life after successfully completing the minigame.


Plot

The young ninja battles together with his faithful pet dog. In the center of the city, a group of terrorists are committing every imaginable atrocity known to man, including the planting of time bombs throughout the metropolis. Our youthful hero and his canine companion courageously set out to gather all the explosives placed by the evil gang and annihilate the syndicate that manipulates them. The protagonist is never actually named in the original arcade version, although the various home versions gives him differing identities. The manual and packaging description for the Master System version identifies him as Takashi, although the attract sequence in this same version contradicts this by naming him Fuma. The manual for the home computer versions produced by
U.S. Gold U.S. Gold Limited was a British video game publisher based in Witton, Birmingham, England. The company was founded in 1984 by Anne and Geoff Brown in parallel to their distributor firm, CentreSoft, both of which became part of Woodward Brown H ...
, claims that he is
Joe Musashi is a player character and main protagonist in Sega's ''Shinobi'' series of video games, first introduced in 1987. This original Shinobi hero has achieved great popularity during the late 1980s and early 1990s, when it was used as one of Sega's ...
himself, with one print ad for the game referencing Kato and Sauros (who were characters from the Genesis version).


Release

Following its debut as an arcade game in 1989, ''Shadow Dancer'' was released on various home computer formats in Europe in 1991. Versions released for the
Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers introduced by Commodore International, Commodore in 1985. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16- or 32-bit processors, 256 KB or more of RAM, mouse-based GUIs, and sign ...
, Atari ST, Commodore 64,
Amstrad CPC The Amstrad CPC (short for ''Colour Personal Computer'') is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the S ...
, and
ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer. Referred to during development as the ''ZX81 Colou ...
were published by
U.S. Gold U.S. Gold Limited was a British video game publisher based in Witton, Birmingham, England. The company was founded in 1984 by Anne and Geoff Brown in parallel to their distributor firm, CentreSoft, both of which became part of Woodward Brown H ...
and developed by Images. Some of these versions were re-released as budget titles by
Kixx Kixx may refer to: * Kixx (U.S. Gold), a defunct budget video game label associated with former publisher U.S. Gold * KIXX, a radio station broadcasting a Hot AC format serving the Watertown, South Dakota, USA area * Philadelphia KiXX, an America ...
in 1993. The
Master System The is an 8-bit History of video game consoles (third generation), third-generation home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was originally a remodeled export version of the Sega Mark III, the third iteration of the SG-1000 series of ...
port was released in 1991 exclusively in Europe and Brazil. Although this version bears the title '' Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi'' on the packaging (like the Genesis version released in the same year), it is actually based on the arcade version and is simply titled ''Shadow Dancer'' in-game. Most of the content from the arcade version was cut and the play mechanics were modified a bit. Missions now consists of a single side-scrolling stage and a boss encounter. The player's canine companion no longer follows them around, but can still be summoned to kill certain enemies from a distance. Collecting time bombs is now an optional task that the player can conduct while on their way to the goal. When the player gathers all five time bombs in each mission, they will gain an attack power-up for the next boss battle. This version also features bonus stage minigames after completing each mission. While the minigame played after the first and third missions is the same as in the arcade version, the one after the second mission is new: it requires the player to throw shurikens at enemies while both them and the protagonist are in free fall between skyscrapers, and, unlike the other minigame, is played in a third-person perspective.


Reception

In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed it on their January 1, 1990 issue as being the fourth most-successful table arcade unit of the month. ''Shadow Dancer'' was well-received by critics upon its release in arcades. Sean Kelly of ''
Zero 0 (zero) is a number representing an empty quantity. In place-value notation such as the Hindu–Arabic numeral system, 0 also serves as a placeholder numerical digit, which works by multiplying digits to the left of 0 by the radix, usu ...
'' magazine said it was "a pretty impressive" ninja game with "a massive dog/wolf animal thingy that turns into a puppy every time it gets a good kicking" and that, despite being derivative of earlier ninja games (such as ''Shinobi'' and ''
Dragon Ninja also known simply as either ''Bad Dudes'' (on the American NES port) or (in Japan and Europe), is a side-scrolling cooperative beat 'em up game developed and released by Data East for arcades in 1988. It was also ported to many computer and g ...
''), it was "good fun" to play. ''
GamePro Gamepro.com is an international multiplatform video game magazine media company that covers the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software in countries such as Germany and France. The publication, GamePro, was originally la ...
'' praised the arcade game as "a slick-looking ninja quest with excellent 3-D backgrounds, jumpin' animation, and top-notch audio." The home conversions were also well-received. ''
Commodore Format ''Commodore Format'' was a British magazine for users of the Commodore 64 home computer. It was published on the third Thursday of every month. All 61 issues were produced by Future plc. These came towards the end of the machine's commercial life ...
'' awarded this "wondefully playable", "highly polished and challenging game that no one can really afford to miss" a score of 89% upon its Commodore 64 release, and the same score for its 1993 re-release, while ''
Zzap!64 ''Zzap!64'' was a computer games magazine covering games on the Commodore International series of computers, especially the Commodore 64 (C64). It was published in the UK by Newsfield Publications Ltd and later by Europress Impact. The magazi ...
'' gave it 83%. ''
Your Sinclair ''Your Sinclair'', or ''YS'' as it was commonly abbreviated, was a commercially published and printed British computer magazine for the Sinclair range of computers, mainly the ZX Spectrum. It was in circulation between 1984 and 1993. History Th ...
'' described the ZX Spectrum as an "impressive arcade conversion" and "pretty blimming marvellous" and ''
CRASH Crash or CRASH may refer to: Common meanings * Collision, an impact between two or more objects * Crash (computing), a condition where a program ceases to respond * Cardiac arrest, a medical condition in which the heart stops beating * Couch s ...
'' called it "is a good scrolly beat-'em-up with arcade adventure overtones" that is "fast, tough and, above all, playable". ''
Amiga Action ''Amiga Action'' was a monthly magazine about Amiga video games. It was published in the United Kingdom by Europress (later IDG Media) and ran for 89 full issues, from October 1989 to December 1996. After its closure, it was merged into sister ...
'' awarded the Amiga version of ''Shadow Dancer'' a review score of 84% and ranked it as the 19th best action game on the system. ''
RAZE Raze may refer to: * Demolition ** Slighting * Raze, Haute-Saône, a town in France * Raze (house-music group) * Raze (Christian pop group) * Raze (Underworld), a fictional character in the Underworld films * Raze (magazine), a videogame magazi ...
'' gave the Amiga version of ''Shadow Dancer'' a score of 89%. ''
The One The ONE is a shopping centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is built on the site of the former Tung Ying Building at 100 Nathan Road. It was developed by Chinese Estates Holdings and opened in 2010. Owner Joseph Lau Luen-hung ...
'' gave the Amiga version of ''Shadow Dancer'' an overall score of 80%, beginning their review by stating that "if first impressions were anything to go by, then ''Shadow Dancer'' would score very highly indeed ... Unfortunately first impressions don't rate very highly and the early promise soon fades". ''The One'' criticised the "annoying" lack of checkpoints in levels, and expresses that foreground sprites blend in with the game's backgrounds, "thus making the action a touch confusing". ''The One'' praised ''Shadow Dancer's'' graphics, calling it's backgrounds "noteworthy" and noting the game's large sprites as "reminiscent" of the arcade original, furthermore calling ''Shadow Dancer'' "deep" and "colourful". ''The One'' also praised the dog companion feature, stating that it "adds a novel strategic twist" to ''Shadow Dancer's'' gameplay. On the other hand, ''
Retro Gamer ''Retro Gamer'' is a British magazine, published worldwide, covering retro video games. It was the first commercial magazine to be devoted entirely to the subject. Launched in January 2004 as a quarterly publication, ''Retro Gamer'' soon became ...
'' in 2010 declared it inferior to the Sega Mega Drive's 1990 release ''Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi'', "let down by surprisingly stodgy controls, uninspired level design, and a really frustrating difficulty level".''Retro Gamer'' 77 (May 2010), page 66. In contrast, ''
Computer and Video Games ''Computer and Video Games'' (also known as ''CVG'', ''Computer & Video Games'', ''C&VG'', ''Computer + Video Games'', or ''C+VG'') was a UK-based video game magazine, published in its original form between 1981 and 2004. Its offshoot website ...
'' considered the original ''Shadow Dancer'' arcade game to be superior to the Sega Mega Drive game ''Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi''. The game sold around 300,000 copies.


Notes


References


External links

* * *
''Shadow Dancer''
at the HOL Amiga Database {{Authority control 1989 video games Amiga games Amstrad CPC games Arcade video games Sega arcade games Atari ST games Commodore 64 games Multiplayer and single-player video games Platform games Sega video games Master System games Science fantasy video games Shinobi (series) U.S. Gold games Video games about dogs Video games about terrorism Video games set in Miami ZX Spectrum games Video games developed in Japan