Kage / Shadow of the Ninja / Blue Shadow (FC) (1990)
Developer: Natsume

Review by Faididi and Co.

Showy swinging shadows

Story: Average

In 2029, the world is ruled by the ruthless warlord who calls himself Emperor Garuda. Two ninja, Kaede and Hayate, rise from the shadows to defeat him. The opening and ending movies aren't bad, but there's really nothing much to the plot.

Gameplay: Above Average

Natsume's Kage (Shadow of the Ninja, or Blue Shadow) is a 2-Player action platformer that's as much about climbing as it is about combat. Through 5 large side-scrolling stages, Kaede and Hayate can swing along pipes and pull themselves above or below platforms with ease. These climbing moves give the heroes here a degree of mobility not seen in many other action platformers. Curiously, falling into bottomless pits will only cost the heroes some stamina instead of outright wasting them, although the number of credits is limited.

Besides the climbing, there is also a decent choice of weaponry. Kaede and Hayate are initially armed with katana, but they can find and switch over to kusarigama (chain-and-sickle weapons). Either type of these main weapons can be powered up to emit energy waves that increase their attack range. Kaede and Hayate can also pick up limited supplies of shuriken and powerful bombs. The game suffers from some minor hit detection issues, where the heroes' attacks may pass through their targets without effect at times, but they aren't severe enough to ruin all the fun.

The level and enemy designs show off quite a bit of variety. The heroes will fight through rainy docks, large sewers, ruined skyscrapers, a massive airship, and finally the fortress-like enemy headquarters. The bad guys range from various types of evil ninja to an equally diverse bunch of killer robots, and the bosses include giant serpents, a super tank, a transforming mutant, and other impressive-looking monsters.

Controls: Average

While the basic movement controls are responsive, the inconsistent weapon aiming controls can use more work. For some reason, the heroes can swing the kusarigama at multiple angles, but they can attack only to the sides with the katana.

Graphics: Above Average

The characters are drawn well, and the game deserves extra points for drawing the lovely Kaede and the stern Hayate individually, instead of relying on generic ninja spritework with swapped colors. The tank boss looks particularly awesome, thanks to its immense size, and the heavily textured backgrounds contain plenty of animated details, such as blinking lights and rainstorms. On the downside, a lot of slowdown occurs when several objects appear on the screen.

Audio: Average

The blades slash out with a forceful whoosh, and the explosions boom out loudly. Although the somber music is mostly unspectacular, the tunes never grow too annoying. Kaede and Hayate actually yell out whenever they attack or suck up something painful, but the vocal effects are so faint that they could've been dropped without any detriment to the game.

Overall: Above Average

Despite its imperfect hit detection and inconsistent aiming controls, Kage is a solid 2-Player action platformer with cool climbing moves and nice graphics. It's worth checking out for those who love ninja and who enjoy playing together with a friend.