Ninja Gaiden Shadow

What began as a Shadow of the Ninja design reached the Game Boy in 1991 as Ninja Gaiden Shadow, released by Tecmo with Natsume sharing the development. Ryu takes the sword onto side-view stages crowded with soldiers. The swing is short, the screen is narrow, and a long windup does not fit.

Standing close enough to connect is the real spacing problem, and a thrown blade covers the fighter who refuses to approach. Natsume's side-on stance still shows in his posture even though the name on the box, and the man holding the steel, belong to the Gaiden line. A thin health bar makes a sloppy room expensive.

The Shadow of the Ninja direction supplied the original plan, and Tecmo's choice was to ship Ryu under the Ninja Gaiden name. The cartridge you hold is that finished chapter: corridors, a blade, and groups of enemies who drop once the edge lands. Little happens between those rooms except the next group.

NES chapters in the same series stop for cinema scenes between acts. This one stays inside the side-view fighting, with Ryu already drawn and the corridor already full.