Shadow of the Ninja

Shadow of the Ninja
Also known as: Yami no Shigotonen Kage (JP), Blue Shadow (EU) Developer: Natsume Publishers: Natsume (JP/US), Taito (EU) Platform: NES Released in JP: August 10, 1990 Released in US: December 1990 Released in EU: July 25, 1991 This game has unused graphics. This game has a hidden sound test. This game has a hidden level select. This game has regional differences. This game has a prerelease article

Shadow of the Ninja is basically Natsume's take on Ninja Gaiden... except this game features co-op!

Sub-Pages

Prerelease Info

"Sample" Text

Loaded on the title screen exclusively in the PAL release is a set of tiles that spell out "Sample" when properly assembled. This is used (albeit with a different palette) in a prototype of the US version dated October 16, 1990, so it's likely the developers started the localization from US to PAL regions during that period, and forgot to remove the tiles when modifying the title.

The US prototype's title screen, displaying the unused text.

Further evidence is the fact part of the US title (the "of the" text) is similarly left in RAM for the PAL release.

Level Select

At the "players" prompt of the title screen, press A (×4), B (×4), A, B, A, B, A, B, A, B and listen for a sound. Then, hold the combination of buttons shown in the table below and press Start on Controller 1.

Stage	Controller 1	Controller 2
1-1
1-2		B
1-3		A
1-4		A+B
2-1	B
2-2	B	B
2-3	B	A
3-1	B	A+B
3-2	A
3-3	A	B
4-1	A	A
4-2	A	A+B
4-3	A+B
5-1	A+B	B
5-2	A+B	A

Music Test

At the "players" prompt of the title screen, press A (×4), B (×4), A, B, A, B, A, B, A, B and listen for a sound. Then, hold A + B on both controllers and press Start on Controller 1.

Regional Differences

Title Screen

US	Europe	Japan

The European version lacks a ninja-related title entirely, due to contemporary UK censorship laws that forbade children's media from referencing ninja (see: Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles). This was a rather half-hearted change, though, as the intro text still refers to the characters as "Ninja".

You can start the game without having to wait for the intro cutscene to start in the Japanese version. The logo preceding the title screen was changed from Natsume's to Taito's in the European version.