<s>
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
,	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
as	O
and	O
in	O
Europe	O
as	O
Shadow	B-Application
Warriors	I-Application
,	O
is	O
a	O
1988	O
side-scrolling	O
beat-	B-Application
'	I-Application
em-up	I-Application
game	O
,	O
originally	O
released	O
by	O
Tecmo	O
as	O
a	O
coin-operated	O
arcade	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
first	O
released	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
and	O
Europe	O
in	O
late	B-Application
1988	I-Application
,	O
and	O
then	O
in	O
Japan	O
in	O
February	O
1989	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
released	O
in	O
the	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
franchise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
arcade	B-Application
game	O
was	O
a	O
major	O
commercial	O
success	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
,	O
becoming	O
the	O
highest-grossing	O
arcade	B-Application
conversion	B-Application
kit	I-Application
of	I-Application
1989	I-Application
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tthe	O
player	O
controls	O
a	O
ninja	O
hired	O
by	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
government	O
to	O
defeat	O
an	O
evil	O
cult	O
led	O
by	O
Bladedamus	O
,	O
a	O
descendant	O
of	O
Nostradamus	B-Application
who	O
seeks	O
to	O
fulfill	O
his	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
world	O
prophecies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Flooding	O
the	O
streets	O
of	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
with	O
criminals	O
released	O
from	O
Alcatraz	B-Application
,	O
Bladedamus	O
has	O
kidnapped	O
the	O
President	O
and	O
acquired	O
codes	O
for	O
launching	O
the	O
nation	O
's	O
ICBMs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
most	O
beat-	B-Application
'	I-Application
em-ups	I-Application
,	O
players	O
proceed	O
through	O
stages	O
by	O
defeating	O
enemies	O
scattered	O
through	O
each	O
area	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
arcade	B-Application
game	O
was	O
produced	O
and	O
released	O
almost	O
simultaneously	O
with	O
its	O
home	B-Application
console	I-Application
counterpart	I-Application
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
Entertainment	O
System	O
,	O
although	O
they	O
are	O
different	O
games	O
with	O
only	O
a	O
few	O
similarities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
designer	O
of	O
the	O
arcade	B-Application
game	O
is	O
only	O
credited	O
as	O
"	O
Strong	O
Shima	O
"	O
,	O
but	O
Masato	O
Kato	O
,	O
who	O
worked	O
on	O
the	O
NES	O
version	O
,	O
identified	O
him	O
as	O
one	O
"	O
Mr.	O
Iijima	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Europe	O
,	O
home	O
versions	O
of	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
were	O
released	O
under	O
the	O
Shadow	B-Application
Warriors	I-Application
title	O
in	O
1990	B-Application
by	O
Ocean	O
Software	O
for	O
five	O
different	O
computer	O
platforms	O
(	O
Amiga	B-Device
,	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
,	O
Commodore	O
64	O
,	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
North	O
America	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
published	O
for	O
the	O
IBM	B-Device
PC	I-Device
by	O
Hi-Tech	O
Expressions	O
,	O
and	O
as	O
a	O
single-player	O
game	O
for	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
Lynx	I-General_Concept
console	O
by	O
BlueSky	O
Software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
arcade	B-Application
version	O
of	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
is	O
also	O
included	O
as	O
a	O
hidden	O
bonus	O
game	O
in	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
Black	O
for	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Application
in	O
2005	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
game	O
was	O
ported	O
to	O
the	B-Operating_System
Nintendo	I-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
as	O
a	O
downloadable	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
Arcade	B-Application
game	O
and	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
July	O
28	O
,	O
2009	O
,	O
in	O
PAL	O
regions	O
on	O
November	O
13	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
December	O
21	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
port	O
was	O
released	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Arcade	B-Application
Archive	I-Application
series	O
on	O
May	O
9	O
,	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
arcade	B-Application
game	O
was	O
a	O
major	O
commercial	O
success	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
,	O
becoming	O
the	O
highest-grossing	O
arcade	B-Application
conversion	B-Application
kit	I-Application
of	I-Application
1989	I-Application
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Japan	O
,	O
Game	O
Machine	O
listed	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
on	O
their	O
March	O
15	O
,	O
1989	O
issue	O
as	O
being	O
the	O
second	O
most-successful	O
table	O
arcade	B-Application
unit	O
of	O
the	O
month	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
arcade	B-Application
game	O
was	O
well	O
received	O
by	O
critics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nick	O
Kelly	O
of	O
Commodore	O
User	O
called	O
it	O
"	O
the	O
next	O
generation	O
for	O
Double	B-Application
Dragon	I-Application
fans	O
"	O
with	O
praise	O
for	O
the	O
controls	O
,	O
background	O
variety	O
and	O
two-player	O
mode	O
,	O
but	O
with	O
some	O
criticism	O
towards	O
the	O
"	O
slightly	O
washed-out	O
"	O
graphics	O
and	O
"	O
gory	O
"	O
continue	O
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
and	O
Video	O
Games	O
called	O
it	O
a	O
"	O
slick	O
beat	B-Application
'	I-Application
em	I-Application
up	I-Application
"	O
similar	O
to	O
Bad	B-Application
Dudes	I-Application
vs.	I-Application
Dragon	I-Application
Ninja	I-Application
(	O
1988	O
)	O
with	O
"	O
smooth	O
"	O
graphics	O
and	O
"	O
masses	O
of	O
action	O
"	O
that	O
is	O
"	O
great	O
fun	O
"	O
in	O
two-player	O
mode	O
,	O
despite	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
originality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewing	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
Lynx	I-General_Concept
version	O
,	O
Robert	O
A	O
.	O
Jung	O
with	O
IGN	O
said	O
the	O
story	O
was	O
irrelevant	O
and	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
a	O
scaled	O
down	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
arcade	B-Application
original	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
praised	O
the	O
graphics	O
but	O
in	O
his	O
final	O
verdict	O
he	O
wrote	O
that	O
"	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
is	O
not	O
a	O
bad	O
game	O
;	O
it	O
's	O
just	O
not	O
a	O
good	O
game	O
,	O
either.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Rob	O
Swan	O
with	O
Computer	O
and	O
Video	O
Games	O
said	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
exactly	O
the	O
same	O
as	O
the	O
arcade	B-Application
coin-op	O
and	O
felt	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
a	O
little	O
short	O
of	O
superb	O
but	O
really	O
addictive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewing	O
the	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
version	O
,	O
Your	O
Sinclair	O
praised	O
the	O
colorful	O
graphics	O
and	O
interactive	O
backgrounds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sinclair	O
User	O
summed	O
it	O
up	O
with	O
"	O
there	O
is	O
n't	O
really	O
a	O
speck	O
of	O
originality	O
about	O
Shadow	B-Application
Warriors	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewing	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
and	O
Spectrum	O
versions	O
,	O
C+VG	O
highlighted	O
the	O
music	O
and	O
sound	O
effects	O
.	O
</s>
