<s>
}}	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Ancient	I-Application
Ship	I-Application
of	I-Application
Doom	I-Application
is	O
a	O
side-scrolling	O
platform	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Tecmo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
later	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
Lynx	I-General_Concept
by	O
Atari	O
Corporation	O
and	O
released	O
in	O
1993	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
and	O
Europe	O
,	O
the	O
European	O
version	O
retaining	O
the	O
North	O
American	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
III	I-Application
title	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
re-released	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
its	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
Trilogy	O
Super	B-Application
NES	I-Application
compilation	O
in	O
1995	O
in	O
Japan	O
and	O
North	O
America	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Long	O
after	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
service	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
and	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
and	O
Europe	O
on	O
and	O
respectively	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
3DS	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
the	O
third	O
installment	O
of	O
the	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
trilogy	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
events	O
take	O
place	O
between	O
the	O
first	O
two	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
and	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Dark	I-Application
Sword	I-Application
of	I-Application
Chaos	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
features	O
similar	O
gameplay	O
to	O
its	O
previous	O
two	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
titles	O
and	O
includes	O
some	O
new	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
hang	O
overhead	O
from	O
pipes	O
and	O
sword	O
power-ups	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
the	O
previous	O
titles	O
,	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
III	I-Application
received	O
mostly	O
positive	O
reviews	O
from	O
critics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
Lynx	I-General_Concept
port	O
,	O
while	O
receiving	O
general	O
praise	O
for	O
graphics	O
and	O
controls	O
,	O
received	O
poor	O
reception	O
for	O
its	O
sound	O
and	O
for	O
the	O
inability	O
for	O
players	O
to	O
see	O
characters	O
and	O
items	O
,	O
attributing	O
it	O
to	O
the	O
Lynx	B-General_Concept
's	O
small	O
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Between	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
and	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Dark	I-Application
Sword	I-Application
of	I-Application
Chaos	I-Application
,	O
Instruction	O
Manual	O
(	O
NES	O
)	O
,	O
p	O
.	O
6	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Clancy	O
reveals	O
that	O
he	O
and	O
Foster	O
were	O
working	O
together	O
until	O
Foster	O
began	O
to	O
design	O
creatures	O
called	O
"	O
bio-noids	O
"	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Ancient	I-Application
Ship	I-Application
of	I-Application
Doom	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
–	O
transformed	O
superhumans	O
that	O
are	O
infused	O
with	O
"	O
life	O
energy	O
"	O
from	O
an	O
interdimensional	O
rift	O
that	O
appeared	O
after	O
the	O
demon	O
from	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
was	O
defeated.Ninja	O
Gaiden	O
III	O
:	O
The	O
Ancient	O
Ship	O
of	O
Doom	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Inside	O
the	O
subspace	O
,	O
Ryu	O
encounters	O
his	O
resurrected	O
and	O
strengthened	O
look-alike	O
,	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Ancient	I-Application
Ship	I-Application
of	I-Application
Doom	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Clancy	O
gives	O
Ryu	O
the	O
offer	O
to	O
join	O
him	O
and	O
work	O
to	O
wipe	O
out	O
the	O
human	O
race	O
and	O
usher	O
a	O
new	O
age	O
,	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Ancient	I-Application
Ship	I-Application
of	I-Application
Doom	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
thumb|One	O
of	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
IIIs	I-Application
features	O
included	O
the	O
ability	O
for	O
Ryu	O
Hayabusa	O
to	O
hang	O
overhead	O
from	O
pipes	O
,	O
as	O
shown	O
above.Ninja	O
Gaiden	O
III	O
:	O
The	O
Ancient	O
Ship	O
of	O
Doom	O
is	O
a	O
side-scrolling	O
platform	O
game	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
player	O
controls	O
the	O
player	O
character	O
Ryu	O
Hayabusa	O
as	O
he	O
investigates	O
the	O
events	O
behind	O
Irene	O
Lew	O
's	O
death	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ryu	O
is	O
also	O
able	O
to	O
attack	O
enemies	O
with	O
secondary	O
weapons	O
while	O
on	O
a	O
wall	O
by	O
pressing	O
the	O
attack	O
button.Instruction	O
Manual	O
(	O
Lynx	B-General_Concept
)	O
,	O
p	O
.	O
3	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
new	O
feature	O
introduced	O
in	O
Ninja	O
GaidenIII	O
is	O
the	O
ability	O
for	O
Ryu	O
to	O
hang	O
overhead	O
from	O
pipes	O
or	O
ivy	O
;	O
he	O
can	O
swing	O
up	O
on	O
top	O
or	O
drop	O
from	O
them	O
,	O
and	O
as	O
with	O
walls	O
,	O
he	O
can	O
only	O
attack	O
enemies	O
while	O
hanging	O
with	O
secondary	O
weapons.Instruction	O
Manual	O
(	O
Lynx	B-General_Concept
)	O
,	O
p	O
.	O
4	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
the	O
previous	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
games	O
,	O
Ryu	O
's	O
physical	O
strength	O
is	O
represented	O
by	O
a	O
life	O
meter	O
on	O
the	O
top	O
of	O
the	O
screen	O
;	O
it	O
decreases	O
when	O
Ryu	O
gets	O
hit	O
by	O
enemies	O
or	O
other	O
dangerous	O
objects.Instruction	O
Manual	O
(	O
NES	O
)	O
,	O
p	O
.	O
8	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Throughout	O
the	O
levels	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
can	O
find	O
"	O
Recovery	O
Medicine	O
"	O
bottles	O
that	O
partially	O
replenish	O
Ryu	O
's	O
physical	O
strength	O
;	O
as	O
with	O
all	O
other	O
items	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
they	O
are	O
located	O
in	O
crystal	O
balls	O
that	O
Ryu	O
must	O
slash	O
to	O
open.Instruction	O
Manual	O
(	O
Lynx	B-General_Concept
)	O
,	O
p	O
.	O
5	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	B-Application
ends	I-Application
when	O
players	O
lose	O
all	O
their	O
lives	O
,	O
but	O
they	O
can	O
continue	O
and	O
resume	O
play	O
at	O
the	O
beginning	O
of	O
the	O
Act	O
in	O
which	O
they	O
have	O
lost	O
all	O
their	O
lives	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
in	O
the	O
US	O
version	O
of	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
III	I-Application
,	O
players	O
only	O
get	O
five	O
continues	O
total	O
before	O
being	O
required	O
to	O
restart	O
the	O
game	O
from	O
the	O
beginning.Instruction	O
Manual	O
(	O
NES	O
)	O
,	O
p	O
.	O
7	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ryu	O
can	O
defeat	O
enemies	O
by	O
attacking	O
with	O
his	O
Dragon	O
Sword	O
or	O
by	O
using	O
secondary	O
weapons	O
which	O
consume	O
Ryu	O
's	O
"	O
ninja	B-Application
power	I-Application
"	O
;	O
such	O
weapons	O
include	O
the	O
following	O
:	O
"	O
Windmill	O
Throwing	O
Stars	O
"	O
which	O
move	O
back	O
and	O
forth	O
like	O
boomerangs	B-General_Concept
,	O
"	O
Fire	O
Dragon	O
Balls	O
"	O
which	O
launch	O
fireballs	O
downward	O
at	O
an	O
angle	O
,	O
the	O
"	O
Fire	O
Wheel	O
Art	O
"	O
which	O
launches	O
fireballs	O
upward	O
at	O
an	O
angle	O
,	O
the	O
"	O
Invincible	O
Fire	O
Wheel	O
"	O
that	O
forms	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
rotating	O
of	O
fireballs	O
around	O
Ryu	O
and	O
destroys	O
any	O
enemy	O
who	O
comes	O
into	O
contact	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
new	O
weapon	O
in	O
this	O
series	O
called	O
the	O
"	O
Vacuum	O
Wave	O
Art	O
"	O
which	O
hurls	O
vacuum	O
blades	O
above	O
and	O
below	O
Ryu	O
simultaneously.Instruction	O
Manual	O
(	O
NES	O
)	O
,	O
pp	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
can	O
collect	O
red	O
and	O
blue	O
capsules	O
to	O
refill	O
Ryu	O
's	O
ninja	B-Application
power	I-Application
,	O
and	O
they	O
can	O
also	O
collect	O
"	O
Scrolls	O
of	O
the	O
spirit	O
of	O
the	O
Dragon	O
"	O
to	O
increase	O
Ryu	O
's	O
maximum	O
ninja	B-Application
power	I-Application
level	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
new	O
item	O
in	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
III	I-Application
is	O
the	O
"	O
Dragon	O
Spirit	O
Sword	O
"	O
that	O
increases	O
Ryu	O
range	O
of	O
his	O
sword	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tiger	O
Handheld	O
versionNinja	O
Gaiden	O
III	O
:	O
The	O
Ancient	O
Ship	O
of	O
Doom	O
was	O
ported	O
by	O
Tiger	O
Electronics	O
as	O
an	O
LCD	B-Device
handheld	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
also	O
decided	O
to	O
place	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
III	I-Application
between	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
two	O
titles	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
maintain	O
continuity	O
;	O
they	O
figured	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
too	O
difficult	O
to	O
continue	O
the	O
story	O
after	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Dark	I-Application
Sword	I-Application
of	I-Application
Chaos	I-Application
,	O
so	O
they	O
developed	O
the	O
plot	O
sometime	O
before	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
II	O
that	O
revolved	O
around	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
main	O
antagonist	O
,	O
Foster	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
said	O
that	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
III	I-Application
was	O
the	O
best	O
Famicom	O
game	O
in	O
display	O
there	O
,	O
that	O
it	O
"	O
easily	O
walked	O
away	O
with	O
the	O
best	O
for	O
this	O
system	O
!	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
also	O
previewed	O
in	O
the	O
July	O
1991	O
issue	O
of	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Power	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
said	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
contained	O
all	O
the	O
old	O
features	O
of	O
previous	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
games	O
which	O
included	O
ninja	O
arts	O
(	O
but	O
they	O
lamented	O
at	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
jump	O
and	O
slash	O
"	O
,	O
absent	O
from	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Dark	I-Application
Sword	I-Application
of	I-Application
Chaos	I-Application
)	O
and	O
similar	O
usage	O
of	O
cinematic	O
cutscenes	O
that	O
made	O
the	O
original	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
game	O
popular	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
Lynx	I-General_Concept
in	O
1993	O
by	O
Atari	O
,	O
Instruction	O
Manual	O
(	O
Lynx	B-General_Concept
)	O
,	O
p	O
.	O
26	O
.	O
and	O
then	O
Tecmo	O
re-released	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
its	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
Trilogy	O
Super	B-Application
NES	I-Application
compilation	O
in	O
1995	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
's	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
service	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
praised	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
saying	O
that	O
"	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
gets	O
better	O
every	O
time	O
!	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
featured	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
August	O
issue	O
of	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Power	I-Application
,	O
where	O
it	O
received	O
11	O
pages	O
of	O
coverage	O
,	O
which	O
included	O
a	O
full	O
walkthrough	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
four	O
Acts	O
plus	O
a	O
brief	O
plot	O
overview	O
of	O
the	O
entire	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
in	O
this	O
issue	O
where	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
III	I-Application
was	O
purported	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
final	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
game	O
by	O
Tecmo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
review	O
praised	O
the	O
usage	O
and	O
usefulness	O
of	O
the	O
secondary	O
weapons	O
,	O
Ryu	O
's	O
new	O
ability	O
to	O
hang	O
overhead	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
new	O
addition	O
of	O
the	O
sword	O
power-up	O
,	O
which	O
it	O
said	O
bore	O
resemblance	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
Strider	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
slightly	O
criticized	O
the	O
game	O
for	O
leaving	O
out	O
the	O
"	O
cloning	O
"	O
power-up	O
from	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Dark	I-Application
Sword	I-Application
of	I-Application
Chaos	I-Application
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
limited	O
continues	O
and	O
lack	O
of	O
passwords	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
1992	O
,	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
III	I-Application
received	O
three	O
nominations	O
in	O
the	O
"	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Power	I-Application
Awards	O
'	O
91	O
"	O
in	O
the	O
following	O
NES-related	O
categories	O
:	O
"	O
Best	O
Graphics	O
and	O
Sound	O
"	O
,	O
"	O
Best	O
Challenge	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
Best	O
Overall	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
placed	O
second	O
in	O
the	O
"	O
Best	O
Graphics	O
and	O
Sound	O
"	O
category	O
,	O
finishing	O
behind	O
Battletoads	B-Device
for	O
the	O
top	O
spot	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
the	O
ranked	O
as	O
the	O
third	O
"	O
Best	O
Overall	O
"	O
NES	O
title	O
for	O
1991	O
,	O
finishing	O
close	O
behind	O
Tecmo	B-Application
Super	I-Application
Bowl	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
Lynx	I-General_Concept
version	O
of	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
III	I-Application
also	O
received	O
coverage	O
in	O
various	O
magazines	O
in	O
1994	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
GamePro	O
magazine	O
,	O
they	O
criticized	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
the	O
Lynx	B-General_Concept
's	O
small	O
screen	O
makes	O
it	O
difficult	O
for	O
players	O
to	O
see	O
the	O
various	O
power-ups	O
and	O
enemies	O
and	O
to	O
use	O
secondary	O
weapons	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VideoGames	O
&	O
Computer	O
Entertainment	O
praised	O
the	O
game	O
for	O
being	O
better	O
than	O
the	O
arcade	B-Application
version	I-Application
that	O
was	O
previously	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Lynx	B-General_Concept
,	O
but	O
they	O
were	O
disappointed	O
that	O
Tecmo	O
did	O
not	O
port	O
the	O
first	O
two	O
NES	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
titles	O
to	O
the	O
handheld	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthly	O
praised	O
Tecmo	O
for	O
a	O
good	O
translation	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
from	O
the	O
NES	O
to	O
the	O
Lynx	B-General_Concept
–	O
complete	O
with	O
good	O
graphics	O
,	O
controls	O
,	O
and	O
varied	O
gameplay	O
–	O
while	O
saying	O
that	O
"	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
 [ III ] 	O
is	O
a	O
game	O
that	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
Lynx	I-General_Concept
has	O
been	O
longing	O
for	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
that	O
,	O
the	O
reviewers	O
noted	O
that	O
the	O
Lynx	B-General_Concept
's	O
small	O
screen	O
made	O
all	O
the	O
sprites	O
too	O
small	O
for	O
most	O
players	O
to	O
see	O
well	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
screen	O
's	O
blurring	O
makes	O
it	O
frustrating	O
for	O
players	O
to	O
track	O
character	O
movements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Retrospectively	O
,	O
Allgame	O
gave	O
a	O
mostly	O
negative	O
review	O
,	O
saying	O
that	O
the	O
background	O
makes	O
it	O
difficult	O
to	O
see	O
foreground	O
elements	O
,	O
that	O
players	O
cannot	O
see	O
their	O
character	O
or	O
what	O
power-ups	O
they	O
are	O
collecting	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
sound	O
is	O
very	O
poor	O
,	O
saying	O
"	O
thirteen	O
banshees	B-Application
all	O
wailing	O
different	O
,	O
off-key	O
songs	O
would	O
only	O
begin	O
to	O
approach	O
just	O
how	O
bad	O
the	O
music	O
is	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
few	O
modern	O
video	O
gaming	O
websites	O
reviewed	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
III	I-Application
upon	O
its	O
release	O
to	O
the	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
in	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
said	O
that	O
many	O
gamers	O
would	O
prefer	O
the	O
previous	O
two	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
titles	O
over	O
this	O
one	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
retrospective	O
of	O
the	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
series	O
,	O
Eurogamer	O
said	O
that	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
III	I-Application
was	O
the	O
only	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
NES	O
trilogy	O
not	O
to	O
make	O
it	O
to	O
Europe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
said	O
the	O
story	O
was	O
too	O
outlandish	O
,	O
calling	O
the	O
plot	O
,	O
of	O
which	O
a	O
short-lived	O
anime	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
series	O
would	O
loosely	O
be	O
based	O
,	O
"	O
a	O
glorious	O
load	O
of	O
old	O
bollocks	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
version	O
from	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
Trilogy	O
for	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
NES	I-Application
remedied	O
most	O
of	O
their	O
criticisms	O
,	O
they	O
said	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
added	O
new	O
frustrations	O
which	O
included	O
slower	O
framerates	O
,	O
lower-quality	O
controls	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
omission	O
and	O
shuffling	O
around	O
of	O
several	O
tracks	O
,	O
which	O
they	O
said	O
"	O
is	O
precisely	O
the	O
sort	O
of	O
thing	O
that	O
makes	O
die-hard	O
videogame	O
fans	O
apoplectic	O
with	O
rage	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
formal	O
soundtrack	O
release	O
was	O
unavailable	O
until	O
Brave	O
Wave	O
Productions	O
 '	O
2017	O
vinyl	O
box	O
set	O
,	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
-	O
the	O
Definitive	O
Soundtrack''	O
.	O
</s>
