Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi

Manual

864K plays 1990 #Action#Platform

Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi (シャドー・ダンサー ザ・シークレット・オブ・シノビ), also known simply as Shadow Dancer, is a side-scrolling action game developed and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis in 1990. It is the second game in the Shinobi series released for the Mega Drive, following The Revenge of Shinobi. However, it is not a continuation of the previous game, but rather a loose adaptation of the 1989 arcade game Shadow Dancer. Like in the original arcade game, the player controls a ninja followed by a canine companion. The Secret of Shinobi was well received by critics.

From Wikipedia's article Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Keyboard controls

GenesisPlayer 1Player 2
D-pad↑↓←→IKJL
AZN
BXM
CC,
XAY
YSU
ZDO
ModeShiftB
StartEnterSpace

Hotkeys

  • 1 Quick save state
  • 2 Quick load state
  • 3 Change save slot

X, Y and Z are for six-button games such as Street Fighter II.

Gamepads are detected when you press a button. Remap any key from the emulator’s Controls menu (gear icon).

From the manual, pages 3–4

Open the manual at page 3

Emulator help & troubleshooting

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Keyboard controls

GenesisPlayer 1Player 2
D-pad↑↓←→IKJL
AZN
BXM
CC,
XAY
YSU
ZDO
ModeShiftB
StartEnterSpace

Hotkeys

  • 1 Quick save state
  • 2 Quick load state
  • 3 Change save slot

X, Y and Z are for six-button games such as Street Fighter II.

Gamepads are detected when you press a button. Remap any key from the emulator’s Controls menu (gear icon).

From the manual, pages 3–4

Open the manual at page 3

Emulator help & troubleshooting

Videos

The Revenge of Shinobi Sega Genesis / Mega Drive 101K plays • 1989
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master Sega Genesis / Mega Drive 610K plays • 1993
Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker Sega Genesis / Mega Drive 377K plays • 1990
Bonanza Bros. Sega Genesis / Mega Drive 123K plays • 1990
QuackShot starring Donald Duck Sega Genesis / Mega Drive 704K plays • 1991
World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck Sega Genesis / Mega Drive 97K plays • 1992
Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse Sega Genesis / Mega Drive 78K plays • 1990
Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle Sega Genesis / Mega Drive 91K plays • 1989
Comix Zone Sega Genesis / Mega Drive 157K plays • 1995
Krusty’s Fun House Sega Genesis / Mega Drive 17K plays • 1992
Ristar Sega Genesis / Mega Drive 121K plays • 1995
Flicky Sega Genesis / Mega Drive 441K plays • 1984
Spider-Man Vs. the Kingpin Sega Genesis / Mega Drive 42K plays • 1990
X-Men Sega Genesis / Mega Drive 111K plays • 1993
Teddy Boy Blues Sega Genesis / Mega Drive 16K plays • 1992
Kid Chameleon Sega Genesis / Mega Drive 454 plays • 1992
Gods Sega Genesis / Mega Drive 154K plays • 1991
Prince of Persia Sega Genesis / Mega Drive 3.6M plays • 1989
Battletoads Sega Genesis / Mega Drive 244K plays • 1991
Snow Brothers Sega Genesis / Mega Drive 579K plays • 1990

Pixel Verdict

Shadow Dancer: The Secret of ShinobiGenesis

4.0 Great job!

Critics 82 · 10 reviews

What the reviews talk about

Key wordsresponsiveoutstandingstunningoriginal

What the critics said

  • In 2008, Joystiq called The Secret of Shinobi "the most awesome release" in the entire Shinobi franchise, adding that the game "answers the question of what could possibly be cooler than a ninja stalking around a gritty urban landscape: that ninja's dog".

    — Joystiq

  • Retro Gamer declared "this magnificent console offering" to be superior to the original Shadow Dancer due to "far better bosses and a greatly improved difficulty level", as well as "far more responsive" control system.

    — Retro Gamer

  • According to a Virtual Console review by Nintendo Life in 2010, "this title comes highly recommended to all ninja fans".

    — Nintendo Life, 2010· about another version

From the Reception section of Wikipedia's Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi article, under CC BY-SA 4.0. The words are the critics'; their full reviews are on the publishers' pages.

Scores

  • Computer and Video Games 2015 63%
  • Electronic Gaming Monthly 32 / 40
  • GamePro 4 / 5
  • Nintendo Life 2010 8/10
  • ACE 778 / 1000
  • Hobby Consolas 90%
  • Joystick 2015 90%
  • Player One 90%
  • Sega Power 90%
  • Video Games & Computer Entertainment 33 / 40

From the review table of Wikipedia's article. The face takes, first that applies: the Metascore for this platform, GameRankings' archived average, our average of the critics (one number per publication, a panel averaged), one review alone, the players' rating. Critics and players are never mixed.

Players' rating: 74/100 · 298 votes

Full reviews

Face key

  1. 1.00+
  2. 1.540+
  3. 2.050+
  4. 2.560+
  5. 3.068+
  6. 3.575+
  7. 4.080+
  8. 4.585+
  9. 5.090+

5.0 Outstanding! · 4.0 Great job! · 3.0 Good job · 2.0 Could be better · 1.0 Wake me up when it's over · A thumbs-up adds half a point. Our own drawings, in the spirit of the faces GamePro magazine used in the '90s.

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