Ninja Gaiden
The punishing action-platformer starring Ryu Hayabusa on a quest to avenge his father. Introduces cinematic cutscenes and wall-climbing mechanics to the genre.
Controls
About This Game
Pioneered the use of animated story sequences between levels, raising narrative standards for NES games.
Notorious for its brutal difficulty with respawning enemies, bottomless pits, and the infamous 'bird interrupt' mechanic.
Sold over 1.2 million copies despite its challenge, spawning one of gaming's most respected action franchises.
Related Games
Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos
Ryu Hayabusa returns to battle an ancient evil wielding the Chaos Sword, introducing shadow clones and wall-climbing mechanics across 7 punishing stages with cinematic cutscenes.
Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom
Ryu Hayabusa faces his greatest challenge aboard a cursed battleship, introducing energy-based special attacks and a life bar system across 7 biomechanical stages with enhanced cinematic storytelling.
Ninja Gaiden Trilogy
This SNES compilation brings together all three NES Ninja Gaiden classics with enhanced graphics and sound. Play as Ryu Hayabusa across 20 stages of brutal platforming action, featuring the original cinematic cutscenes that defined the series' narrative style.
Castlevania
The foundational vampire-hunting action game where players control Simon Belmont through Dracula's castle. Features the iconic Vampire Killer whip and sub-weapons like holy water and throwing axes.
Mega Man 2
The Blue Bomber returns with eight new Robot Masters in this genre-defining sequel, introducing the iconic weapon acquisition system and Energy Tanks across challenging nonlinear stages.