Shadow Dancer

The gameplay mechanics of Shadow Dancer are not much different from the arcade version of the original Shinobi. The controls and almost all of the player's moves from the original Shinobi are also present here. The biggest change is the addition of a canine companion that follows the protagonist. When the dog barks at an enemy, the player can sic the dog on the enemy by holding down the attack button and releasing it. However, if the player takes too long to attack the bitten enemy or the enemy has a strong defense, the dog will be injured and turn into a harmless puppy and remain in that form until the player gets the next time bomb or finishes the stage. The dog does not appear during the boss fights. The player's weapons consist of an unlimited supply of shuriken and a sword, which he uses when he is near an enemy. If the player collects half of the time bombs in each stage, he will receive stronger weapons until he completes the stage or loses a life. The player can also use one of three random "ninja magic" spells that clear the entire screen of enemies. Normally, these spells can only be used once per stage, but if the player uses another credit after a Game Over and continues, the protagonist will start with two units instead of one. If the player completes a stage without using shuriken or spells, bonus points are awarded. There are four different missions, consisting of three stages for the first mission and four stages for each of the remaining three. In the first stages of each mission, the player must collect a certain number of time bombs scattered throughout the section to reach the goal. The final stage of each mission is a confrontation between the player and the boss. Between missions, the player participates in a bonus stage in which (from the character's perspective) an army of ninjas falling from a building must be shot down. When the player successfully completes a bonus round, he/she gets an extra life.