Shadow Blasters is a 1990 side-scrolling platform game for the Sega Genesis, developed by Cyclone System and Sigma Pro-Tech and published by Sigma Enterprises in Japan (as Shiten Myouou) and by Sage’s Creation in North America. When the gods squabble over whether to help humanity against the evil deity Ashura, Hyperion instead empowers four of Earth’s mightiest warriors to fight in their place: the ninjas Horatio and Tiffany, the Buddhist monk Marco, and the fencer Leo (originally Kotarou, Ayame, Kidenbou, and Senshirou in the Japanese version). Players pick from this roster and can swap freely between all four characters at any time, working through six stages in any order before a final showdown with Ashura himself.
How to Play
Fight your way across six selectable stages โ Mountain, Street, Glen, Harbor, Forest, and Future, tackled in any order like Mega Man โ then clear two closing stages, Hell and Heaven, to confront Ashura in outer space. Each of the four warriors has a unique projectile attack that can be charged up through four power levels, plus a screen-clearing special move. Controls: Arrow keys move and crouch, Z/X/S handle jump, attack, and special attack, and Enter is start/pause, which also opens the character-select screen to switch fighters mid-level.
Tips
- Once a character dies they’re gone for good โ you get four lives total, not four lives per character โ so pause and swap to a healthier warrior before one runs out of health rather than after.
- Tackle the six main stages in whatever order suits you: clearing easier ones first nets candle-flame emblems that boost jump height, speed, life, and shot power, making the tougher stages more manageable.
- Each character’s shot charges through four stages, so holding the attack button for a stronger blast is usually worth it against tougher enemies rather than spamming a weak shot.
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