Shinobi is an action platformer published by SEGA Enterprises in 1987, bringing the arcade ninja classic to DOS. You play as Joe Musashi, a master ninja fighting to rescue kidnapped martial arts students from the Zeed criminal syndicate. Armed with shurikens and close-quarters combat skills, you must navigate multi-level stages filled with enemy guards, swordsmen, and gunners.
How to play
To complete a stage, you must rescue all the hostages before proceeding to the exit. At the end of each mission, you will face a powerful boss. Musashi can throw shurikens from a distance, automatically switch to melee attacks in close quarters, and use a screen-clearing ninjutsu magic attack once per stage. Since DOS games lack a standard controller, keyboard layouts vary; typically, the Arrow keys control movement, while Ctrl, Alt, or Space handle jumping, attacking, and magic. A connected gamepad is picked up automatically, and you can check the exact key bindings beside the game window.
Tips
- Some rescued hostages grant power-ups that upgrade your attacks, replacing your shurikens with a gun for heavier damage.
- Save your single-use ninjutsu magic for overwhelming enemy encounters or boss fights where it can instantly clear the screen or deal massive damage.
- You die in one hit from attacks. A single enemy projectile or sword strike will cost you a life, so use crouching to duck under high attacks and proceed cautiously.
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