The Revenge of Shinobi (known in Japan as “The Super Shinobi“) is the 1989 Megadrive/Genesis sequel to the classic Sega arcade game. It once again features Joe Musashi, and takes place three years after the events of the first game. The criminal organization “Zeed” have reformed and have renamed themselves “Neo Zeed“, and they have decided to exact their revenge on the Oboro Ninja Clan by killing Joe’s master and kidnapping his bride, Naoko. So you must rescue your fiancée, and get revenge for the death of your master.

Joe’s ninja jump has been expanded on from the first game. This time, you can jump between vertical levels, and also between planes along the z-axis. This is most noticeable on the third level, where you can jump from the nearside to the far side of a tall fence to take on enemies on either side. To change sides, though, you have to do a special double-jump, which is only possible if you jump a second time when at the apex of the first jump. When high in the air from one of these double-jumps, you can also fire an arc of throwing knives downwards, which is another useful new skill.

Joe’s ninja magic is again present. To choose which of the five skills to use, you must first pause the game (by pressing Start); then choose a skill by pressing left and right; then unpause the game and press the ‘C’ button to activate it. You can only use your magic a limited number of times, though.

Like the original arcade game, The Revenge of Shinobi is extremely challenging, although you do have a life bar and can therefore take some damage before losing a life.

Graphically, the game is beautifully-presented, with great sprites and animation, and smooth-scrolling, detailed backdrops. Musically, the game is also very good.

Gameplay-wise, The Revenge of Shinobi has enough new features to make it feel like a progression (underground tunnels, for example, are present in the first level), while keeping the core gameplay familiar. There are eight different stages in total, with a map showing your progression through them during intermissions. Each stage consists of three parts, with the third being a battle against a unique boss character.

The Revenge of Shinobi is considered to be one of the best entries in the Shinobi series, although the final boss was criticised at the time for being too difficult. Honestly: if you make it as far as the final boss, you deserve a pat on the back, because this game is not for the faint of heart…

A version of Revenge of Shinobi was later released into arcades via the Sega “Mega-Tech” system, which used Megadrive hardware inside an arcade cabinet. A second sequel – called Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master – followed in 1993.

More: The Revenge of Shinobi on Wikipedia
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