You are killed when you fall down a pit, even when there is a ladder going down and the fall would be shorter than other falls in the game you aren't injured from.And, if the demon can return when the two statues are brought together at the temple, why doesn't the CIA keep their statue instead of having Ryu take it to the temple?! For example, Jaquio threatens murder the woman if Ryu doesn't hand over the statue, but Ryu doesn't even know her name, and, besides, this is the woman who shot him, so why would he care? Also, Irene starts off as a strong female character, but then becomes a damsel in distress, and ultimately a reward for the player. The story is especially over-the-top with several problems.Some parts of the map even seem to be designed to trip you up on this. Also, it's very easy to get stuck on a wall when you weren't intending to do so. For example, it's easy to accidentally jump without getting much distance if you jump shortly after changing direction. The controls are a little difficult to work with.Smooth running, climbing up walls, flips in the air, swift sword strikes, throwing shurikens, energy potions that grant you ninja magic, etc. The game mechanics make you feel like a ninja.The game actually has a story with twists and a climax, far more than most actions games could claim at this time.The music, though a little repetitive in several songs, is still above par for the NES at this time, and the sound effects are good.I also like the good use of palette fade in and out during scene changes and the palette cycling when you get a game over. The cut scenes are very well drawn, make good use of cinematic tricks, and were technically impressive at the time. The action scenes have good graphics, especially with the backgrounds.I don't own this game, and I haven't beaten it.

This is one of those games that could have been fantastic if they fixed a couple control problems and the ridiculous enemy respawn. Upon being sent all the way back to 6-1, I was too frustrated to keep playing. I reached the Masked Devil, defeated him, and the got quickly eviscerated by Jaquio. In August 2020, I spent several grueling hours replaying the game over and over. I tried it a couple other times in emulators over the years, but never had the patience to get good at it. A couple years later, a friend of mine had the game, and I played it a little bit, but found it to be too hard to be enjoyable. At the time, with no understanding of Japanese pronunciation, we called the game 'Ninja GAY-den.' I remember them getting to the boss of act 2, but never beating him. I thought it looked really cool, but I don't think they ever let me play it. I remember watching my brother and step-brothers playing this game around 1990, I think my brother was borrowing it from a friend.

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