Shadow Warriors

The arcade version of Ninja Gaiden is a "belt-scrolling" beat-'em-up. The player controls a ninja whose mission is to defeat an evil cult led by Bladedamus, a descendant of Nostradamus who wants to fulfill his prophecies about the end of the world. When the game starts, the player is greeted with the phrase "NINJA IN USA". Up to two players can play simultaneously (player 1 controls the blue-clad ninja, while player 2 controls an orange-clad ninja). The game's controls consist of an eight-way joystick and three action buttons: grab, attack, and jump. The grab button is located on top of the joystick. The player character has five main techniques: The "triple punch combo" is the player's main attack, performed by repeatedly pressing the attack button while the player is standing on the ground. When the player jumps towards an opponent, he can perform a "Flying Neck Throw". If he throws an enemy into an object in the background (such as trash cans, phone booths, or signs), various power-ups will appear, such as pills that restore health or a sword that can be wielded for a certain amount of time. If you're standing near overhanging signs or poles, you can grab onto them by pressing the grab button and performing a "hang kick". If you're hanging from a pole, you can also perform a "tightrope walk." The last of the five techniques is the "Phoenix Backflip", where the player runs towards the wall and does a backflip. In the game, there is a morbid continuation screen in which the character is tied to a table and violently bangs his head while a giant buzzsaw is lowered onto him, with what appears to be a crowd of enemies watching spellbound in the background. If the player doesn't continue within the 10-second countdown, the screen turns red, the ninja cries out in pain, and the words "GAME OVER" appear, followed by dramatic music. The first five rounds (stages) are based on real American cities such as Los Angeles, New York City, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon and a transcontinental railroad. The sixth and final stage is set in the main villain's lair. The recurring bosses include a sumo wrestler, a pair of wrestlers similar to the Road Warriors tag team, and a trio of claw-wielding acrobats. The final boss is Bladedamus, who wields two swords.