Shadow Dancer (1989)

Team Shinobi

Amiga · Amstrad CPC · Arcade · Atari ST/STE · Commodore C64/128/MAX · Linux · Mac · PC (Microsoft Windows) · ZX Spectrum

3.06 from 31 ratings

97 members have it in their collection · 2 playing now · 35 backlogged · 6 wish listed

How long? · 100% 2h (from 1 logged playthrough)

Shadow Dancer is an action platform game developed by Sega for the Sega System 18 arcade system in 1989. A port of the game was published by Sega for the Sega Master System, and ports to several home computers were published by U.S. Gold. It was the first sequel to Shinobi, alongside The Revenge of Shinobi. A similar game titled … Read more
Shadow Dancer is an action platform game developed by Sega for the Sega System 18 arcade system in 1989. A port of the game was published by Sega for the Sega Master System, and ports to several home computers were published by U.S. Gold. It was the first sequel to Shinobi, alongside The Revenge of Shinobi. A similar game titled Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi was released for the Sega Mega Drive, which features an entirely different set of stages. A terrorist group is planting numerous time bombs throughout the city. The player, a ninja master accompanied by a canine partner, sets out on four missions to dismantle the bombs and destroy the criminal syndicate behind these acts. Read less
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Details

Developers
Team Shinobi
Publishers
Kixx, Sega Enterprises, Ltd., U.S. Gold
Genres
Arcade, Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Platform
Themes
Action
Franchises
Shinobi
Series
Shinobi
Steam
View on Steam

Release dates

  • Nov 1989 (Full Release) (Japan) Arcade
  • 1989 (Full Release) (North_America) Arcade
  • Mar 1991 (Full Release) (Europe) Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum
  • Mar 1991 (Full Release) (North_America) Commodore C64/128/MAX
  • Jun 1991 (Full Release) (Europe) Amiga
  • Jun 1991 (Full Release) (North_America) Atari ST/STE
  • Jun 01, 2010 (Full Release) (Worldwide) Linux, Mac, PC (Microsoft Windows)

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Remakes

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Rating distribution

5 stars
3
4 stars
4
3 stars
18
2 stars
4
1 star
2
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Community All Reviews Statuses

giopep

Review giopep 4/5 · May 28, 2024

In my memories I had played the arcade Shadow Dancer only a couple of times and I hadn’t gone beyond the first level with the terrorists in the airport. But I loved it! Turns out my memories lie to me because I also remembered the space shuttle and that’s the final stage. Anyway, it’s a nice Shinobi “sequel”, with the …

Read more

In my memories I had played the arcade Shadow Dancer only a couple of times and I hadn’t gone beyond the first level with the terrorists in the airport. But I loved it! Turns out my memories lie to me because I also remembered the space shuttle and that’s the final stage. Anyway, it’s a nice Shinobi “sequel”, with the cool idea of the dog that births some smart level design. Sure, it’s also a Shinobi sequel, so the main character is particularly wooden in his movements and it’s also a 1989 arcade game, so it’s not on the easy side. But overall it’s also not that punitive, considering that when you die there’s not a full enemies respawn and it also remembers the bombs you already found. It even gives you more lives when you continue!

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Mazinkaiser

Review Mazinkaiser 4/5 · Apr 13, 2019

Shadow Dancer: A Shinobi and His Dog

Shadow Dancer is such a leap above the original Shinobi that I was about to give it 5/5 stars. It may still have a stressful timer, one-hit kills, and stiff ninja movement, but it upgrades on nearly every single other front, making for a much more enjoyable game.

A nameless ninja fights a league of terrorists with his faithful pet …

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Shadow Dancer is such a leap above the original Shinobi that I was about to give it 5/5 stars. It may still have a stressful timer, one-hit kills, and stiff ninja movement, but it upgrades on nearly every single other front, making for a much more enjoyable game.

A nameless ninja fights a league of terrorists with his faithful pet dog. The faithful pet dog in question is the most unique change - while the ninja runs and shuriken guns, the dog barks and flings themselves at the nearest enemy, allowing a crack in hardened defenses. It's not always there in a pinch but it's useful. The upgrades are bombs which when enough are picked up, the player gets double damage.

The design of the enemies has also gotten an upgrade. They still throw knives and bullets and whatnot at you but the pace of the bullets allows the player to keep up with their movements and act accordingly. Even the bladed ninjas are tweaked to make the previous game feel like cheap shots in comparison.

The world is also so much more gorgeous. The grungy city streets and bloody sewers feel so much more alive than the first game, and enemies range from gunmen to bladed ninjas to alligators to flamethrowers. The music isn't as catchy as Shinobi but it's not horrible.

Shadow Dancer proves that even with a formula like Shinobi, a little iteration can make a much more fun game. That, and the invaluable nature of dog sidekicks!

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