Ninja Spirit Longplay (Arcade) [4K]

Game Info
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Developer: Irem
Publisher: Irem
Year of Release: 1988

Game Review & Impressions
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Another coin-op I was more familiar with through the extensive number of home conversions, Ninja Spirit is side-scrolling run-and-gun action game set in Feudal Japan, in which protagonist Tsukikage must fight his way through hordes of enemy ninja, monsters and demons, using all of his martial prowess to avenge the death of his murdered father.

The game's standout feature, aside from the visuals, is the weapon system. The player can select from four different weapons at any time during play, choosing arms which best suit the situation. The sword provides close-range power strikes and deflection of projectiles, shuriken and dynamite afford powerful ranged attacks, and the kusarigama can be whirled around in an arc, cleaving all foes foolish enough to stand in its path. These weapons can each be powered up by collecting glowing orbs left behind by defeated opponents, and players can choose to boost those weapons which befits their playstyle.

Visually, this is another strong showing from Irem, especially for 1988. The quality of the artwork and animation is certainly a cut above Shinobi, released a year prior, and certainly built on the studio's reputation for visual fidelity in the coin-op space. The number of sprites, explosions and general action on screen is also impressive, and despite the occasional drop in frame-rate, this would definitely draw a crowd on the arcade floor.

Ninja Spirit is an extremely tough game, but one which is worth persevering with. The relentless action and graphics would have definitely been worth the cost of a credit, and even by today's standards, it's still a blast.

Chapters
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00:00 Attract mode
00:49 Stage 1
03:18 Stage 2
05:20 Stage 3
08:39 Stage 4
11:14 Stage 5
12:50 Stage 6
16:28 Stage 7
18:08 Ending