The first Shinobi game was released in 1987 at the arcades, and has since appeared on a number of home consoles. The earlier versions were 2D side scrolling affairs, with a mix of fighting and platforming. This version of Shinobi follows the story of a ninja named Hotsuma who has taken the leadership of the Oburo Clan from his brother. Four years later though, the Oburo Clan is wiped out, apart from Hotsuma himself, when a devastating earthquake hits Tokyo. Suspicions rise about the cause of the earthquake with the appearance of a mysterious sorcerer and the game then follows Hotsuma as he fights to take revenge on those who destroyed the Oburo Clan.

Hotsuma starts his jouney in downtown Tokyo, a city in ruins after the earthquake. The evil sorcerer has created Hellspawn to try to stop Hotsuma. These Hellspawn are supernatural creatures taking several guises, from spiders, flying bats, ninjas and dogs to the resurrected bodies of Hotsuma's fellow clan-members.

The levels in Shinobi are a bit of a letdown, with little originality put into design. Each level consists of Hotsuma running through a very square maze of tunnels or streets, battling minor foes, until he reaches the end of the maze and has to defeat the level boss. Working though each maze is a linear affair, with a couple of sidetracks for bonus talismans for the player to find in each level. Collecting these talismans will eventually unlock a couple of extras in the game.

Getting through each level is no easy matter though. The Hellspawn generally attack in groups of up to six, and different tactics are required to kill each type of creature requiring the player to mix up attack styles. The bosses at the end of each level are well done, and provide a real challenge for the player. Each boss can also summom the minor Hellspawn as well, so that the player has to either eliminate or avoid the minor creatures at the same time as dealing with the boss.

To help deal with these enemies, Hotsuma has a small number of weapons that he can use, including shuriken, a stealth dash, and his sword, which will get the most use. In most cases the shuriken do not cause much damage, serving mainly as a tool to briefly stun opponents to give Hotsuma time for a closer sword attack. The stealth dash teleports Hotsuma ahead a few metres and can be useful for crossing gaps or dashing through enemies to attack from behind.

Hotsuma also has the ability to run along walls, which comes in handy in some levels where the gap is too big to jump. In places where this is necessary the level design is well done, requiring the player to think in order to progress. The downside to this though, is the existence of bottomless pits. If the player misses the jump, or mistimes it in any way Hotsuma will fall into a bottomless pit, and the player will start at the beginning of the level again. Making this even more difficult is the fact that Hotsuma must land the jump with his feet, not being able to make a Lara Croft-style grab for the ledge.

The bottomless pits notwithstanding, the areas where Hotsuma must cross over gaps are almost more satisfying than the combat areas. One of the earlier levels was a standout in this regard, with several places requiring the player to start with a wall run, followed with a double jump, and then completed with a teleport. This was very well done, and it was something of a disappointment that most of the other levels don't include this type of design, instead relying on combat to carry the player's interest.

As well as being quite bland and linear, the levels also suffer from quite a short length. Most levels are achievable within 15 minutes, and with practice some can be completed within 5 minutes. At the end of each level the player is given a ranking and a score based on such things as the time they took, how much damage they took and how many combo attacks they made.

The emphasis with Shinobi is not on length though, rather it is with achieving perfection within a level, getting through in the fastest time, with the most combo attacks, and with the least damage. It will take even the best gamer many hours to get the best ranking on the hardest difficulty setting.

Graphically, the game looks good, but not outstanding. As mentioned before, the levels look quite bland. The change from a city setting to the pits of hell is noticeable, but not well done. It is as if the designers just changed the wallpaper on the same levels. The Hellspawn are not visually scary or overwhelming, and compared to some of the terrifying monsters in a game such as Devil May Cry, Shinobi just falls short.

Hotsuma himself is well done, and moves very fluidly. The transition from running on the ground to running on the walls is smooth, even when changing from one wall to another or going round a corner. The camera follows these changes well, and only proves to be a problem in the occasional tight space. His attacks are good to look at, but again fall into the trap of being standard without being awe-inspiring.

One area which is very well done are the short cut-scenes at the start and end of each story. These help the story progress, and are visually of a very high standard.

In the final analysis there seems to be something missing from Shinobi. While some of the moves like wall running and teleporting are cool, the depth of gameplay just is not there. The player performs the same tired moves right through the game, and while this seems quite original in the first levels, it leaves you wanting something more by the final levels. Compared to a similar type of action game like Devil May Cry where attacks are always being improved and upgraded, Shinobi doesn't quite measure up. There is nothing in the game that is truly awe-inspiring, which of itself does not make a bad game, but certainly does not make a great game.