Shinobi

Shinobi is one of Sega's oldest and most distinctive action series, born in 1987 as an arcade game about a ninja fighting a criminal organisation to rescue kidnapped hostages, and it already defined the formula of fast platform action combining sword strikes, thrown shuriken and special ninjutsu abilities activated by collecting scrolls. It reached home consoles and handhelds through several reworkings and sequels, which made it one of the flagship brands of the Master System and Mega Drive.

The key entry is The Revenge of Shinobi on Mega Drive from 1989, which brought more elaborate levels, tougher boss fights and a darker atmosphere laced with pop-culture echoes, and is still regarded as the series' high point. The Game Gear received a lighter offshoot, The GG Shinobi, built around choosing from several playable ninjas each with their own abilities, while Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master on Mega Drive pushed the acrobatic controls, fluid movement and level design to the peak of the sixteen-bit era. The series was closed out by an entry on Saturn, which carried the concept into 3D and showed how difficult it was for classic 2D action games to find their footing in the new console generation.

Shinobi influenced the entire ninja-action genre and inspired many later platformers with combat elements, and The Revenge of Shinobi is still frequently cited among the gems of the Mega Drive library alongside titles such as Sonic the Hedgehog and Streets of Rage. The classic entries remain available today across a number of retro compilations, including the Sega Genesis Mini, confirming their lasting popularity decades on.