Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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A playthrough of Sega's 1991 action-platformer for the Sega Game Gear, Shinobi.

A shadowy crime syndicate has risen to power in Neo City. The master Shinobi sent his four most promising pupils to investigate and neutralize the growing threat but has since lost contact. Assuming them to be captured, the master now asks you, Joe Musashi, to rescue and join forces with the four in order to take down the "City of Fear."

Shinobi, or The GG Shinobi (as it's referred to on the title screen), was the sixth game in Sega's Shinobi series and the first made for a handheld system. It retained the sharp controls, level design cues, and visual style of 1989's The Revenge of Shinobi, and it introduced several innovations that helped breathe new life into the classic series.

The game is split into two distinct halves. You are presented with a Mega Man-style stage select, and there are four stages to clear. The reward for finishing one is the return of one of your color-coded ninja buddies.

Each ninja has a unique weapon, ability, and super attack, and together, they form a ninja-themed Power Rangers squad. Joe, the red ninja, wields a katana and the earthquake magic. The blue ninja has a kusarigama that acts as a grappling hook and he can summon tornadoes. The yellow ninja shoots balls of energy, walks on water, and can shield himself with a lightning barrier. The pink ninja flings bombs, walks on ceilings, and can bring light to dark places. The green ninja throws shuriken, double jumps, and can blow himself up to clear the screen of enemies.

Once everyone has been rescued, the second half begins. The team heads to the enemy headquarters - a sprawling maze of trapped rooms that'll require the use of everyone's abilities to get through safely - to ultimately take on the leader of the enemy forces.

Shinobi is considered one of the Game Gear's best games, and I'd rank it among the best in the Shinobi series. The action is challenging and flows well, the controls are precise, and the level layouts are thoughtfully constructed around your abilities. It takes The Revenge of Shinobi's strongest elements and rearranges them into something that feels new without sacrificing any of that game's magic, and for an 8-bit handheld title, it looks and sounds fantastic.

The Game Gear Shinobi is a top-notch console quality game. If you enjoy 8-bit action carts, you won't want to miss out on this one.

*Recorded with a Retroarch shader to mimic the look of the original hardware.
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.

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