The layout of each level consists of maze-like constructs skinned to coincide with the current location. Be it a South American Jungle or the streets of New York City, the platforms and walls are presented with an artistic design, and they create a design we can still learn from today. The second part of their beauty lies with the enemies and their placement. It is your avatar's reaction to the enemy mobs that generate the challenge. Ryu is given a large life bar and while most enemies do minimal damage, this can add up if you don't know what you're doing. Each time Ryu sustains a hit he is forced backward with a (very) brief period of invulnerability, and in the stickiest of situations this can result an enemy juggle, draining life or facilitating a quick tumble into the gaping maw of a bottomless pit. The relationship of the enemy monsters to the platforms creates impromptu puzzles. Some monsters are "on-rails" and provide a platform surface challenge, much like the red koopa troopas in Super Mario Bros. Others wield guns, shuriken, and energy balls, making the skies and ladders perilous. Still others, like my personal favorite (and the bane of my early Ninja Gaiden existence) the Eagle Mob, are capable of homing fight, making their destruction paramount to advancement.

Ryu is not without means of protection. The basic jump and attack options are the focal point of these mechanics and the way they intertwine create a balance intrinsic for survival. As the game wears on, most jumps require your sword to be at the ready to slay any oncoming surprises. This requires you to master what I call the NES Pad "One-Two Punch!" As you hurtle through a level you will press the jump button and at the last second press the attack button, creating a jumping combo attack that when timed correctly, can get you out of most situations. This little combination is responsible for the brilliant mechanics on quite a few NES games and I believe is the predecessor to some of the Pad techniques we see today. Another facet of Ryu's play control is the use of power ups. Each has its range and purpose. The throwing stars come in two varieties, the Shuriken and the Windmill Star. The Shuriken flies straight forward, dissipates on contact and is most useful when hanging from walls. The larger Windmill Star flies forward at medium range, does not dissipate with contact and has a boomerang effect. This can be used to wipe out entire groups of enemies when combined with the jump mechanic and is very useful even late in the game. To assist Ryu with enemies from above, the Art of the Fire Wheel quickly fills the screen with flaming projectiles moving upwards on a diagonal angle, eliminating obstructions and enemy fire. This is works on some bosses and is particularly useful in the final battle. More defensive in nature we have the Fire Wheel which erects a protective barrier of flame around Ryu preventing damage for a limited time, and the Jump and Slash Technique which makes Ryu spin like a buzz saw, capable of draining half of a boss' life. Both are very powerful and as a result are placed strategically and are extremely limited. Lastly we have the elixir, which restores life by six bars and provides a mode augmentation for the hourglass, briefly freezing time and allowing Ryu to dart past areas otherwise swarming with mobs. There is also a ninja faced 1-UP and Point Bags of blue (500) and red (1000) which serve no other purpose than racking up points to gain additional lives.

Each power-up, platform and mob is placed strategically. It is the lure of the glowing power-up decanters that fuel your ultimate success, injecting a "collect-em-all" spin to what would otherwise be a dry action game. It some cases it behooves you to go out of your way to get precariously placed items, lest you find yourself unprepared and quickly brought to the continue screen.

It is this culmination of mechanics that create a kind of twitch-reaction hit ballet, managing endless platform and mob combinations. As you dart through the levels, a sense of trepidation will fill your insides, inspiring thoughts of hesitation. But don't stop! That path means a quick death, another of this game's smart moves. I doubt I would have been as tenacious to finish this game as kid were it not for this ingenious option. It allows you to take risks and truly enjoy mastering the mechanics. However it is not perfect. Spotty hit detection plagues some platforms and the ninja sword often blends into the background, making it difficult to strike with precision. The bosses are stone dumb and pose as exercises of endurance that don't truly use the mechanics that make the rest of this game sing. The final boss is a gauntlet of three and one misstep sends you three stages back: not fun. The cutscenes are still a joy to watch and weave a classic ninja story, although I noted some embarrassing localization issues. You can check out this classic side-scroller on the Wii virtual console for 500 points.