If there was one thing that truly surprised players about this version of Ninja Gaiden, it was undoubtedly the graphics.
For a 16-bit console, the game's visual performance was exceptionally impressive. This wasn't just a credit to the art team's level and character designs, but more importantly, to a series of sophisticated effects.
For instance, the backgrounds shifted dynamically as the player moved, with foreground buildings gliding past while the distant sky remained static.
Furthermore, the character's attacks generated a variety of light effects. These were directly rendered special effects—the arcs of sword slashes and the trails of thrown shuriken appeared on screen with a distinct, outlined glow, making them stand out vividly.
Beyond the visuals, there was the actual gameplay experience.
The original Ninja Gaiden on the FC was limited by its hardware, meaning many complex actions couldn't be implemented. In reality, it was mostly just swinging a sword at enemies.
But this time, the Mega Drive version allowed for a much greater range of moves.
The basic attack was designed as a four-hit combo, drawing inspiration from kendo. It included standard horizontal and downward slashes.
Of course, basic attacks alone weren't enough to clear the game. Beyond them, the game featured special skills.
The first-generation Mega Drive controller had three buttons on the right: A, B, and C. In this version of Ninja Gaiden, they were mapped to basic attack, jump, and skill activation, respectively.
Skills had to be manually equipped from the inventory in the pause menu. The default skill was the "Izuna Drop," where Ryu would grab an enemy, launch them into the air, and then slam them headfirst into the ground. Regardless of the actual damage dealt, the screen-shaking effect made the move look incredibly powerful—enough to flatten a living person into a tree trunk.
As an ordinary player, Iwasaki Isao couldn't appreciate the finer nuances of the game's design. He just knew it felt good. He couldn't even put into words exactly why, only that it was sheer, unadulterated satisfaction. Most minor enemies couldn't survive more than three strikes from Ryu Hayabusa before being slaughtered. While the enemies hit hard, a cautious player could still avoid taking damage.
The moment the first stage's Boss appeared piloting a mech, Iwasaki Isao let out a long, contented sigh.
What could be cooler than controlling a faceless samurai wielding a sword against a mech in a modern factory?
Of course, there was something even cooler.
The game actually had fucking finishers!
After dying and restarting over a dozen times, Iwasaki Isao finally managed to sever the mech's four limb joints. Now, the "A+B" prompt flashing above the mech's head on the screen seemed to be taunting him, saying, Hey, handsome, come on and play!
Naturally, Iwasaki Isao didn't hesitate to press the combination keys.
The combo activated. As if summoned by some divine force, Ryu Hayabusa soared into the air. A flurry of sword flashes followed—two slashes severed the mech's legs, and a final strike plunged into the cockpit. The blade's tip hooked the enemy inside, and Ryu performed a perfect Izuna Drop.
"Free One! More Free One!"
Iwasaki Isao was playing as if it were a motion-control game, constantly lifting his controller high in the air.
So strong! This is just too damn strong!
I need to master a skill as cool as the Izuna Drop!
"But I've already finished a whole level, and I still haven't seen Momiji," Iwasaki Isao scratched his head.
In the movies, Ryu Hayabusa had plenty of beautiful female companions.
Momiji, Ayane—
He was a very simple man; he just liked them busty.
Momiji was busty, so he liked Momiji.
And she was a shrine maiden!
Who doesn't love a busty shrine maiden?!
Of course, Momiji was in the Mega Drive version of Ninja Gaiden. She was a special Easter egg character designed for a short trial level.
However...
Some people cared about the Busty Shrine Maiden, while others did not.
Hidetaka Miyazaki was one of the latter.
Born in 1974, Hidetaka Miyazaki was now sixteen and a high school student.
With his round face, glasses, and slightly chubby build, he looked like the kind of kid who would come home to find his front door could only be opened from the other side.
As a student destined to get into Keio University and eventually land a job at Oracle Corporation, Miyazaki's high school grades were exemplary.
But that didn't stop him from playing games.
Instead of the Busty Shrine Maiden, Miyazaki was focused on something else.
Combat design.
Level design in side-scrolling games is often hard to make stand out, but this game adhered to the consistent style of Atlus's first-party titles: the maps were interconnected vertically and horizontally, and the content was incredibly rich.
Yet, the combat design was completely different from anything before. It gave Miyazaki the feeling of playing Sonic the Hedgehog.
His first impression was: Fast.
Extremely fast.
Whether it was the enemies' attacks or Ryu's own moves, everything was incredibly quick. At its fastest, you could be killed in three hits, or you could take someone down in three hits.
But while it was fast, it could also be slow. When enemies were low on health, they would trigger a finishing move. If the A and B buttons were pressed simultaneously at that moment, a cool execution animation would play.
During the execution, the player was invincible.
Though there is only one skill button and you can only cast one skill at a time, the few skills available are all excellent.
For example, the Izuna Drop is incredibly effective against humanoid enemies but struggles against various demons. However, other skills can be used to counter demon attacks.
Even in Boss fights, Hidetaka Miyazaki discovered that these abilities, if used properly, could produce unexpectedly powerful effects.
"Interesting... This giant mechanical monster doesn't seem to attack me continuously. Its attacks are triggered by specific conditions."
Hidetaka Miyazaki, having just been brutally crushed once again, fell into deep thought.
The scene is a mechanical factory. The monsters produced here are a fusion of demon and machine, sporting mechanical exteriors with hideous, pulsing flesh at their joints. Yet, this Demonic Mechanical Chimera—the Boss of this area—has a rather peculiar attack pattern.
The arena featured two switches, one above the other. Activating a switch would spawn an Electric Orb. The Demonic Mechanical Chimera would prioritize grabbing the orb, restoring its health upon doing so. Conversely, if Hayabusa Ryu touched the orb, he would lose health.
However, the Electric Orbs had a limited duration and would vanish if not collected.
Simultaneously, continuously attacking the mechanical monster's joints would slow its movements.
After dying a few times, Hidetaka Miyazaki realized that while activating the switches seemed to aid the enemy by healing it, it also caused the monster to prioritize the Electric Orbs over attacking him. This gave him more time to deal damage to the boss more easily.
Even if the boss recovered some health, it was a worthwhile trade-off compared to the damage he could inflict. If he dealt enough damage in a short time, he could even prevent the mechanical monster from healing at all.
This design felt incredibly fresh and innovative to the young Hidetaka Miyazaki.
He had never seen this kind of combat philosophy in similar games before.
Action-platformers weren't exactly rare, but he had never encountered a high-speed action game that utilized the environment this way.
"This is so much fun! It's just a shame the character design is so terrible."
Hidetaka Miyazaki flipped through the cartridge manual, lamenting Momiji's design.
A shrine maiden was such a great concept, but why on earth did she have to be a Big Bear?
Miyazaki figured she should have been designed as a barefoot shrine maiden—with delicious bare feet—who also wore a blindfold, because she was blind.
Wouldn't that be way better than some Big Bear Dragon Shrine Maiden?
As for why she was blind, Miyazaki had already figured it out: of course, it was because Ryu Hayabusa's power came at a price. To maintain that price, the Dragon Shrine Maiden had to sustain it, and the way to do that was by sacrificing her own completeness.
Therefore, every generation of Dragon Shrine Maiden was blind! This was what you called a Dragon-Bound Maiden!
Miyazaki raised his hand and ran it through his hair.
"Why am I so good at designing characters? I should really be making games!"
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