Ninja: Shadow of Darkness

{{Infobox video game

| title = Ninja: Shadow of Darkness

| image = Ninja shadow of darkness cover.jpg

| developer = Core Design

| publisher = Eidos Interactive

| director =

| producer = Troy Horton

| designer = Joby Wood
Brian Tomczyk

| programmer = Martin Jensen
Derek Leigh-Gilchrist
Dan Scott

| artist =

| writer =

| composer = Martin Iveson

| platforms = PlayStation

| released = {{vgrelease|EU|September 1998|NA|8 October 1998{{cite web|author=IGN staff|date=8 October 1998|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/10/09/ninja-ships-today|title=Ninja Ships Today|website=IGN|publisher=Ziff Davis|access-date=8 July 2022|archive-date=8 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220708235043/https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/10/09/ninja-ships-today|url-status=live}}}}

| genre = Action, beat 'em up, platform

| modes = Single-player

}}

Ninja: Shadow of Darkness is an action beat 'em up platform video game developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive for the PlayStation. The story follows a warrior named Kurosawa, who is tasked of ridding Feudal Japan of an unspeakable evil.

Gameplay

The player character, Kurosawa, can combat enemies with hand-to-hand moves, magic spells, or weapons such as swords and throwing star that appear as item pick-ups.{{cite magazine|last1=Rider|first1=David|last2=Semrad|first2=Ed|url=https://retrocdn.net/images/b/b2/EGM_US_093.pdf|title=Core: Ninja|magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly|publisher=Ziff Davis|issue=93|date=April 1997|page=74|access-date=8 July 2022|archive-date=3 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703161619/https://retrocdn.net/images/b/b2/EGM_US_093.pdf|url-status=live}} There are also pick-ups used to recover health.

Development

Though Ninja was developed immediately following the popular Tomb Raider, Core Design did not want to be restricted to the Tomb Raider engine's interiors-only nature, and instead built the game engine for Ninja: Shadow of Darkness from scratch.{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/NextGeneration30Jun1997/page/n103/mode/2up|title=NG Alphas: Ninja|magazine=Next Generation|publisher=Imagine Media|issue=30|date=June 1997|pages=102–4|access-date=8 July 2022}}

The game was announced for release in August 1997 on Sega Saturn, PlayStation, and PC, and a near-complete beta of the Saturn version was unveiled at this time. The PlayStation version was a port of the Saturn version. Mid-development, programmer Derek Leigh-Gilchrist commented that the port "has involved taking a lot of C code across from Saturn and modifying the 3D-specific bits to use the GTE [Geometry Transfer Engine]. This all worked fine, but it still wasn't fast enough to run the game at 30 frames per second, so I then converted the C code into optimized R3000 assembler with inline GTE code, which halved the processing time. Ninja now easily runs in 30 fps and has enabled us to start adding more detail to the game environment".{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/NextGeneration30Jun1997/page/n56/mode/2up|title=Sony PlayStation: The People's Choice|magazine=Next Generation|publisher=Imagine Media|issue=30|date=June 1997|pages=54–57|access-date=8 July 2022}}

The Saturn version created floor surfaces with the Saturn's Mode 7-style scaling, a feature unique to the console which allows it to perform scaling effects without burdening the CPU with geometry calculations, whereas the PlayStation must construct floors out of polygons, a task which lowers the frame rate.{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/NextGeneration30Jun1997/page/n59/mode/2up|title=Sega Saturn: The Coder's Machine|magazine=Next Generation|publisher=Imagine Media|issue=30|date=June 1997|pages=58–60|access-date=8 July 2022}} Using the resulting performance benefit, the team tagged objects in the Saturn version with depth-cues, allowing them to create transparency effects in the game's water bodies.

The PlayStation version was delayed for over a year, and the Saturn and PC versions were cancelled entirely.

Reception

{{Video game reviews

| GR = 66%{{cite web|url=https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/198204-ninja-shadow-of-darkness/index.html|title=Ninja: Shadow of Darkness for PlayStation|website=GameRankings|publisher=CBS Interactive|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190525112800/https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/198204-ninja-shadow-of-darkness/index.html|archive-date=25 May 2019|url-status=dead|access-date=9 July 2022}}

| Allgame = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite web|last=White|first=Jason|url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=12755&tab=review|title=Ninja: Shadow of Darkness - Review|website=AllGame|publisher=All Media Network|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141115144441/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=12755&tab=review|archive-date=15 November 2014|url-status=dead|access-date=9 July 2022}}

| CP = 83%{{cite magazine|author1=Spy|author2=Ahl|title=Ninja [Shadow of Darkness]|language=fr|magazine=Consoles +|issue=82|date=November 1998|pages=100–1}}

| CVG = {{Rating|2|5}}{{cite magazine|last=Davies|first=Paul|url=https://archive.org/details/Computer_and_Video_Games_Issue_203_1998-10_EMAP_Images_GB/page/n55/mode/2up|title=Ninja: Shadow of Darkness|magazine=Computer and Video Games|publisher=EMAP|issue=203|date=October 1998|page=56|access-date=9 July 2022}}

| Edge = 6/10{{cite magazine|author=Edge staff|url=https://retrocdn.net/images/4/48/Edge_UK_063.pdf|title=Ninja: Shadow of Darkness|magazine=Edge|publisher=Future Publishing|issue=63|date=October 1998|page=91|access-date=9 July 2022|archive-date=26 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180326003914/https://retrocdn.net/images/4/48/Edge_UK_063.pdf|url-status=live}}

| EGM = 3.5/10{{cite magazine|last1=Williams|first1=Ken "Sushi-X"|last2=Davison|first2=John|last3=Hsu|first3=Dan|last4=Smith|first4=Shawn|url=https://retrocdn.net/images/6/6c/EGM_US_114.pdf|title=Ninja [Shadow of Darkness]|magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly|publisher=Ziff Davis|issue=114|date=January 1999|page=227|access-date=9 July 2022|archive-date=27 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327181823/https://retrocdn.net/images/6/6c/EGM_US_114.pdf|url-status=live}}{{efn|Four critics of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the game each a score of 3.5/10.}}

| GI = 2.5/10{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/Game_Informer_Issue_066_October_1998/page/n69/mode/2up|title=Ninja [Shadow of Darkness; Import]|magazine=Game Informer|publisher=FuncoLand|issue=66|date=October 1998|page=69}}

| GameRev = C{{cite web|last=Dick|first=Kevin|date=October 1998|url=https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/34031-ninja-shadow-of-darkness-review|title=Ninja: Shadow of Darkness|website=GameRevolution|publisher=CraveOnline|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040206031611/http://www.game-revolution.com/games/sony/action/ninja_shadow.htm|archive-date=6 February 2004|url-status=live|access-date=9 July 2022}}

| GSpot = 5.3/10{{cite web|last=Mollohan|first=Gary|date=4 November 1998|url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/ninja-shadow-of-darkness-review/1900-2546030/|title=Ninja: Shadow of Darkness Review [date mislabeled as "May 2, 2000"]|website=GameSpot|publisher=Red Ventures|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050116155006/http://www.gamespot.com/ps/adventure/ninjashadowofdarkness/review.html|archive-date=16 January 2005|url-status=live|access-date=9 July 2022}}

| IGN = 6.5/10{{cite web|last=Perry|first=Douglass C.|date=12 October 1998|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/10/13/ninja-shadow-of-darkness|title=Ninja: Shadow of Darkness|website=IGN|publisher=Ziff Davis|access-date=9 July 2022}}

| OPM = {{Rating|1.5|5}}{{cite magazine|title=Ninja: Shadow of Darkness|magazine=Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine|volume=2|issue=3|date=December 1998}}

}}

The game received mixed reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings. Game Informer panned the game for its bad graphics and controls and not having a story, and recommended to play Tenchu: Stealth Assassins instead. GamePro however was more positive despite its problematic controls.{{cite magazine|author=Four-Eyed Dragon|url=https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_113_December_1998/page/n183/mode/2up|title=Ninja: Shadow of Darkness|magazine=GamePro|publisher=IDG|issue=123|date=December 1998|page=180|access-date=9 July 2022}}{{efn|GamePro gave the game 5/5 for graphics, two 4.5/5 scores for sound and fun factor, and 3/5 for control.}}