Play Cyber Shinobi, The (Europe) Online

Cyber Shinobi came out for the Sega Master System in 1990, published by Sega. It was part of that late 80s, early 90s wave of action games that tried to push the hardware with faster scrolling and more detailed sprites. The game takes the familiar ninja action of the arcade Shinobi and gives it a futuristic, robotic twist.

You control a cybernetic ninja who must rescue hostages from a mechanized enemy force. The action unfolds screen by screen; you clear each area of enemies before moving to the next. Your main tools are a energy sword for close combat and shurikens for ranged attacks. You also have a limited-use screen-clearing bomb for tight situations. The pacing is brisk, and the difficulty is consistent with many action titles of the era, requiring precise jumps and quick reactions. It feels like a focused, slightly more methodical take on the run-and-slash formula.