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The Legend of Kage

NES

NES

You play Kage, a skillful ninja in search of rescuing Princess Kiri from the hands of the warlord Yoshi. Armed only with a sword and 'star knives', you must fight your way through countless henchmen and the occasional boss to complete your task. Levels include the forest, moat, inside and outside...

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Developer
Taito

Released on
1986

Size
1–2 Players

Version
NES

Requirements
Nintendo Entertainment System

Downloads
Beat 'em Up

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Description

You play Kage, a skillful ninja in search of rescuing Princess Kiri from the hands of the warlord Yoshi. Armed only with a sword and ‘star knives’, you must fight your way through countless henchmen and the occasional boss to complete your task. Levels include the forest, moat, inside and outside of the castle. These levels repeat as the seasons change. The gameplay is side scrolling. Kage’s moves include the ability jump extremely high in the air, grab and climb trees, block and attack with his sword, and throw shuriken. The game can be challenging at times though because the player dies in one hit. 2-players are supported, but must take turns.

The Legend of Kage

Overview & History

Developed by Taito and originally hitting Japanese arcades in 1985 before its iconic 1986 NES port, The Legend of Kage plunges players into the feudal folklore of Iga ninjutsu. The narrative is a high-stakes, fast-paced rescue mission: the evil warlord Yoshihide Karyu and his wicked follower Yuki-no-Kuni have kidnapped Princess Kiri. As the young, loyal ninja Kage, your singular objective is to infiltrate the sprawling forest, scale the castle walls, and storm the inner keep to save the princess—only to have her kidnapped all over again in an endless loop of higher difficulty. The NES version brilliantly captures the frantic, breathless energy of the arcade original, utilizing the 8-bit hardware to deliver vertically scrolling action stages packed with rival shinobi and crimson-clad monks.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Unlike standard side-scrolling platformers of its era, The Legend of Kage focuses heavily on verticality and lightning-fast pacing. Players wield a seemingly endless supply of shuriken and a lethal ninja blade for close-quarters combat. Kage’s defining trait is his superhuman leaping ability, allowing him to bound effortlessly into the treetops or leap entirely off the screen to bypass enemy hordes. Stages alternate between the perilous Forest, the murky Secret Pond, the treacherous Castle Wall, and the opulent Inner Castle throne room. Power-ups scattered along the way alter Kage's robes—turning them red or orange—to boost his speed and upgrade his throwing stars into devastating multi-directional bursts. Enemies attack relentlessly from the ground and sky, requiring split-second reflexes to deflect incoming projectiles with your sword or dispatch foes with flying aerial kicks.