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Ninja Crusaders

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A force of alien invaders has descended upon the Earth and has wiped out humanity for the most part. Some ninjas survived the onslaught, however, and two ninjas in particular, named Blade and Talon, are assigned to rid the planet of this alien menace. Ninja Crusaders is a side-scrolling action...

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Developer
NMK

Released on
1990

Size
1–2 Players

Version
NES

Requirements
Nintendo Entertainment System

Downloads
Action

Publisher
American Sammy

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

Cooperative
Yes

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Description

A force of alien invaders has descended upon the Earth and has wiped out humanity for the most part. Some ninjas survived the onslaught, however, and two ninjas in particular, named Blade and Talon, are assigned to rid the planet of this alien menace.

Ninja Crusaders is a side-scrolling action game that can be played alone or with two players fighting side by side. A ninja player can jump quite high and begins the game with a ninja throwing star weapon that can travel the length of the screen, although it’s not very powerful. Other weapons are available for the taking throughout the levels, each with considerably less range than the stars but with more power. These weapons include a chain whip, a sword, and a bo staff.

Ninja Crusaders

Overview & History

Released by Sammy Corporation in 1990 for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Ninja Crusaders is a cult-classic sci-fi ninja platformer that drops players into a dystopian, futuristic battle against invading alien oppressors. The game's bizarre, gritty lore tasks two elite warriors, Hayabusa and Kaede, with defending Earth by harnessing ancient ninjutsu against a mechanized Extraterrestrial menace. Distinguished by its surprisingly heavy metal aesthetic and biomechanical boss designs, this underrated gem pushed the NES hardware with sprawling vertical and horizontal scrolling stages, moody urban ruins, and an unforgettable synthesized soundtrack composed by Tatehiro Ogura.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Unlike typical shinobi titles of its era, Ninja Crusaders introduces a revolutionary beast-transformation mechanic. Players can seamlessly morph into a swift panther, a ferocious tiger, or a towering, spiked dragon mid-combat, altering their hitboxes, attack ranges, and mobility. The standard human forms wield distinct melee armaments—such as iron claws, kusarigama chains, and bo staffs—which can be upgraded by collecting glowing elemental power-ups. The gameplay demands relentless aggression across five grueling stages, testing player reflexes against relentless projectile spam, crumbling platforms, and brutal multi-stage boss encounters.

Keyboard Controls

Arrow Keys / D-Pad: Move and press down/up to crouch or climb
Action Keys: Attack / Jump (Press to attack with weapons; press together or mapped separately for beast transformation)
Enter: Start / Pause