Ninja Gaiden Arcade is as challenging as the games that would later come after it.
Ninja Gaiden Arcade has nothing to do with the Nintendo games or the next-gen installations; not even Ryu Hayabusa makes an appearance other than his playable lookalike (but if you want to assume it to be Hayabusa, so be it) Six stages round out the game, and gameplay is different from what you're used to--a side-scrolling beat'em up similar to the likes of the Double Dragon series. And unlike the Ninja Gaidens that followed (with the exception of Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2), two players can play simultaneously. You have access to a variety of different acrobatic moves, which take some getting used to but are pretty cool to pull off--like somersaulting off walls, swinging on monkey bars and leaping at high altitudes to reach elevated areas. Your ninja isn't armed with a sword, but he can use one for a limited time by finding it (along with other items) inside collapsible objects which can only be destroyed by throwing your enemies into them (or vice versa)--i.e., somersaulting over their heads and flinging them by their necks---a pretty cool move that would later make a return in the next-gen Ninja Gaiden installments.
So how do you attack if you don't have a sword most of the time? Well, you do what most ninjas tend to do in these situations--improvise with your fists and feet, and that's exactly how you attack enemies. Ranging from goons in hockey masks, ginormous sumo wrestlers, Legion of Doom-o-philes---you'll undoubtedly face a crowd as tough as they are strange. As a matter of fact, the entire game seems outright bizarre in its elaborate level designs--it seems like everywhere you go there's always some billboard advertising Viking Beer and Icece Cream (no, it's not a misspelling) or a mural of a James Dean wannabe plastered on the side of an enormous brick wall with a gaze that sends chills down your spine. (I once had a nightmare about that. Seriously, it's that strange.) In addition, you must also climb monkey bars to avoid bottomless pits, water hazards--even the rush of ongoing traffic.
And last but not least--the difficulty, a staple for which Ninja Gaiden is infamous. Arcade games in general tend to be "unbeatable" because it is one way for businesses to make their rather sadistic profit out of frustrated, determined gamers (and bleeding them out of their hard-earned quarters). Ninja Gaiden Arcade is no different. Your enemies are relentless enough to punch and kick the daylights out of you if you so much as let down a fraction of your guard, and unfortunately, they tend to do that often; especially in large groups where you're trapped like a roach in a soda can. It's all a matter of throwing your fists and feet as if your very life depended on it, hoping to land your hits enough to defeat an enemy--much less get him out of your face. Fortunately, the Virtual Console download allows you to continue as often as you like with virtual credits.
Fans of Ninja Gaiden will want to take a gander at a bit of history stemming nearly 20 years with an arcade game that few people remember being in existence, not knowing it would give birth to one of the greatest action game franchises of all time. It's something well worth checking out and enjoying for yourself if you ever wondered about Ninja Gaiden's humble beginnings.