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Play Ninja Gaiden (Beta · US edition · English) Online
Ninja Gaiden
This prototype retains the stages but has early dialogue and a reported reset after Jaquio’s first form.
Browser play
Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) / Famicom — EmulatorJS controls
Default Player 1 keyboard mapping. Change keys in Controllers Setting.
| Console button | Keyboard |
|---|---|
| ↑ / ↓ / ← / → | ↑ / ↓ / ← / → |
| A / B | Z / X |
| START / SELECT | Enter / V |
Open Controllers Setting to configure your keyboard or gamepad. Touch controls are available on mobile.
How to Play Ninja Gaiden
Quick start
Press START to begin; START can also skip a story scene. In the opening city, break a hanging object, practise a grounded slash and a jump attack, then test a wall jump where the landing is safe. Watch the spirit counter before spending a ninja art. Avoid backing the screen repeatedly into enemies, and approach gaps with space to absorb an unexpected knockback.
Controls
D-pad moves Ryu, crouches and climbs ladders. A jumps; B slashes, including while crouching. Up+B uses the equipped ninja art when enough spirit remains. With Jump & Slash collected, B during a jump triggers the spinning attack. From a wall, press away from it with A to leap off. START starts, pauses and skips story scenes; SELECT is unused.
Ninja Gaiden — About this game
This is the preserved NES prototype. Its original examiner found altered late dialogue and a reset after the first Jaquio form; reaching the retail ending normally should not be assumed. Ryu Hayabusa’s first NES adventure mixes rapid platform movement with carefully placed threats. Ordinary sword attacks are unlimited, while collected ninja arts draw on a separate spirit supply. Break the objects hanging around a stage to uncover power-ups, then judge whether a projectile or an ordinary slash is the better response. Ryu clings to walls, but this first game does not let him simply climb every wall vertically: jumping away and attaching again is a distinct skill. Ladders have their own up/down movement. Enemy contact knocks Ryu back, making narrow ledges and pits dangerous even with health remaining. Six acts frame the journey, and short dramatic scenes carry the story between encounters. This is the side-scrolling NES game, with its own stages and controls, rather than the separately designed arcade brawler or later 3D series.
Cheats
No cheats have been added for this edition.