Sasuke vs Commander (サスケＶＳコマンダー) is a shooting gallery arcade game developed by Shin Nihon Kikaku. It was released sometime in 1980, making it one of the many titles released before the Neo Geo system.
Story[]
"Sasuke! Protect my life from Ninja. Go kill them all!"
"Yes, Shogun."
Taking place in the city of Kyoto, Sasuke fights against commanders who repel him with magics such as Henshin, Bushin, Kaen and Hiryuken.
Gameplay[]
Like many of SNK's earlier titles, this title is a shooting game but has a ninja twist to its engine. The player controls the blue ninja, Sasuke. He is ordered by the shogun to defeat the villains in the land. The gameplay is very basic as Sasuke is always at the bottom of the screen. He can only move left or right and shoot tiny shuriken at his enemies. During stages he has to defeat different type of ninja above him, each equipped with their own capabilities (such as gliding and magic). This game is one of the earliest titles to have bosses, labeled as "magical bonuses" during play. Ideally, the game ends when all eight stages are completed.
At the game over screen, Sasuke humorously trips over a rock and fails to get back up.