Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom (NES) Playthrough - NintendoComplete
A playthrough of Tecmo's 1991 NES game, Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom.
For all the ire that I might draw in saying so, this is my second favorite Ninja Gaiden game after the 1989 original. The graphics are an incredible showcase for the NES' capabilities in the hands of an experienced developer, the music is just as good as the older ones, this time even going so far as to include super-distorted digital samples in the music, as well as including an obnoxious "Ha!" sound every time Ryu swings his sword.
The controls are the smoothest and most intuitive of the three games, with a hanging manoeuvre that allows Ryu to flip up onto platforms above him.
A lot of hullabaloo has generated as a result of the game's hugely increased difficulty over the original Japanese version, but it is actually a fair amount easier than the first two. The major difference is that each enemy dishes out way more damage per hit, and you're limited to five continues, but it really just comes down to playing the game enough to anticipate the upcoming bad stuff - things are much easier to avoid in this game over the first two, and they have a far smaller tendency to swarm the **** out of you.
The only HUGE oversight in my mind in the game play is the goof with the time in the final area. Someone correct me if you know otherwise, but as far as I know, you cannot finish the game without losing a life: Act VII doesn't give you anywhere near enough time to get through the level before the timer kills you. It's quite difficult to get that far in the level without dying first (therefore resetting the timer), but still - isn't it enough of a challenge without forcing a death on the player at the very end?
The story... sigh could have been much better. There are tons of appearances from old characters (it takes place between the original and NG2), but they really force quite a few leaps in logic, and a lot of it seems kind of random. The graphic quality of the cinematics, however, utterly destroys just about anything else that Tecmo ever did with their "Tecmo Theatre" system.
Finally, if you really dislike the limited continues, you could always try to play the SNES Ninja Gaiden Trilogy version... complete with butchered sound and ugly graphics (....errr, wasn't it supposed to be an upgrade?).
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I grew up playing Gaiden, Castlevania, Contra and Double Dragon and beating them. Haven't gamed for 30 years and still beat my nephew and his friends at whatever game they are playing. Now I know why! These games were insanely difficult!!!
@user-wh1gk5xy6s
5 ай бұрын
Yes they are the only 2 i beat were contra and double dragon way less advantages back then when ya died you didnt save your checkpoint you had to start over from the beginning now that was challenging god i miss the good old days lol
@ezioauditore5616
5 ай бұрын
todays games are microtransaction bs, that if we call them games
@vvmaster2010
4 ай бұрын
Ninja gaiden 2 is the hardest
I remember seeing my little brother beating the final boss and completing the whole game on a Snow Day beside a cracking warm fire. We were amazed that he did it with only 1 live left... Good times.
@Demorrad
Жыл бұрын
Примерно так у меня тоже было. Я из России. И мы не хотим войны...
With so much deadly enemies, cool music, awesome actions and many levels, can you believe this game is just 265kb?
@Necroionutwiz
3 жыл бұрын
because it was made in the era of TMNT and also Terminator and TECHMOS golden era .... they put real effort into makeing this as epic as posible also u can check out shadow of a ninja
@AXharoth
3 жыл бұрын
timer is a bitch in this game ^_^*
@AXharoth
3 жыл бұрын
also cutscenes need a seizure warning
@matttipton6009
3 жыл бұрын
@@AXharoth exactly, the timer is the thing that kept me from a no-death run. Act 7...
@AXharoth
3 жыл бұрын
@@matttipton6009 yeah i can believe that
So all it takes to get Ryu to do something is to tell him he's the only one that can do it? "Ryu, my dry cleaning...you're my last hope."
@Comkill117
3 ай бұрын
You have to wonder if Irene ever tried that on him just around the house or something. “Ryu, the trash… It’s up to you, you’re the only one who can take it out!” “Ok!” (Next act jingle plays)
Music is amazing
Watching in 2019 Ill never forget this game.
@helpme6849
5 жыл бұрын
@h Chandra u got me on ur side
@themanualmindset2868
3 жыл бұрын
2021
@matttipton6009
3 жыл бұрын
Really liked this game! You took more damage but that giant sword upgrade completely broke the game.
@damien2233
Жыл бұрын
I first found out about this game in like 2017. I haven't beatin it yet though
I still love the Nintendo Ninja Gaiden series. So many great memories.
@alexcastillo2396
Жыл бұрын
La verdad la unica dos piedras dificiles de ninja gaide para mi fueron la zona de hielo las 3 y las zonas electricas donde tienes que saltar de un raile si te equivocas mueres electrocutado es la peor de todas incluso cuando lo juge pensaba que tenia que ser una falla alta del juego es casi inposible y para el colmo te mataba no te restaba vida es lo peor y por eso me rendi asta ay no pude pasar de ay
The thing I like about 3 is that he can finally take a damn hit without flying backwards 97 feet, usually off a cliff.
@wesleythompson7
3 жыл бұрын
Yep 😆😆👏
@NintendoComplete
2 жыл бұрын
Right? Those f*ing birds...!
@kylehall5490
4 ай бұрын
Coupled with the thing I hate about 3, taking more damage from literally every enemy. Even the rank and file knock you down 3 bars
The soundtrack is freacking awesome!! I recall when my middle brother and I play this on weekends when we were 9 and 7 years old! Good times!
"You're alive?!" "Did you think i would die that easily?" She smugly says after having been thrown OFF OF AN ACTUAL CLIFF... but she has a gun so i won't argue
@jackcoleman1784
6 күн бұрын
She has Ada Wong energy.
The Ninja Gaiden trilogy on the 8 bit NES is a classic, one of my favorites of all time.
Damn this really pushed the limits of the NES!! Such a step up from other games in that era
The NES had such great trilogies
This is another fantastic edition of the series to round out the original trilogy, though it's often blasted for it's (totally convoluted) story and it's difficulty level. It really isn't that hard, and sure the story is insane, but it plays SOOOO smoothly.
@danalong1237
8 жыл бұрын
The franchise actually started in 1988 when Ninja Gaiden was released to arcades; it was brought back in the mid-to-late 2000s on the Xbox until Tecmo merged with Koei to become Koei Tecmo Holdings.
@CryingZombie666
6 жыл бұрын
+Dana Long The new Ninja Gaiden franchise is a total shit, tbh.
@pranavphx
5 жыл бұрын
This is my favorite from the franchise. I prefer the soundtrack here i think it took neoclassical shred to another level and it fits really well with smoothness of the gameplay. The initial few levels you feel unstoppable because of how fast ryu reacts to your joystick moves. One of the great games of all time imho.
@pranavphx
5 жыл бұрын
I was able to finish it after a few months of gameplay in my younger days. Its just the right amount of difficulty imho. Just challenging so you don't get bored
@hellsunicorn
3 жыл бұрын
Honestly, as someone who played the game heavily when I was younger (the NES Ninja Gaiden trilogy coincided with my latter elementary school days and everyone was playing it at the time), I was dumbfounded by the complaints of its difficulty. Of all 3 games, this one was basically the easiest from an overall gameplay standpoint, it was only really difficult if you missed the super-sword power up and tried to take down one of the bosses without it. Likewise, the storyline never struck me as that convoluted, they basically brought in more of a Sci-Fi element to the fantastical setting of the previous games. Foster always struck me as a potential arch-villain due to his actions at the end of the first game, and at the time I was obsessed with completing this game to find out whether or not Irene was actually dead given that it wasn't widely publicized at its release that it took place between the first and second game, hence Lew could not have been dead given that she was in the story afterward. I still consider the second game to be the best of the series, but overall I found the story easy to follow and the game play was always fantastic, even if the first game was ridiculously hard and I did rage quit a few times when first attempting it. Hey, I was 9 years old at the time, cut me some slack. lol
That intense music. Reminds me of my childhood!
Knowing now that Ninja Gaiden III comes before Sword of Chaos story wise, this game takes on a new meaning. Irene takes on tough assignments and Ryu helps her get out of the jams. I like their interaction throughout the whole NES trilogy. The gameplay addition of the powerup to increase the sword swing distance is reminiscent of Stryder. I think in this part of the story they wanted to go more "out there" with the idea of Life Force, transmutation, and Bio-Droids. So, this part of the trilogy, to me, transitions into more science fiction. The first Ninja Gaiden sits in the realm of revenge, justice, and love, while Sword of Chaos takes us into darkness vs. light and the transition between the two. All in all, a wonderful series. Thank you, NintendoComplete, for your gameplay throughout the whole series. Well done!
@srinivasanarayanan8120
2 жыл бұрын
How ninja gaiden iii comes after ii ?
@riswandirazali9557
Жыл бұрын
@@srinivasanarayanan8120 i think he mean for when the game available at his country. Like me i got tmnt 3 first then tmnt 2 and 1. They came in cartridges not only one game. Ninja gaiden also the same when i got it to play the 1st one was 3rd then 2 and 1 😅
@Gessorio5531
11 ай бұрын
@@riswandirazali9557actually he meant that the Story of Ninja Gaiden 3 take place before Ninja Gaiden 2, in the final screen of Ninja Gaiden 3, if you wait 15 minutes, a text will appear saying "To be Continued in Ninja Gaiden 2"
@Gessorio5531
11 ай бұрын
@@srinivasanarayanan8120The Story of Ninja Gaiden 3 take place before Ninja Gaiden 2, in the final screen of Ninja Gaiden 3, if you wait 15 minutes, a text will appear saying "To be Continued in Ninja Gaiden
@theprowler18
7 ай бұрын
SPOILER ALERT At the end of NGII, Ryu holds a dying Irene in his hand and pleads with the spirit housed in the Dragon Sword to revive her. In doing so, the sword is completely destroyed and Irene is revived to be with Ryu.
The music touches my soul.
@habibaaali174
Жыл бұрын
Oh you stolen my words👌
Hits all the right notes with mild to 'just-right' flair; unlike modern gaming, classics told great storylines without long drawn-out narration.
@Peter_1986
2 жыл бұрын
Also, you can actually skip the cutscenes in these games if you aren't interested in them. I have never understood why some games insist on having forced unskippable cutscenes.
Back when I first played this game, I was shocked by how good the graphics was
This is quite possibly the best looking game on the NES.
@reesebeatz1773
Ай бұрын
No way
@NucleaRaptor
Ай бұрын
I'd say only Batman: Revenge of the Joker and TMNT3 can surpass it on a technical level.
Damn bruh you made me cry the nostalgia 😭😭😭
Those Good old days... I am watching it in 2020
When I played this game almost 10-12 years back, the subtitles were in Chinese or Japanese. Thank god I got to know the story. Proud to have completed this difficult game.
I just find it hilarious that in all 3 games after the 1st level, Ryu, the NINJA gets sneak attacked and not the other way around.
"I don't think this clip has nearly enough commercial breaks" said no one ever.
30:16 OH GOD YOU CAN ACTUALLY HEAR THE *SHREDDING OF MEAT* AS FOSTER'S TORN TO PIECES! FUCK, this trilogy is so good!
@VJ87G
2 жыл бұрын
Foster is such an power hungry jackass.
@kanishkasingh6809
2 жыл бұрын
@@VJ87G *Was
The intro of this game built a great suspicion of what was awaiting....
I beat this with one death, did not know you could abuse the fire wheels through the spikes. I would die from the clock running out in act 7. Great game!!!
@wilfridoelicersuerogonzale6674
2 жыл бұрын
Fine bless for you in jesus name. Gamer
Voice samples in an NES game?! Color me impressed!
All 3 Ninja-Gaiden games... ICONIC still holds strong after 30 plus years. Still have my copies.
did you notice how sprites are good in this game compared to first 2 games? amazing art work. also stage 1 music deserves dedicated place in the hall of fame
Toda mi infancia recordada en un instante¡¡¡ Que hermosos momentos de niñez¡¡¡
@anbaro1974
2 жыл бұрын
x2
@juanpablolaranajera5033
11 ай бұрын
x3
@JeshuRex
7 ай бұрын
x4 y hasta la fecha los sigo jugando
Those cutscenes are out of this world!
I played this game as a kid almost 25+ years ago. The version I had was Japanese and I didn't understand what they were talking about then. But I still thought in my little child brain that it was a masterpiece story for a NES game.
My favourite game of all time
De los mejores juegos de mi infancia, me encanta la música, buena historia buenos controles del juego
@rooklink
2 жыл бұрын
Este y misión imposible.
Man the nes was such a awesome console to grow up with! Same with sega genesis and snes
Ninja Gaiden triology NES my best love kicking evil in the butt with Ryu
Que nostalgia, lembro da minha infância, o melhor jogo de todos !
This is a emotion what a gameplay specially at 30:26
memories! it's all coming back to me!
Greatest games ever made were the Ninja Gaiden games by Team Ninja
спасибо, за возможность еще раз ощутить те эмоции из далеких 90-х
I've always loved this transformation 28:10
Thanks yaar purani yade taza kar di, All the time this game was my fav..... ☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️
This fantastic game with a fantastic Music is just like a Shinobi III on the Mega Drive! One of my fav retro-games from 90s!
thank you dude 2019 stil love it
Fantastic game. Great stuff all around. And I agree, Act 7's time limit is ridiculously short but I only just learned this week that the fire wheel attack makes you completely invulnerable to stage hazards like spikes and electricity barriers. So that's how you cheese it out, I suppose. XD
Ryu Was Always In A Battle. From The Arcade Series To Nes Sega And NEC Turbografx 16.
The japanese version of III had unlimited continues and a password system.
this game is masterpiece
Sigh. The memories. The music for this game is still amazing.
Me trajiste muy gratos recuerdos de mí niñez. Muchas gracias y muy bien jugado.
The story really jumped the shark.. first one was pretty cool.. Ruins, demon statues, side story of Ryu's father, I could get into it. Second one started to get a bit weird.. and then by the end, we end up on a dimensional warship..
@trinerd
5 жыл бұрын
Ya, agreed, first one was great, second one wasn't as good, for the third one I just couldn't really get into it at all.
@mecburnablasta6811
5 жыл бұрын
So if castle rock Fortress(which is a dumb name) was built over the ruins of the castle in the first game, doesn’t that mean the castle on the first game was a space ship?
@edwardsolaire5672
2 жыл бұрын
I believe Ninja Gaiden 2 was the most cool. The first one is very rare, and the levels aren't that good designed, nor the items that change everytime you enter a new stage. Weird design. Ninja Gaiden 3, by the other hand, seems like they try to get a connection to the OVA, losing the charm in the process. In my opinion, Ninja Gaiden 2's story is simple but effective, the perfect sequel.
Simply awesome 😊 if I get bored I play it even now
that 8 bit sound used to sound like charm, just because the musician put the soul into it.
When I first bought it I already beaten the previous two. So I ended this in my first try. I was so frustrated on how easy it seemed that I exchanged the game... later on I never ade it pass the jungle scene... What the heck!!! love this saga.
@angeltzepesh1
2 жыл бұрын
All the assassins creed and stuff really made us worse players. I remember beating most of the games back then.
Did anyone else believe that this series would have made a good movie trilogy?
@diamon1310
9 ай бұрын
If it was back during the 80's and 90's ninja craze then yeah
One of the best sounding and looking NES games that also is one of the hardest. Pretty limit pushing if you ask me
i already finished this game when i'm in elementary school, i dont have any issue with timer at last stage, honestly from this trilogy, the 2nd is the hardest one to beat in my opinion.
Who else is watching in 2021? I wish they would put the second and third game out on the Switch. This one was my favorite of the three. What's your favorite?
When we had beaten the last boss, there were fireworks someone fired (in our honour we suspected)
This may be my favorite game in the Trilogy. It's levels are just as hard, if not harder than the other two games, and they pulled it off without having to rely on the respawning enemies gimmick. It just feels more polished to me than the other games.
Best game NES !
Childhood memories since i played this game in 2oo3 or 2004 i think so
Isn't it weird how the subtitle is "The Ancient Ship of Doom" yet you never find out what this "ship of doom" actually IS until near the end of the game?
@vanishingstar_0026
4 жыл бұрын
It's different from series
@vicareede
3 жыл бұрын
hmm.. but its still interesting. i love how clancy the antagonist is slowly cradle us to the main story.. the Ancient Ship of Doom
Of all 3 games , this one was the hardest one to beat , great game 👍👍👍
At the end Ryu Hayabusa learns very important lesson, a ninja is willing to learn
Gracias por traerne tan maravillosos recuerdos de mi infancia... Muchas gracias
This is like we are watching a Movie.An Action Movie❤️☺️
I loved all of the Ninja Gaiden's on the SNES. never got into the PS versions because I didn't like the way they reworked the story into Dead or Alive. NG3 gets a lot of hate I think because they went more for the sci-fi aspect instead of sticking with the fantasy/occultish themes of the first 2. And yes 3 was definetly easier than the first 2, mostly I think because of the introduction of the dragon sword weapon which dramatically increased your reach.
@Love-Sensibility
Жыл бұрын
Totally~! I don't like that Dead Or Alive are in the same universe as Ninja Gaiden. It'll always be different worlds to me~
"I play Ninja Gaiden for the plot" **THE PLOT THICKENS**
Removió mi infancia 😪😪 grandes recuerdos y esa banda sonora imposible de olvidar 👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿🔥🔥🔥
Ok, I've only just watched the opening cut-scene before the start screen, but how can anyone say Ryu eliminated Irene? Out of context it looked like an accident. Also, I remember being blown away by the music and opening scene of NG2. This one was just kind ho hum.
I almost threw a Kegger after beating this game. I was so damn excited!
Ninja gaiden i want my childhood 😢😢😢
i like ryus nose its shaped really cool
Clancy and that warship vaporized while Castle Rock Fortress, along with Foster's body in such pieces, crumble down by the shockwave of the explosion.
I'm 45 now but I beat 1 & 2 as a kid...idk if I could've beat this one...the levels in 3 looked REALLY tough 😮 definitely couldn't now 😅
"Castle Rock Fortress?" So, Seinfeld was behind the Biohazard project all along!
43:46... Timer Death?!?... That's *TheONLY* Thing That Has Killed That 8-Bit-NINJA!
@gemini-mg6sc
Ай бұрын
Yep. The last level didn’t give you with enough time. I always die around here too before starting again to get to the final boss.
Can't beat the 8-bit nes sounds, long live Apple ][e, 8-bit, 16-bit era.
Great game. Didn’t realize this until much later that this is actually a prequel to Ninja GaiDen 2. All three were great games. Although one thing about this one I always wondered about as compared to the first two. The first two had villains that were legitimately terrifying….just by the names they sounded tough and difficult….Jaquio and Ashtar. Those sound like villain names! And they lived up to it. But here….the final boss is Clancy. CLANCY!!! You go from fighting Jaquio and Ashtar to fighting CLANCY!!😂😆 Ryu was probably thinking oh I’m fighting Clancy now! Yay! Woo-hoo! Clancy!!!😆😆 sounds like fighting potato chips from ALDI! Jaquio…..Ashtar…..all the way to….. CLANCY!!😜🤪
I am #1 in Montreal in 1991 to finish this game on NES when it came out.
My old time favourite game
Época maravilhosa joguei muito esse game mais nunca conssegui virar ele top dos 8 bits
my favorite soundtrack nes game
Me encanta este juego, gratos recuerdos!
Thank you for the video, now I finally understand the story of this part 3 in English version. I did complete the game, in Japanese version about 2.5 decades ago, henceforth I could only guess the outline of the story via the Chinese characters. Have a good day!
I guess this is where the tradition of,"This isn't my final form " began lol.
ninja gaiden 3 is by far the hardest of the trilogy 🎮📺 this dude is very good i havent make it thru this one yet!
Ryu Hayabusa's Ninja Quest Is Coming To An End In Ninja Gaiden 3 The Ancient Ship Of Doom, The Final Installment In The Ninja Gaiden Trilogy For Your Nintendo Entertainment System From Tecmo!
This is the best Ninja Gaiden. My favourite part is in 22:12 and the Act 5
At first when I start playing this game, I thought this was boring then it got a little difficult towards the end but I beat the game and this was one of the last great games I ever played from old NES then switched to SNES in the early 90s.
Amazing game, my childhood friend and I started playing this one because was the first available. Then we played the II and I, I would say part 3 was the easiest one.
@highstimulation2497
2 жыл бұрын
easier than II?? ....interesting... I have always found one nearly impossible, II SUPER easy, and III VERY frustrating. it was probably the ages I played them at, and how much I practiced.
Fantastic OST
So this is the original game I had played modded version in which you play as Spider-Man.
You're really good!
@NintendoComplete
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks!
Best fcn trilogy ever
I just realized that i never completed this game, nice to see the ending