If you enjoyed arcade games like Shinobi (1987) and Shadow Dancer (1989), the following game series might interest you. A Shinobi-style action game called Shadow Gangs was released for PC (Steam) in 2020, and its success has now led to the development of a prequel named Shadow Gangs Zero.


The Kickstarter campaign for this prequel game has achieved full funding, but it still needs to reach a series of stretch goals, the first of which is:

Second Playable Character
Introducing Hikaru, the ninja girl! Play as this new character and experience the game from a fresh perspective.


Take a look and see if you might be able to help out!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jkmcorp/shadow-gangs-zero



.

Only a few days left in the campaign, so please help out if you can:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jkmcorp/shadow-gangs-zero


Thanks!

Last edited by MarcioD on 11-Sep-2024 at 04:25 AM.
Last edited by MarcioD on 11-Sep-2024 at 04:25 AM.

The core campaign ended on September 14, 2024 and was a smashing success. Not only was the project fully funded, but it also surpassed the stretch goal for having the female ninja included as a playable character!

Due to extremely strong demand, the developer has decided to accept Late Pledges for those who missed out during the core campaign. Here's the exciting part... The project is only £2,000 away from reaching the next stretch goal: 2-player co-operative gameplay. This will be a revolutionary feature, as none of the arcade and console Shinobi games had this 2-player simultaneous gameplay.

In addition to the PC (Steam), the game will also be available for: Neo Geo, Sega Genesis, Dreamcast, PS5, Xbox, and Switch.

Join the revolution here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jkmcorp/shadow-gangs-zero

UPDATE:

Less than £1,000 away from unlocking: 2-player co-operative gameplay.

Join the party: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jkmcorp/shadow-gangs-zero

2-player co-op gameplay has been unlocked. Thanks to all backers for making this happen!

Late Pledges are being accepted for a bit longer, so make sure you join the club while you still can.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jkmcorp/shadow-gangs-zero

ShadowTeam has posted an update for the upcoming Shinobi-inspired game Shadow Gangs Zero. The first bit of news is that the graphics development is coming along very nicely. The second major takeaway is that the porting process to the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive has now begun. Porting to the PC will happen later this year.


Catch up on the exciting details here:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jkmcorp/shadow-gangs-zero/posts/4310516


Enjoy the latest music tracks from the game:

https://soundcloud.com/user-723778647/shadow-gangs-zero

https://soundcloud.com/user-723778647/boss-level


If you haven't made a pledge to the campaign yet, what are you waiting for?

Last month (April 2025), the developer finished crafting the game engine for the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive version of the game. It shouldn't be too much longer before work on the PC / Steam version begins.


The latest news for this month (May 2025) is that the game's core artwork is now almost fully complete, with just special effects and background animations left to add - these will bring extra life and energy to the levels.


For the few of you who haven't yet pledged, you're invited to join the ninja revolution at this page:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jkmcorp/shadow-gangs-zero


When you make a pledge to the campaign, here are some cool personalized rewards available:

Custom Backer Image - Later levels:
Add a small image (up to 64 x 64 pixels) of your choice - whether it’s your portrait or any design - within a game level.

Graffiti Text / Image - Level 1:
Be the sole backer to have your custom text or graffiti design featured in the very first level of the game - up to 80 x 64 pixels in size.

Graffiti Text / Image - Later levels:
Add your custom text or graffiti design within a game level - up to 80 x 64 pixels in size.

Name the Ninja Girl:
Name the fierce, playable ninja girl - choose her name!

The pixel art for all 18 levels was completed last month (June), as was the majority of the music tracks. Now in July, level design is well underway and things are progressing very nicely. The Neo Geo version is on schedule to be completed by December 2025 as planned, with the PC (Steam) version not long afterwards for early 2026.

It was confirmed a couple of months ago that the Neo Geo digital version is compatible with NeoSD PRO, as the developer is personally testing the game with it throughout development.

The campaign is currently at £109K in pledges. It needs to reach £120K to unlock the six mini bosses. Please make a pledge so that you can join in the fun. In addition to the PC and Neo Geo, you can also back the versions for these other platforms: Sega Genesis / Mega Drive, Dreamcast, PS5, Xbox, and Switch.

Visit the campaign page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jkmcorp/shadow-gangs-zero

Reminder: All backers will have their names displayed on the credits screen accessible from the main menu, as well as on the end-game screens.

Also: Backers of the physical versions for Neo Geo, Genesis / MD, and Dreamcast will receive the corresponding digital versions for free!

@MarcioD

Are they going to release it for the Amiga too?

_________________

@MarcioD

why should we care? if this is not for the Amiga (or clone) platform?

nice pixel-art btw...

Last edited by liquidbit on 27-Jul-2025 at 03:50 PM.

@AmigaMac

No Amiga version.

@liquidbit


This is the Miscellaneous - General Technology section of forum, with the description: "This is the place to discuss about computers and technology in general."

One of the platforms this game is releasing on is Steam (PC).

Friend MarcioD

The first rule of the Amigaworld club is:
General Technology is WHAT WE SAY General Technology is.

The second rule of the Amigaworld club is:
PORT YOUR NINJA-SOMETHING GAME TO AROS.
NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





Sincerely,
Mega "RJ" Mical

_________________
I HAVE ABS OF STEEL
--
CAN YOU SEE ME? CAN YOU HEAR ME? OK FOR WORK

Level Design:
Last month (August 2025), the developer reported that level design was in high gear. Now in September 2025, the developer tells us that he's finished the first pass in creating these game levels: City, Bridge, Airport, Bunker, Forest, Beach, Cyber Punk, Castle. The current level being designed is: China. He estimates that he'll have finished the first pass of designing all levels by mid-to-late October 2025. Designing levels for Shadow Gangs Zero is a multi-pass process involving three primary passes plus a polishing phase. Lots of work, but the developer is making great progress.


Mini Bosses:
The final campaign stretch goal is the inclusion of six mini bosses: Fire-breathing dragon, Military helicopter, Cannon wall with heavy firepower, Van with armed fighters, etc. To achieve that stretch goal, the pledge total needs to reach £120K. We are so very close to reaching this goal, as the pledge total is currently at £113K.


Beta Testing:
You already know that backers will have access to the Neo Geo beta digital release, as that console is the lead development platform. I've received confirmation from the developer that ALL backers will have access to this Neo Geo beta release. In other words, even backers of the Steam (PC) version will be granted access to that beta. Granting broad beta access will help the developer iron out all bugs, while giving backers early access as a loyalty perk. A win-win for everyone!


Ongoing Pledges:
So far, the campaign has attracted over 760 backers to its cause. That's awesome! We're striving to reach 800 backers by year's end - Could you help make that happen? If you haven't yet pledged, please take another look at the campaign page to see if you'd like to add Shadow Gangs Zero to your collection. If you've already pledged, please tell your circle of friends about the game and invite them to join the SGZ community.


Shadow Gangs Zero - Campaign Page:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jkmcorp/shadow-gangs-zero

Last edited by MarcioD on 19-Sep-2025 at 02:53 AM.

@MEGA_RJ_MICAL


OK, I lied. There's not a 0% chance of Shadow Gangs Zero coming to Amiga. There's a 5% chance, based on a discussion we had on English Amiga Board earlier this year. Go ahead and play that Jim Carrey meme ("So you're telling me there's a chance!")

On the one hand, the developer is an Amiga fan. But on the other hand, he has no Amiga game development experience.

He's developing versions for Neo Geo and Genesis / Mega Drive, both of which use the 68000 as their main CPU, so maybe porting to Amiga would be feasible from that standpoint. On the other hand, Amiga lacks the graphics finesse possessed by 16-bit powerhouses like Neo Geo and Genesis / MD.

Then again... who says an Amiga port needs to cater to OCS/ECS users? It's gotta be AGA all the way, baby! More onscreen colors, better sprites, and 68020 as a foundation. Lamers still stuck in 1985 need not apply.

No AROS, sorry. AmigaOS or nothing, because an Amiga port needs to make its money back at the very least.

Quote:

MarcioD wrote: Lamers still stuck in 1985 need not apply. No AROS, sorry. AmigaOS or nothing, because an Amiga port needs to make its money back at the very least.

WORLD RECORD OF FRIENDS MADE IN ONE POST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

_________________
I HAVE ABS OF STEEL
--
CAN YOU SEE ME? CAN YOU HEAR ME? OK FOR WORK

@MarcioD

I've watched the demo. Pixel art is top notch. It seems my game engine Sevgi_Engine can be used for an AGA port of the game. Of course the color depth should be toned down a bit and parallaxing must be two layers max. Of course, I say this assuming you're not planning a completely different level design later in the game.

And if you accept, we can even collaborate on the port (I'll have plenty of spare time in the following months) and it would be a great opportunity for me to put my engine to the test.

Please feel free to P.M. me if you're interested.

@alpyre

Quote:

I've watched the demo. Pixel art is top notch. It seems my game engine Sevgi_Engine can be used for an AGA port of the game. Of course the color depth should be toned down a bit and parallaxing must be two layers max. Of course, I say this assuming you're not planning a completely different level design later in the game. And if you accept, we can even collaborate on the port (I'll have plenty of spare time in the following months) and it would be a great opportunity for me to put my engine to the test. Please feel free to P.M. me if you're interested.

Sincerely interested, and will PM you right now!