DESCRIPTION

At one point in Earth's timeline, either in the distant past or the far future, an evil force descended from the skies, its aim to conquer the human race with alien powers. At the same time, humankind had gotten so morally bankrupt that the gods abandoned the people to this cruel fate. Ashura, King of Evil World, saw this as a good opportunity to unleash his minions of malice on Earth and subjugate its denizens to his tyrannical rule.

Fortunately, the god Hyprion took pity and lent his awesome power to four worthy humans, including two ninjas: Horatio, who throws shurikens, and Tiffany, who unleashes grenade-like crystals. The other two heroes are Marco, a Buddhist monk who shoots lightning, and Leo, a fencing expert who fires crescent-like shots. By picking up candle-like emblems that appear throughout the game, you can charge up each character's weaponry, speed, jumping ability, and life gauge. Once during each round you, can unleash your special weapon, which destroys every enemy onscreen.

Shadow Blasters has nine creature-infested rounds of play, the first six of which you can play in any order you like. A boss guards the end of each round. Prior to battling the boss, you must perform a number of heroic feats, such as crossing hazardous rock formations, hopping on platforms while avoiding bolts of lightning, or withstanding an onslaught of spiders and bats. The action takes place in a variety of settings including mountains, streets, a dilapidated warehouse, and a space base.

You can change the warrior you control at any point in the game, and a second player can join in for cooperative gameplay. If you cannot beat the game your first time through, fear not — there are unlimited continues. ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide