The Legend Of Kage

Ahhh... The Legend Of Kage... don't you dare pronounce it as The Legend Of "Cage" because you'd be wrong. Dead wrong. Its "Kah-gay". This is kinda like a cross between Ninja Spirit and Kung-fu, though I believe Ninja Spirit came out a few years later.

Most people wouldn't recognize this game and I believe "The Legend of Zelda" robbed this game of any chance of glory. The two would sit side-by-side on a store shelf because... well... alphabetically they come next to each other. And who would want this Kage game when it sits next to a gold cart anyways?

The box-art features that cool yellow to green to red fade that Taito used for a handful of games including Elevator Action and Arkanoid. But then you have some yutz with a princess in an embrace!

Actually Kage is pretty cool. It uses a full palette of colors with earth tones that create a misty and mysterious feel to the game. Throw stars and swing a sword while leaping from tree to tree ala Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Kill opposing Ninjas and Monks!

The music has a neat Asian twang to it which helps set the mood and reminds you of Kung Fu movies. There is none of the techno you'd find in games like Ninja Gaiden.

If anything Kage lives up to the hyperbole of being a legend. It certainly has an arcade fel to it that only Taito could pull off.