Ive been calling this “cage” for 40 years. You learn something new everyday.

I think pretty much all of us pronounced is "cage" back then. Furiously fast game and yes, it does get overwhelming at times.

The more I look at this the more it feels like Taito was trying to make their own version of Ghosts N’ Goblins.

This brings back some 80's childhood local shady arcade memories. Kage arcade ate my weekly allowance for months. Then Street Fighter/Fighting Street and Super Mario Bros

The Legend of Patman

I love how you always cover the home computer ports, in these days of perfect emulation they're generally ignored. But they were our experience back then, at least in the UK and Europe.

I don’t understand why I can’t like this twice

This was one of my all-time favorite games growing up chaotic hard challenging. I didn't know what I was doing at the time but it was pretty darn fun

I would play the NES version all day long!! What a fast paced game! I never seen the arcade version in my neck of the woods. Looks great though!

You the man, Pat!

As a kid, I only got to play Legend of "Cage" back in arcades 1 time, and it was very tough. Even the home versions can be a good challenge for this Legend of "Ka-ge" game. I do like the NES version's fast framerate, which is something NES often excels at. Thanks for the great coverage of this unique action leaping adventure arcade game, Patman! Nicely played.

Every video you put out is great and this new one is no exception. Just got done watching it at work on the DL. Keep em coming

Thanks for doing this video, this game is special to me and glad to got to do it.

I was just talking about this game and that I've been looking for one for a while. The music is so great 😊 Great game.

Beauty! I love this game in the arcade as a kid (and I too, prounounced it 'Cage' until I learned better) and burned many a quarter, though i never did get very good at it. I don't think I got past stage 4. Was very disappointed in the C64 port when I got it. There was no reason I could think of that they used the 2x scaled sprite option for the characters, and it was just poor coding that didn't allow the music to play in the background of gameplay. None of the 8 bit port developers seemed to really get that it was the SPEED that made Kage so compelling in the arcade. Fast getting around, the need to instantly swing swords as shinobi came at you from nowhere to in your face etc. The arcade's controls were also pretty special, for an 8 way stick you could get damn near Sinistar levels of accuracy throwing those shuriken! Great choice to cover, Pat. Another fairly obscure fun gem from my misspent youth. Much appreciated!

Let me thank you very much for fulfilling my request! I just can't imagine anything better than this video! 😃

Wow the legend PatmanQC with another legendary video! Keep it up man!

Everyone wake up. A new Patman QC. Video was released!

Love this game. The music, the lightning and thunder, and the fast action. Jumping in the river to go after ninjas was so much fun.

This game was my number one at poughkeepsie galleria arcade; circa 1988. I nvr played nes version. Great video as always! Edit: I lold @ sword envy joke. . Good one!

I only started liking Taito in the last few years. Even bought the 4 Taito Memories on PS2 as well as the 2 Taito Legends. Legend of Kage (Cage, as I used to call it as well), is one I still can't get into, though I do like watching someone else play it.

no one believes me, but at my local arcade, the Kage console would allow you to control Kage at times during the title sequence. if you killed enough guys and picked up one of the special scrolls, you got one free credit.

Demon Sword was my jam! One year for Christmas I got it, The Adventures of Bayou Billy, Super Mario Brothers 2 and Mega Man 2!

I remember playing it at the arcades and only getting to level 3. The NES I was in it all the time.

This was my all time favorite arcade game as a kid, and it took all of my quarters at the Thriftway. When it was my birthday I always got one game and I begged for this title on NES. I was disappointed when it wasn't arcade perfect, as I thought it would be, but still played the he'll out of it after school. This really brought me back, thanks Patman!

Thank you for making the most unashamedly positive English-language video about this game in KZfaq history (from a prominent channel, at least). I feel like a lot of arcade games that got NES ports are immediately dismissed in the anglophone west for being somewhere in the middle ground between "epic side-scroller with clearly defined level progression facilitating a definitive beginning & end" and "single-screen looping arcade game" - that's one era of gaming that tends to be immediately dismissed, yet I think it made for some of the most fun 80s games. Quite a massive contrast between the game's general Japanese online reception and its English-language one too.

Thanks for another great video Pat!

Thanks for another great retrospective Patman.

You can block enemy shuriken with your sword, but not thier bombs. This game is on Arcade Archives, also.

Many thanks, PatmanQC, for pronouncing "Kage" correctly. :D

Only played Legend of Kage once in the wild, at a small arcade in Myrtle Beach, SC. The music really had me hooked (and the lightning on the first stage) so when I saw it was released on NES I had to pick it up. Not a bad port, captured the arcade version pretty well.

I loved the nes version. Growing up in Jamaica I played this daily. I searched for so long until I randomly found the arcade version as an adult. Great video. Thanks

Always a treat thanks buddy!

Excellent video as always!! Your commentary is flawless, and I really appreciate how you include many formats; it takes me back to the days I'd be mesmerized at a friend's computer games, and though they were simple, I was transported to another realm of experiences which at that time were unseen. I rented Demon Sword so much that I could have simply bought the game lol, but I was young and silly I guess. Also that was when I lived in a small town in Northern Alberta that had one video store, and they were nice enough to allow me to exchange the games for another due to the fact that many titles were unplayable, or 'broken', as we now know too well.

awesome video brother! thank you

The nes port was great ! I rented it a few times. Great video as always.

Nice video had no idea those sequels existed, but you forgot to mention one game. Taito that same year 1984 released an interactive Laserdisc game called Ninja Hayate 忍者ハヤテ in the arcades. It follows the same storyline as Legend of Kage and appears to be an animated interactive version of the game.

So, there was a glitch in the (arcade version) game design where you could play this game as long as you could physically hold out. I forget how many hours I played on one quarter in a local mall arcade. All I know is that I tried to get the score to max out at all 9's to make sure I had the high score listed on a sign at the top of the machine and get some free tokens. Ends up the score rolled over and there was a staff change and it took a bit of a battle to convince the new person that I had been there most of the day. But, since I had so many lives (from score) that helped convince the person. I think a week or two later the game was removed.

As always this is a tremendously well done and educational insightful “history of” video! You are a treasure to the whole Arcade Enthusiasts community

Wonderful video.

Arcade demo was playable I used to play it for free all the time. It let you play the whole first stage till you died or passed it.

I 💖 the Legend of Kang! I played this on the NES for hours! The power-ups and lightning scrolls were the best. I never knew there was an arcade version, now i want that version! Taito made some of the best games ever including the best Superman game ever made! 💪🏆 Good job Pat. If like to see a video on all of the game companies that have treasure game offerings like Midway treasures, Taito treasures, Namco classic etc. so i can find all of my favorites for the PS2

Great vid, as usual. :) Make the one for Trog!

Golly Patman i had no idea this game was out there? i did grow up playing a lot of Demon Sword though on the NES. My buddy rented it & never returned it. However his mom had to pay that bill. The jumps on that game was epic! Thanks to this video & me not knowing about this game i will be one of the few people who pronounce this game right from the get go! Holy Leaps & Bounds Patman it's time to get Legend of Kage for the DS & NES & play it for the 1st time! Way to go Old Chum, Way to Go. To the Patmobile there's not a moment to lose!

PatmanQC servin' up another big bowl of comfort food viewing

The Legend of Kage is one of those games that never truly gets old. I never knew it had a true ending.

i remember playing this game and kid niki on my nes back in the days. Good memories and fun games.

I definitely loved the spiritual sequel, Demon Sword and the DS sequel. I never knew a PSP version was released.

One of my favorite arcade classics!

Was hoping that you would mention that the attract screen was playable for ten seconds. It made this game able to play even when i ran out of quarters.

I love the legend of kage me and my friend would play this game every time he came over

I loved this game when I was a kid. I just thought it was so cool but I had no idea what to do. I tried replaying it and it does NOT hold up for me. Oof. I am still nostalgic for it though. Great video

Loved the video. Side note: Zookeeper was sooooo good.

Back in the late 80s or maybe the early 90s my friend and I traded a copy of Demon Sword for Final Fantasy with a kid that lived down the street. One of the best trades I have ever made.

Never seen this game before but it does remind me of Ninja Spirit that I did play in the arcade.

Amazing as always good sir! I need to try the NES version, I’ve only played the arcade and as a kid thought it was “Cage” lol

Played this in the Taito compilation. And the clone.

There's a similar (and, in my opinion, better) arcade game called Ninja Spirit known in Japan as Saigo no Nindou (最後の忍道, "The Final Path of a Ninja"). This 1988 arcade platformer by former Japanese game developer Irem is set in dark fantasy feudal Japan Tsukikage (月影), a young ninja who lost his father to an evil Grim Reaper like spirit and must avenge his death. Tsukikage's journey takes him through seven stages, varying from woodlands, wastelands, swamps, temples, and cliffs. Each stage begins with the player slashing their way to the end until they confront a level boss. The ninja is always armed with the katana named Muramasa (meaning Righteous Cloud), which can be fluidly used to attack in all directions. Extra weapons include the Uzha (meaning Swirling Leaf) (shurikens), the Raitake (meaning Bamboo Thunder) bombs, and the Shoryusai (meaning Rising Dragon) kusarigama. There are also several power-up items, such as one unleashing multiple ninja ghosts to assist the player. The game is praised for beautiful, detailed graphics, solid controls, fast-paced gameplay, and badass soundtrack. The game is infamous for its cruel difficulty, and as someone who played it, I can agree. Ninja Spirit is truly one of the hardest arcade games I've ever played. The game is also released for the Turbo Graphix 16 and the Japanese version of the Arcade game is playable as a digital title on the PlayStation Network store and Nintendo Switch under the Arcade Archives series from Hamster Corporation. 🥷👻

I never saw this in arcades. Impressive to see how similar the NES version actually was.

I always thought it was the Legend of Cage. After all these years I finally got to hear the correct pronunciation ! It only took 40 years. It does make sense to me now especially since it's a Japanese man

I remember the video rental stores would often have an entire section of martial arts/ninja movies. Good times. 😊

i thought i was only one that spotted and played this one...here is a fun arcade cabinet during its demo play you were able to actually play the game itself without dropping a quarter in it, no music but tou were still able to play the game but only on the demo board

That NES game has a character named Victor? That's my name, cool. Reminds me of when Tekken 8 announced a new character named Victor Chevalier. I annonced on social media that I'll be in the game, lol 🤣

Even though I was never a huge fan this game because of frustrations with it's overly committal jumping where you feel helpless after leaping control-wise, I do have a lot of respect for their ambition in maintaining a cinematic tone and action movie vibe. I also appreciate the fact that this game is unabashedly and apologetically Japanese at a time when many developers from Japan felt like their games wouldn't be appealing with American or Western audiences if it was too connected to their culture. Another Arcade game from this era that cranked up the Japanese dial to 11 was 1986's Genpei Tomaden by Namco. I love that game to pieces and come back to it several times a year to just bask in the traditional folklore, scenery and Buddhism elements within a fantastically frantic action game. Thank goodness the game was ported to the US in the Namco Collection Vol 4 on Playstation repackaged as The Genji and the Heike Clans with English translation otherwise who knows how much longer it would have taken even with emulation to discover the game with how obscure it is. Kage on the other hand was more accessible here and it's fascinating to find out there were other computer ports I didn't know about. I also didn't know about the PSP remake either and that looks cool enough to track it down lol. 😇

What an epic intro 🤩

I never played it past the first stage, but that first stage music is a certified bop 🎶🎵

Love this game. Although I mispronounced the name for a good 30 years or so.

This game was awesome on nes💯

You rule, Patman! Boom ShakaLaka!

I only ever experienced this one on the NES. I enjoyed it well enough, but holy HELL do I love me some Demon Sword. That's one I can pick up and play any time.

That soundtrack at times sounds like it's from Yello Magic Orchestra....if you've never heard about YMO, give a listen to Solid State Survivor, you'll be glad you did!

This game has one of the best theme songs ever!!!

Nice Video ! Sub & Big Like ! And Love Retro Kage Games !

I only ever got to play the original Arcade at the Aladdin's Castle in Fort Smith, AR. That machine was there from the day it opened to nearly the day they shut down in the mid 90's. It was a frequent renter as well though I did prefer the Arcade far more than the NES.

@PatmanQC - History of arcade game documentaries Have you seen the US cover art of Demon Sword? They had the main character look like a barbarian.

I got this on my Super Pocket last Autumn.

Another awesome Docu Patman, most excellent. I will admit Kage was never my fave arcade game - i prefer Rastan. Some mediocre ports as well. Im suprised theres no Atari ST and Amiga ports.

This was not an arcade game. This was the game that would be at the stationary store all by itself. This, Kid Niki, and Rastan.

This game would let you partially control the character during the game over demo, sorta like playing the game for free when you ran out of quarters.

I played Legend Of Kage in the arcade a lot before the NES version came out

The Kage of Patman!!!

i love kage great music

I originally thought this game was influenced by the movie, Shogun's Ninja. The hero was dressed similarly and had two daggers to fight with.

Legit always loved the NES version even though I always sucked at it 😊

I wish I knew about that game look like I would've enjoyed it

According to wiki the game was originally released in August 1985 in Japan 🤷🏾‍♂️

Thank you for pronouncing it correctly

I remember playing the NES port of this as a child. Even as a little kid I could tell it wasn't very good, haha.

Nice!!! I fav game of mine. All the big, long arc jump fighting was fun. and that MUSIC 🎶❤️‍🔥 was awesome… AND I knew it!!! It’s pronounced KAH-GAY, not CAGE… I’ve always pronounced it correctly ❤❤

Boom shaka LA pacmanqc

Great game. 🕶️👍

I think you used the “Ninja Hayate” image for your thumbnail. That game was a laserdisc type where you had to make the right decision with joystick or action button.

Bloody great game 🤘😆🤘

I got Demon Sword on NES.

of coarse Bruce..lol...Pats the man!!

Always thought it was legend of cage.

Would of been nice if the Master System had got a port

When I was a kid I thought Taito was pronounced "Tayto", and Kage was pronounced "Cage." Mind blown a decade or so later.

I will play the arcade version of The Legend of Kage is better than the nes version. 😀👍🎮

I liked the game back in the day, but I thought it was too repetitive, not to mention a little easy. I think the second stage is the castle moat, not a cave. And the "e" in "Kage" (which means shadow, BTW) is pronounced "eh," not "ay." The latter would be written as "ei."