Editing The Legend of Kage

{{GameInfobox
|title=The Legend of Kage
|image=
|caption=
|developer= Taito, Imagine Studios
|publisher= Taito, Square Enix, Imagine Studios
|composer = Hisayoshi Ogura
|jp_rel = {{Release|1985|October||JP|Arcade}}<br>{{Release|1986|||JP|MSX}}<br>{{Release|1986|April|18|JP|Famicom}}<br> {{Release|2006|December|19|JP|Wii Virtual Console}}<br>{{Release|2014|January|22|JP|3DS Virtual Console}}<br>{{Release|2014|June|4|JP|Wii U Virtual Console}}
|na_rel = {{Release|1987|||NA|Commodore 64}}<br>{{Release|1987|August||NA|Nintendo Entertainment System}}<br>{{Release|2007|February|19|NA|Wii Virtual Console}}
|eu_rel = {{Release|1986|December||EU|Commdore 64}}<br>{{Release|1987|||EU|Amstrad CPC}}
|genre = Action
|features = Single-player
|ratings = CERO-A
|platforms = Arcade, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, Famicom, MSX, Nintendo Entertainment System, Sharp X1, ZX Spectrum, Virtual Console
|vcplatforms = Nintendo 3DS, Wii, Wii U
|media=
|requirements=
|input=
}}
'''''The Legend of Kage''''' (影の伝説; ''Kage no Densetsu'') is a [[1985 in video gaming|1985]] [[arcade game]] by [[Taito Corporation|Taito]] and was released for several contemporary [[home computer]] systems in [[1986 in video gaming|1986]]. 

==Story==
The player takes role of the young [[Iga-ryū|Iga]] [[ninja]] named Kage ("Shadow") on the misson to rescue Princess Kiri (Kirihime) from the villains Yoshi (Yoshiro Yukikusa) and Yuki (Yukinosuke Kiri). Kage must fight his way through the forest, along the secret passageway, up the fortress wall and through the castle, rescuing her two times (three in the NES version) in order to win the game. Each time the princess is rescued, the seasons change in the game. 

==Gameplay==
[[Image:Lkage.png|thumb|Screenshot of the arcade version]]

The player is armed with a [[kodachi]] shortsword and an unlimited amount of [[shuriken]]. Grabbing a crystal ball causes Kage's clothes to change to the next level in colour and thereby attain certain powers (bigger shuriken and/or faster speed); if Kage is hit while in green or orange clothes, he does not die but revert to his normal red clothes. Grabbing a [[scroll]] causes Kage to stand still and meditate for several seconds while approaching enemies drop to the ground dead (note that although the scrolls appear in the arcade version, the crystal balls do not). 

==Re-releases==
The NES version was re-released on the [[Wii]]'s [[Virtual Console]] in [[Japan]] on December 19, 2006, and in the [[United States]] on February 19, 2007. The arcade version also appears in the compilation title ''[[Taito Legends 2]]''. 

==Legacy==
===Follow-ups===
A [[3D computer graphics|3D]] [[remake]] of the arcade game along the original arcade version is included in the 2006 compilation ''[[Taito Legends Power Up]]'' for the [[PlayStation Portable|PSP]]. 

A [[sequel]] titled ''[[The Legend of Kage 2]]'' was released in 2008 for the [[Nintendo DS]].

===Connections to the other Taito games===
*The 1984 [[laserdisc video game]] ''[[Ninja Hayate]]'' features a very similar scenario of a young ninja (who even looks like Kage) attempting to rescue a kidnapped princess.
*The 1989 game ''[[Demon Sword]]'' is similar in gameplay to ''The Legend of Kage''.

==References==
{{reflist}}
*[http://www.world-of-nintendo.com/manuals/nes/legend_of_kage.shtml ''The Legend of Kage'' instruction manual]

==External links==
*{{StrategyWiki}}
*{{moby game|id=/legend-of-kage|name=''The Legend of Kage''}}
*{{WoS game|id=0002848}}
*[http://www.arcadeflyers.com/?page=flyer&db=videodb&id=596&image=1 Arcade flyer] <!-- would be good for the infobox -->

{{DEFAULTSORT:Legend of Kage, The}}
[[Category:Ninja video games]]
[[Category:Video games set in Feudal Japan]]