Wrath of the Black Manta (1990). Play online

Summary

When I fire up Wrath of the Black Manta on my NES, the first thing I notice is the gritty side‑scroll action packed with throwing stars and a quirky menu of "ninja arts" powers you can swap in with Start after each level. The power‑select screen feels like a tiny strategy layer, letting you tailor the Black Manta’s abilities for the next stage’s challenges.

Hidden throughout each stage are kidnapped kids; rescuing them doesn’t change the ending, but the little secret‑search adds a neat layer of exploration. The final area shifts to a first‑person view, letting you re‑fight previous bosses before the showdown with the mastermind, a rare perspective switch for an NES action title.

What’s especially odd is the localized cut‑scenes, redrawn with surprisingly realistic art—one even lifted straight from a Stan Lee comic‑drawing guide. The North American version also swapped the original dialogue for blunt anti‑drug warnings, turning a kidnapping plot into a public‑service cameo. Critics gave it middling scores, hovering around six out of ten, but the blend of classic platforming with those quirky quirks keeps it memorable for anyone digging into late‑NES oddities.

Storyline

In Wrath of the Black Manta (often just Black Manta) you play as a ninja on a revenge quest. The game is split into five distinct levels. You arm yourself with throwing stars and a set of special ninjutsu abilities known as the ninja arts to battle a criminal gang. The gang’s leader, El Toro, has been kidnapping children, including Taro, a fellow student of the Black Manta’s sensei. Your goal is to rescue them and stop the kidnappings. The final stage shifts to a first‑person view. Before confronting El Toro, you must defeat one of the earlier bosses again, then face the mastermind in a showdown.