Hangzo is a 1992 unreleased arcade game, allegedly made by Data East (given it's graphics, it does resemble the company's usual output from the early 90s) whose existance was somehow kept in the dark until it was uncovered, in a prototype form thanks to MAME.
From what was made available in the game's (untranslated) Japanese FMV, Hangzo, like so many other ninja-themed arcade releases in it's time, follows the usual Excuse Plot. In the year 20XX, Tokyo is ruled by a powerful corporation led by the dreaded Mr. K, whose private ninja army and robot enforcers dominates everywhere. And it's up to three heroic ninja that the players can choose from to wipe out Mr. K's army of mooks and save the day.
There are three playable heroes in the game - Hangzo, the blue-clad titular hero who wields a katana, Kasumi the kunoichi in red that Dual Wield tantos, and Kotaroh, the young ninja trainee who wears Wolverine Claws.
Besides kicking ass with their default bladed weapons, Hangzo, Kasumi and Kotarou can also use a variety of Stock Ninja Weaponry, including kunai and shuriken, release a clawed hook to grab walls and ledges to swing above pits, and occasionally summon a kirin as a ride.
Hangzou (MAME release) contains examples of:
- Absurdly Spacious Sewer: The second stage is set in one, filled with slime monsters, enemy ninja and machines. It's large enough for you to ride a kirin in circles around.
- Ambiguously Human: Basically the humanoid mooks serving Mr. K. They look like generic ninja, some of them having tengu masks, but somehow they come in a variety of assorted colors and explode upon being killed. The one humanoid enemy with normal-looking skin (a balding black guy) meanwhile can breathe fire. No word if they're mutants or enhanced humans...
- Attack Drone: Small, hovering robot drones are a common mook enemy who floats around a level while firing ranged projectiles at you.
- Battle in the Rain: Part of the first stage is set in a rain-drenched city streets with enemy ninja you fight in the middle of downpour.
- Be the Ball: The game has a dual Mini-Boss, two gigantic mutants (respectively colored red and blue, for some reason) who alternates between attacking you directly or inflating themselves to bounce all over the place to flatten you.
- Blob Monster: A recurring enemy in the sewer stage, from animated sewer grime which forms a vaguely humanoid shape (albeit with claws) to semi-transparent ameoba creatures, all who bursts apart when killed. An extra-large one serves as the boss at the level's end.
- Charged Attack: All three playable ninja can release a charged shuriken throw by holding down the attack button.
- Combining Mecha: The third boss is a phoenix-like robot that carries a second, serpentine robot on it's torso, which serves as it's "tail". Multiple times during it's boss fight the boss will divide itself into two entities, the phoenix and serpent, and attack simultaneously.
- Elevator Action Sequence: The entirety of the third stage is set atop two ascending elevators, where you'll fend off enemies coming from left and right as the elevator ascends. More than one scene even requires you to jump between elevators.
- Grappling-Hook Pistol: Hitting jump in mid-air allows you to fire a fine rope thread that grabs the nearest surface for you to swing upon.
- Hopping Machine: The boss of the factory is a giant two-legged hopping mecha, whose main attack have it hopping all over the area trying to stomp you in.
- Mecha-Mooks: Several of Mr. K's minions are robots, those who doesn't look human.
- Mini-Boss: There's a couple of these, appearing without the Life Meter display shown on regular bosses but can still take plenty of punishment. Notably the two overweight mutants who serves as a mini-Dual Boss and a Chinese dragon who spams fireballs all over the place.
- Ninja: All three of your heroes, as well as several of the mooks.
- Power Up Mount: Occasionally, you can obtain assistance from a KIrin who allows you to ride on it, where it will transport you around stages and breathe fire at mooks. It also serves as an extra life where taking a hit will sacrifice the Kirin, but you're allowed to continue fighting.
- Rodents of Unusual Size: Doberman-sized rodents appears in the above-mentioned sewer level as low-grade enemies.
- Sequential Boss: Mr. K, like every good Final Boss popular in arcades at the time, needs to be defeated more than once. You fight his human form first, where he displays a Doppelgänger Attack ability to turn himself into two copies and attacking you both at once, but the moment you defeat him, he goes One-Winged Angel into becoming a demon.
- Spider Tank: A red-and-white mecha on spider-legs (ending in wheels) serves as the first boss, though this one has a Cyber Cyclops upper body.
- A Winner Is You: The game's opening prologue sees a still frame of the three playable ninja atop a building, looking towards Mr. K's skyscraper headquarters in the horizon as they prepare to infiltrate. Defeat Mr. K in a lengthy boss fight and you get... the same still frame, except with Mr. K's building collapsing. And then roll credits over the same still.
