Shinobi 3: 6 Button Code

This is a small guide teaching players how to activate 6 Button Mode in Shinobi 3: Return of the Ninja Master. The Steam release of the game allows this cheat as it has a dedicated "Mode" button.

6 Button Code

This small guide will teach you how to activate 6 Button Mode on the Sega classic "Shinboi 3: Return of the Ninja Master." This allows the player to use a 6 button Mega Drive controller ordinarily and makes the game's controls more versatile than ever, giving players a new gameplay option if they choose.

Credit goes to M.I.J.E.T for discovering the trick and providing the code and RageQuitter87 (Who is on Steam as RQ87-D2) for the images and video below showing the trick.

NOTE 1: A 6 button pad is required for this cheat to work. You only need one, though.

NOTE 2: This cheat can only be done on the original Sega Mega Drive/Genesis cartridge and Steam Sega Classics release (As the Steam version has a dedicated Mode button function.) It cannot be performed on the Playstation 2 Sega Collection release or the PSP version as they do not have a dedicated "Mode" button. If anyone can confirm if these can be done on the Virtual Console release or the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, please do so! Thanks.

Plug a 6 button controller into port 1 on your console and any regular controller into port 2, or set up your controls on the Steam version if you're on a PC.

Start the game up. Normally when you go into the options menu, it will say "OPTIONS" at the top, with an S on the end.

When you're at the main menu, highlight "Options", then hold the Mode button on Controller 1, and at the same time on Controller 2, hold UP on the D-Pad and the C button. Its fairly difficult to do on your own but with a friend this is fairly trivial. Now, with these buttons held, press Start on Controller 1 to go into the options menu.


You'll now notice that at the top it just says "Option" with no S in sight. This means that 6 Button Mode is activated. After setting whatever options you like and maybe turning on Infinite Shurikes (Which can be done in conjunction with 6 Button Mode) start the game and you can now play with a new 6 button controller scheme!

Here's what each main button now does.

A will block
B is now Joe Musashi's melee attack (knife with no POW, sword with POW. You can perform the Running Slash with this button as well.)
C is Jump. Double tap to do a double jump
X uses your currently highlighted Ninjitsu magic
Y and Z throw a Shuriken (The 8 Shuriken fan move can be done with this button too.)


This makes for a brand new and equally fun way to play through Shinobi 3. Now you no longer have to be up close to the enemy or fresh out of Shurikens to be able to use melee moves at any time, meaning you can conservs Shurikens for tense moments, or make like Shadow Dancer and forgo Shurikens entirely and rely solely on your close range moves.

Here's a video as well by RageQuitter87 showing the trick being performed on an original Super Shinobi 2 cart (Japanese Shinobi 3, but the region doesn't matter, this can be done on both PAL and NTSC versions.)

Good luck beating the game with Melee only, and enjoy!

[Dabir]

Hi! Awesome trick, this really changes the game. You missed something, though: In 6 button mode, you can also use the Mode button to cycle through your Ninjitsu types without pausing.

[BRANMEGATRON1270]

hey coool man think smart guys ya see

[MightyKombat]

Hey, no problem.

[Momo]

Awesome guide, thanks for it!