the directional pad moves joe around while the a, b, and c buttons are used to perform ninjutsu techniques, attack and jump, respectively. a key move in "the revenge of shinobi" is the somersault, which maximizes joe's jumping height and enables him to throw eight shuriken at once in mid-air. additionally, some stages consist of multiple layers, such as the first scene of the military base and the freeway in area code 818. switching between layers is also done with the somersault move.