Go ninja, go ninja, go…
There are a lot of games that have been seemingly lost to time. A lot of these stem from portable devices where titles are trapped and have never been ported to modern consoles. We can now check one of those off the list. Anyone familiar with the retro scene has likely heard Ninja Five-O mentioned. It was only released on the GameBoy Advance, and that was over 20 years ago. Well, we can check another one off the list as Ninja Five-O is now available on (most) modern platforms. Once again, this release is skipping Xbox, but PC, PlayStation, and Switch owners can now check out this gem of a game with some nice extras and not on a tiny screen.
Ninja Five-O is the most retro ninja game. It follows the adventure of urban ninja Joe Osugi as he sets out to stop the gang known as the Mad Masks. They have taken over several locations including an airport, and it is up to Joe to save the day. It is the most 90s ninja action one could imagine, right down to a ninja named Joe. He has his trusty katana, shurikens, and of course plenty of ninja magic. I believe this review will break my record for using the word “ninja” in a single review. Think of the story as one of the direct to VHS sequels to American Ninja and you get the idea. Also, I bet most of you have never heard of American Ninja, TO GOOGLE!
MSRP: $24.99
Platforms: PlayStation (reviewed), Switch, PC
Price I’d Pay: $24.99
So, what is in this package? Well, it is pretty basic but does include the original game as well as the alternate PAL version called Ninja Cop, but I could find very little difference between the two. There is also a Time Trial mode that allows players to replay any completed stage in a speedrun mode. There are save states and a rewind feature, and that is about it. I would love it if these LRG releases had a bit more meat to them, but I am happy to get some of these games playable without having to dig out older consoles.
There are a few visual options including an LCD filter to make it look more like its GBA counterpart as well as screen size options. Sadly, I couldn’t really get native resolution options. What is here works though. There is also a music player and art gallery, but it is minimal. There is an option for high-quality music, but like the alternate game title, I had a hard time noticing a huge difference.
The game itself is a pretty standard side-scrolling action game. Joe has his katana for melee, shurikens for ranged, and two levels of magic that have various effects. One is a screen-clearing attack that will wipe out most enemies on screen, just not bosses. The other makes him invincible. Managing this meter is part of the flow. He also has a grappling hook that is very fun, as are most grappling hooks in games. The control feels wonderful, and Joe is very easy to maneuver around the world.
Each level has similar goals as Joe is tasked with rescuing hostages a la Shinobi style, but be careful, you can accidentally murder them, which is bad news. There are also colorful keys to collect just like in Doom. Games were built differently back in my day and we long for simpler times. Like most ninja games of the time, this one is very challenging. I died a lot, but thankfully the rewind feature saved me. I am no spring chicken anymore, so my reactions (but mostly patience) are not what they used to be. Still, I was able to complete the game and it is a fun, if a bit short romp.
Ninja Five-O is a hidden gem from the GBA that was sadly lost to time. I am thrilled it is now readily available, at least if you own something besides an Xbox. Seriously Microsoft, get this worked out. It doesn’t have a ton of extras that make this package feel as premium as it should, but the game makes up for it. This is a game that deserves to be played, so if you enjoy classic ninja action, this game would make Michael Dudikoff proud.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
