Ninja

The Good
Hey, was this the first Ninja game around? Boy, 1986 was a loooong time ago! I remember playing this game when I was a weee little brat.

The game was extremely fun and addictive. What the game lacked in fighting strategy, it made up with these very soothing martial art moves. Basically when your fighting hand to hand combat, you don't do much finesse but just press the same attack button until the other guy dies.

The ninja in this game move very fast, happily and as I said without finesse...although regardless of the incapability of your Ninja to look like a real Ninja Master, those repeating moves eventually has a certain rhythm to it that makes combat all the more welcome and fun!

Eventually you figure out that one of the best ways to win is using the Tigger (from Pooh!) style of fighting: Boing...boing...boing in flying kick mode. No finesse whatsoever! Hahaha. What's more funny is that after you clobber the unsuspecting enemy (of which by the way always stands in a coverboy pose...as do you when you stand still), they turn to a flat pancake on the floor. What a way to die!

But the best features in this game is when you jump up to another room! Now that's totally showing the true skills of a Ninja. Just press up right below the hole in the ceiling and "poof!" you jump up with incredible speed before Kirk can say "Beam me up, Scotty!".

The Bad
If you stare at the Ninja pose long enough, you may feel a little girlish...hehehe

I don't recall if I ever finished the game. I do remember that you have to kill a lot of enemies to eventually "open" the secret trap door somewhere on ceilings. I wonder how it ends...

Too bad you can't retrieve your shurikens if I'm not mistaken...you've got a maximum of either 5 or 10 shurikens. Fortunately, your 2 knives stay with your permanately even after you throw them.

Now what was that built in editor for anyway? Never quite figured out what it was for, except for editing the colors and shapes of the shuriken and throwing knives...wonder why they included that option in the first place?

The Bottom Line
A ninja game with an attitude...(check out the ninja posing!). Simple and fun classic ninja game.