Handheld gaming is more than a compromise of power and portability. Whether it’s the ability to play anywhere, multitask or hold an entire console in your hands, it’s a special experience consoles have never replicated. In a world where high resolutions and teraflops reign supreme, we take a look at a portable relic every month and reflect on what makes it memorable. Be warned, spoilers may occasionally populate these articles.
In the ’80s and early ’90s, ninjas had reached an absurd level of popularity. They were all over cartoons, movies and video games. Kids would often pretend to be ninjas with their friends, and before the harsh realities of the world set in, many considered being a ninja a viable career path.Ninja Gaiden,Shinobiand something involvinganthropomorphic turtlesembodied the height of ninja’s popularity in games and pop culture. Following the turn of the century, ninjas had their place in entertainment, but their popularity was nowhere near the height it once was. Ninja Five-O, the Game Boy Advance game, is somewhat of a casualty from the ninjas' day in the sun ending as they returned to the shadows.
Game Boy Classic Ninja Five-O Returns on February 25
Konami is adding another title to its crop of retro revivals in late February. This time it’s an old school ninja platformer.
Ninja Five-O has players stepping into the tabi of Joe Osugi, which sounds suspiciously like Joe Musashi of the Shinobi games. Osugi is tasked with stopping a terrorist organization. Unlike more garden variety terrorist organizations, this one is powered by the Mad Masks, which are magic masks that grant the wearer terrible power. Osugi must battle these magic masks wearing maniacs and free their numerous hostages.
There are five missions in Ninja Five-O, each with three levels and a boss battle. There are multiple difficulty levels to make the game more approachable, but playing it on its easiest setting is ill-advised as that will only allow the player to experience the first missions. Successfully navigating through each level of this 2D platformer requires patience, planning and memorization. Rushing through the level in full on offense mode will get Osugi killed, which will result in the loss of approximately eight billion hostages.
The levels in Nina Five-O encourage exploration. They are laden with different traps, enemies and numerous hostage takers. Enemies will attack Osugi if he enters their direct line of sight, which is easy to exploit. While it may not be classified as a stealth game, staying out of the line of sight to execute a stealth attack is an important skill to master. Osugi is granted the power of infinite lives, which allows for missteps, but his health is not replenished when he goes into a new area which can be a set-up for failure. Like the older games that influenced it, figuring out the layout of the level and memorizing the best way to traverse it is integral to success. This is a challenging game, but can be completed in just a few hours depending on skill level.
Pop Culture Ninja
Osugi is armed with the traditional pop culture yet historically inaccurate ninja weapons. His shurikens, katana, ninja magic and lasers can all be utilized to dispatch his enemies and save half the world’s population that has been taken hostage. Seriously, there are a ton of hostages to rescue in Ninja Five-O. Outside of his basic weaponry, the next most useful tool in his arsenal is the grappling hook. It’s an essential tool to get around each level, but is also a lot of fun to use.
There’s interesting enemy variety in each level and unique boss designs, but it would be unforgivable if an article about Ninja Five-O was written that didn’t mention one particular boss. People who are familiar with this game know exactly where this is headed. One of the bosses is a ninja cowboy, but instead of riding on a horse, his steed is a giant frog. This particular fight probably won’t make the cut for a top ten list of most absurd boss fights, but it is noteworthy enough that it stands out as one of the more memorable aspects of Ninja Five-O.
Quality Doesn’t Equal Popularity
Ninja Five-O is actually considered a good game, but fell into obscurity after disappointing sales. I didn’t play it back in 2003, and if I’m being perfectly transparent, didn’t get to play it until recently. Some factors that may have hurt it is in the early 2000s it seems Nintendo handheld devices were the only place where 2D games weren’t a rarity. Ninja Five-O was a new IP, but it was competing against name-brand recognition from new Castlevania games and ports of 16-bit classics. Ninjas have never gone completely out of style, but the ninja craze of previous decades had come to an end. Plus, Ninja Five-O, or its European rebranding of Ninja Cop aren’t exactly names that are going to entice most people into thinking this is a must-play title. They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover and that applies to judging a game by its name.
Ninja Five-O was met with critical acclaim but generally considered a flop commercially.
Despite being late to the party on Ninja Five-O, it’s easy to see why it was so well received critically. It plays like a classic 8-bit at its core, but adding the grabbing hook and stealth mechanic makes it feel more advanced than it looks. It does have the old school level of challenge, but nothing a bit of memorization and persistence can’t overcome, even if it does seem frustrating at first. I’ll admit when I first heard the title Ninja Five-O, the expectations were set low, but that’s why one shouldn’t judge a game by its name. Ninja Five-O isn’t anything revolutionary, but it combines classic action platforming with enough modern touches to make it a worthwhile playthrough.
Ninja Five-O was met with critical acclaim, but generally considered a flop commercially. As time passed and word of mouth spread about how good it actually is, it became somewhat of a cult classic and is now considered one of the more sought after Game Boy Advance titles. At the time of writing this, the lowest price on a well-known online auction site was $189.99, with the highest asking price being $4999.99. Rare collector’s items have their appeal, but with prices like that it’s hard to argue against emulation. For those interested in checking out Ninja Five-O without spending a down payment on a car, it will be released next month for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Switch.
