Ratalaika Games is bringing SEEP's 8-bit platformer Ninja 1987 to Switch this Friday, 13th December 2024.
Besides the NES-style visuals, the inspiration for this one is pretty clear — it's a tribute to Ninja Gaiden, Shinobi, and other retro ninja platformers of the '80s and early '90s
Developer SEEP is a studio formed by two brothers who love old-school video games, with the Swords & Bones series (inspired by Ghosts 'n Goblins), Biomech Hell (a bit of Contra, Gunstar Heroes, and Metal Slug), and Abduction Bit (Bubble Bobble and Ice Climber, here) all under the devs belt.
Ninja 1987 follows that same pattern, brining seven challenging levels complete with chiptune music, retro visuals, and precision platforming and action to the palm of your hands.
The game is only USD $4.99 / GBP £4.99 (or your regional equivalent) on the eShop, and reviews on Steam (where the game has been out since September) are largely positive, though many point out that it plays it a bit safe. Still, worth a look, and the trailer does a good job of showing you everything.
Have you played any SEEP games before? Will you be grabbing this on Friday? Appear from the shadows and let us know in the comments.
Comments 23
The retro ninja game of all the retro ninja games. I like that Ninja Gaiden vibe, definitely looking forward to it.
It's The Messenger, right? You meant it's inspired by The Messenger, no? j/k
It looks and sounds fun
nice something that I might actually try. BUT why at 0:52 mark does the monster have to look like that? ;P
Ninja action platformers are one sub-genre I'll never tire of. Also, I see what appears to be an ED-209 in one of the screenshots. Robocop came out in 1987, whoooaaaa
meeehhhhhhhhhhh
Honestly seeing it in action kind of reminds me of Shatterhand. (Heyyy Nintendo, can we get that on the NSO?)
I just got PTSD flash backs of Ninja Gaiden 3. Ima go lie down now.
@Bobb the messenger is a fantastic game. It and Infernax are my favorite modern retros.
Eh. Ninja Gaiden somehow looked better. These graphics are underwhelming and somehow look worse than their inspiration
If you want some great ninja action, play Mark of the Ninja or the Messenger
@AdolBannings-Laylee ahhh infernax was a lot of fun. I only did one of the many endings but it was still really cool. I should try it with the other characters
@rvcolem1 not gonna lie Infernax gets really stinking hard at about the halfway point. And I’m not ashamed to say I had to use the cheats and even then it’s still brutal lol.
@rvcolem1 Also Shadow Blade and Cyber Shadow are two other ninja games I would recommend as well. Get Shadow Blade if you want to see blood and gores with your ninja actions or get Cyber Shadow if retro explosion is what you would prefer instead. There's also Ninja Shadow Quest which is okay and plays entirely in silhouette.
I had to use a guide to get the completely "good" ending. I remember the last castle or the last few being very long. I also believe that some endings are easier than others.
@Serpenterror ill check them out once I'm done with Nine Sols (standard mode has been a challenge) thanks!
@Serpenterror haha never-mind I own cyber shadow. Good grief the switch is old
Maybe my nostalgia for ninja gaiden NES is strong. But this ninja 1987 kinda looks like an inbred cousin of ninja gaiden. Hopefully the gameplay is intense.
@Serpenterror Wrong. "The Last Ninja" on Commodore 64 is the most legendary Ninja game ever.
I might just be all over this! I always dreamed of a new Ninja gaiden in the old retro Nes style! The messenger scratched that itch quite well a few years back!
The Messenger already hommaged everything there was to hommage in the best possible way.
Looks like the retro visuals are just there because the dev(s) couldn’t offer much more. Not as a clear artistic choice.
First thing I checked was if there were one-hit deaths. That’s a negative and so I’m definitely buying this. I bought waaaayyyy too many games (on sale) this past month (seriously though) so far but this one is at a pretty good price point so I’m doing it.
8-bit gamestyle? Interest piqued.
After looking at developer's track record? Interest unpiqued.
for all of you thirsting for Ninja Gaiden inspired action, check out Bot Gaiden, it's been out for a while now and gotten zero attention from the likes of Nintendo Life https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/bot-gaiden-switch/?srsltid=AfmBOop8d7ir8FH0RIfTdl3oBN-gSTj00unsfSabo8kCqtQEzk_W-2VV
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