But they're in space

The Ninja Jajamaru-Kun series took a hard left turn after Jajamaru no Daibouken. Considering it started as something of a rip-off of Ninja-Kun after Jaleco published the Famicom port of that game. It never really had a strong id??entity, but Jaleco was going to throw it against the wall as many times as it could until it finally st?uck.

It never stuck. Reinvention didn’t work. The biggest offshoot was Ninja Jajamaru-Kun's attempts at JRPGs, but 1991’s Ninja Jajamaru Ginga Daisakusen for Famicom is perhaps th??e one that feels most desperate. That’s not to say it’s bad, but if some sort of game vampire sucked out every last ounce of what little personality the series had, this is what you’d get.

There is blood on all the shoes you've worn

First of all, I guess we’re in space. Despite the series focusing on Edo-era Japan, we’re suddenly in space. Next, they took away Jajamaru’s shuriken. Largely, it’s the Jajamaru characters in a game that doesn’t at all resemble any of the others. It’s not just that the art style has changed, it’s that everything has. Gamapakkun appears but in robot form. It’s better t??han no Gamapakkun at all. Tha??t would have been very upsetting.

Ninja Jajamaru Ginga Daisakusen is actually a hop-and-bop platformer, like all the other hop-and-bop platformers released in the wake of Super Mario Bros. 3. What this game does different is essentially nothing. It has this heavy reliance on using this charge-up dash move to get over gaps, which is one of the dullest focal points I can imagine. However, most levels have at least one instance where you have to charge up your dash to make it ac??ross or over obstacles.

Don’t get me wrong, there are side-scrollers out there with some indispensable jumps. For example, I can’t imagine the Mega Man X series without the dash jump. But Mega Man X wasn’t just dash jump the game. It also had its wall jump. Ninja Jajamaru Ginga Daisakusen has this dash jump, and essentially everything after ?that is an afterthought.

Robo-Gamapakkun

Let me backpedal for a moment here, since Ninja Jajamaru Ginga Daisakusen doesn’t deserve to just get beat on. Despite my gripes, it’s honestly?? a perfectly competent game. The graphics are entirely on point for a 1991 N??ES release, and the level design is varied enough that it’s clear that the development team tried with this release. The graphics are colorful and detailed, which is a huge departure from earlier games. It also features some difficult technical trickery, such as four-way directional scrolling in some stages.

One nice feature is that you can play as either Ninja Jajamaru-Kun or Sakura-Hime. There isn’t a difference between them aside from appearance, but playable female protagonists were extre??mely rare at the time. You can also select her without her just being a palette swap assigned to the player-2 controller.

It can be challenging, but it’s rarely frustrating, unless you consider the fact that there are limited continues before you have to start over. If I rented this game as a child, I probably would have been enamored by it. The bright graphics and inoffensive gameplay just remind me of licensed scrollers like Felix the Cat.

Princess in space

Just because the design is inoffensive, however, doesn’t mean there aren’t problems. The power-up system is particularly sloppy. Most of these consist of weapons or items that ?grant additional powers, but they’re all extremely limited. Not only that but they’re placed around all willy-nilly. On one such occasion, I found Gamapakkun in an item box, only to find that I couldn’t proceed past the small section I was in that contained exactly one enemy. This wasn’t r??andom, every time I replayed the level, he was in that box, even though it wasn’t contextually appropriate.

I rarely ever found an item on an occasion where it felt needed. Well, that is aside from the armor which affords your glass-boned hero an extra point of health. However, jetpacks rarely carry you far enough across obstacles, and weapons are just ineffective enough to be useless. It doesn’t feel like a huge stretch to reimagine the power-up system into something more fitting to the game. Maybe something along the lines of what Felix the Cat had going for it.

There are also letters that you collect, but I couldn’t figure out what they do. The letters are A, S, and J. I read somewhere that they affect?? the level boss’s attack pattern, but I really didn’t care. They gave me the ability to spell ASS on my screen. At that point, you can throw any practical usage out the window, as I’ll always prefer AS?S.

Then there’s the music, which is passable at its very best and baffling at its worst. It never got as annoying as, say, Koneko Monogatari, but some of the tracks barely sound like music. Like, maybe they technically qualify as music, but they’re not constr?ucte?d in a way to sound pleasant or memorable.

Eat your greens

The level design gets pretty weird. It’s not exac??tly ambitious, but you could tell someone challenged themselves to present something new each time the screen flipped. However, regardless of what got thrown at me, I found it as bland as a styrofoam steak. Like I said, if I played this as a kid back in 1991, it might have left an impression. However, as a jaded and perpetually tired adult who has seen their share of hop-and-bop, I couldn’t even stay attentive enough to get through the past couple of levels.

That’s pretty sad since I have a pre-existing soft spot for the games in the series. I always found that, while they were inadvertently janky, they were charming enough to be memorable. Ninja Jajamaru Ginga Daisakusen is the opposite of that: more com?petent but entirely forgettable.

We nearly got a localized release in North America. Like the other localized games in the series (Maru’s Mission on Game Boy was a Jajamaru-Kun game, for example), it was going to be renamed to something unrelated. Jaleco was going to call this one Squashed, and it was going to lean heavily toward vegetable puns. However, it was canned before launch. This was probably because the market for NES games was sinking fast after 1991. Even games with brand power, like 1993’s Duck Tales 2, were only released with li??mited supply. It would have been a risky endeav??or.

However, the prototype was leaked to the internet if you want to play an English version of Ninja Jajamaru Ginga Daisakusen. The Famicom version isn’t exactly encrypted with Japanese text, to begin with. You might miss out on some of the finer details, but it’s completely p?layable to English monolinguists. You’ll just miss out on all the food puns.

Check out previous Famicom Fridays right here.

The post Ninja Jajamaru Ginga Daisakusen is better in all the wrong?? ways appeared first on Destructoid.

Man, we could use another Tenchu

You don't see a lot of ninja-based VR games, but Arashi: Castles of Sin from the studio Endeavor One is aiming to chang?e?? that.

Announced this week, the company is calling Arashi a "stealth-action sandbox game" set in feudal Japan. After "a dark and treacherous conspiracy has engulfed th??e country in chaos," it's up to you to set things straight by sneaking around, murdering, and doing other ninja things. Rooftop scaling, an "arsenal" of weap??ons, and stealth takedowns are promised.

The studio says that your approach can be more open-ended, including options like laying traps and luring enemies into them. Long range bow combat is also confirmed, and you can read up on more info on t??he PlayStation Blog. Given?? that Sony is promoting it, I hope there's something here.

Can we...just get a new Tenchu at some point too? I know the logistics are kind of a mess right now, but you'd think there would be a demand at this point given how well Ghost of Tsushima sold. I know that a lot of people will probably say "well we don't need another Tenchu, then," but speak for yourself! The lore of Tenchu, while muddl??ed in future games, offered up some interesting twists and gave us a handful of very unique characters. I'd love to see it come back in some form.

For now, we have Arashi, and others like it.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQgCZoOCKbE

The post Arashi: Castl??es of Sin looks like it wants to? be the Tenchu of PSVR appeared first on Destructoid.

Could the Stealth Assassins return?

Back when the PlayStation stealth-action boom kicked off, one of the quieter, but still tightly held franchises on the market was Acquire's Tenchu: Stealth Assassins series. These titles ?saw players in the role of shadowy ninjas plying their trade throughout ancient Japan, taking down marks with an array of close-quarters skills, ranged weaponry, and even a dose of the old shinobi magic?.

Despite an array of releases and a passionate fanbase, the Tenchu series has long returned to the shadows, with 2009's poorly received Tenchu: Shadow Assassins being the franchise's latest release. In a new interview, however, Acquire president Takuma Endo has suggested that the blood-splattered adventures of Rikimaru and crew are not being left to rot, and that there is a definite possibility that Tenchu could make a long-awaited return.

Speaking with Famitsu, Endo noted that Acquire had refreshed the trademark on the subtitle "Stealth Assassins" and, while this move should be viewed purely as a legal technicality, the studio is very much open to relighting Tenchu's fire on a modern platform such as the PlayStation 5. Given the recent success of titles such as Ghost of Tsushima and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, (which ironically was originally designed as a Tenchu sequel), now would be as good a time as any to return to the franchise??, allowing fans to once again run th?e rooftops of feudal-era Japan, killing without remorse and vanishing without trace.

For now, a new Tenchu title remains merely a p?ipe dream, but it's comforting to know that Acquire has not forgotten about one of the forefathers of the stealth assassination genre.

Acquire president discusses pote??ntial Tenchu ??revival [Gematsu / Ryokutya2089]

The post Would you like to see a new Tenchu? Acquire says it’s a possibility appeared first on Destructoid.

Out now on mobile

For a little over a month now, I've been on a diet and a fairly restrictive one at that. It's probably not the wisest thing to do during the season of ginge??rbread cookies and figgy pudding, but, somehow, I've stuck with it for longer than any weight loss attempt before it. I've had to give up a lot of my favorite foods, from chai tea lattes to cheese and crackers, but what?? I miss most are donuts.

Sweet, wonderful, they-should-probably-be-a-dessert-rather-than-a-breakfast donuts. They used to be the best part of waking up, but now, they're the constant reminder of why I have a gut. Playing through Ninja Chowdown hasn't mad??e their absence from my life any ea?sier.

From developer Dummy Dojo, Ninja Chowdown is a free-to-play auto-runner out now on iOS. It's not an endless runner as the game is broken down into a series of levels that sees the thicc and lovely Donatsu chase down his enemies in his quest to retrieve the stolen Knownut, a glowing golden donut that probably tastes wonderful. Donatsu's journey will take him from city streets to ??under the sea to volcanic islands an??d beyond.

I can't stress enough how beautiful this game is. The pixel art is top-notch and you can tell a lot of care was put into creating the stages with the fictional businesses you zoom past chasing?? down your enemy. ??The character designs have a lot charm to them and the writing is punchy and the exact amount of lighthearted wholesomeness you'd want from a game about a portly ninja chasing down donuts.

You will need both hands to guide Donatsu to the end of each level. Tapping the left side of the screen makes him jump and double jump while the right side of the screen controls his projectiles. You can throw a projectil?e in any direction depending on which way you swipe your finger on the screen. When you attacking while jumping, Donatsu will actually float in the air. Each level of the worlds you conquer will introduce a new enemy or obst?acle, and getting through to the end will require you to know when you can safely touch the ground and when you should probably just keep throwing those ninja stars to stay floating above the danger.

It's a real blast and a great way to kill some downtime when you're waiting for Cyberpunk 2077 textures to load on your base PS4. There are high score medals and unlockables to chase down, but really, I'm just here to reunite Donatsu with his one true love: donuts. Ninja Chowdown is free to download with ads that usually pop up when you die a few times. If you w?ant to say goodbye to those, it's only $2.99 and th?at also gets you a bunch of coins to spend in the in-game shop on costumes, weapons, and animal sidekicks.

The post Ninja Chowdown is just like a donut: cheap and satisf??ying appeared first on Destructoid.

Ghostface killah

As I sat down to begin playing Ghostrunner for review, I started explaining the basics of the game to my significant other. When I got to the point about it featuring a one-hit kill mechanic, I was ques??tioned why I would play a game that has such a potential to frustrate me. I didn't have a good answer other than the fact that when you win, the good feelings wash away all the anger and there's ??something cathartic in that.

Ghostunner absolutely put me through my stri??des and tested the limits of my willpower, but the joy of victory was worth it all in the end in this hig?h-paced sci-fi ninja romp.

Ghostrunner (PC [Ryzen 7 3800x, GeForce RTX 2070 Super, 16GB Ram [reviewed], Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch)
Developer: One More Level, Slipgate6, and 3D Realms
Publisher: 505 Games and All In! Games
Released: October 27, 2020 (PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch)
MSRP: $29.99

Ghostunner is a first-person action-platformer set in a?? Cyberpunk future. You play as a Ghostrunner who is awoken by The Architect, a prisoner, who in a last bid attempt to save himself calls upon you. After you free The Archit??ect, you are made to ascend the tower where the last known humans live following an apocalyptic disaster on the surface to kill the despotic ruler, Mara. Along the way, you'll also "meet" Zoe, a member of the resistance group against Mara.

The story of Ghostrunner is nothing overly unique so you're not gonna find a reinvented wheel here. A despotic ruler must be overthrown for the good of humanity, but of course, all is not as it seems. If you've played or read anything cyberpunk before nothing here will surprise you. The story is all told through voice-overs in your head so it's not overly intrusive which is nice ?if you're not overly interested in the story.

What initially drew me toward Ghostrunner was the gameplay and that is where the game absolutely shines. As a Ghostrunner, you have the ability to run on walls, dash through the air, and carve ene??mies u??p using your katana. The basic gameplay cycle is arena-based combat interspersed between wall-running and platform-based puzzles.

The combat is kinetic and well designed as each arena gives you all the tools you will need to defeat your enemies, but also gives you enough freedom to go about your plan how you see fit. It's easy to get locked into a single solution but Ghostrunner rewards exploration and using all of your available powers with hidden paths and better angles with which to attack your opponents advantageously. It's a nice op?portunity to have after the tenth time you died in a row trying the same thing each time.

Which leads me to the difficulty, Ghostrunner isn't a walk in the park, it isn't even a wall-run i??n the park. There's one difficulty and if you don't like to be challenged then you might want to look elsewhere. While every enemy you face can be felled in one strike, so too can you. You are a glass cannon and that?? makes every move you make matter so much more. Thankfully though even though you are expected to die a bit, you get thrown right back into the fray with a simple tap of the R button.

Ghostrunner employs a masterfully balanced difficulty curve by slowly introducing you to new enemies and making sure you get ?some time t??o learn how to defeat them one on one. Then once you've all the experience you need, the enemies are thrown in with others you've already met and thrown into a fully explorable arena. It makes sure that the game never feels unfair, but that doesn't mean it's easy.

The boss battles are also fine-tuned to challenge your knowledge of not only your abilities but the use of your environment. In recent years, I've been growing rather tired of boss battles because outside of the Soulsborne series, none of them seem inspired to me anymore. Defying my old jaded mind, Ghostrunner makes sure to onl??y put forth a boss battle when they know it will be impactful and a fitting coda in an arc of the game.

You're also given special abilities that have limited uses in two forms. One is in-world power-ups that are mainly placed from a level design perspective, and other more permanent abilities that you can use only sporadically. The number of times you can use these powers is ba??sed on how fast you can fill your power gauge. The gauge refills with each enemy you kill and can be augmented to raise based on other feats of skill in the game. The abilities aren't required for any battle, but it is a nice fall back should you find yourself struggling with a?? particular battle.

It's not just the combat that is hard either, the environment traversal segments are also challenging in their own way, not just ??to your skill but also to your ability to think outside the box. There are a few instances where a path looks like the right way to go but it's designed to be impossible and you are forced to think of a new way through. It makes the wall-running and character movement into something more than just a gimmick and fleshes it out into a fully utilized game feature.

There is one detriment to the difficulty that needs to be addressed and it's the lack of a checkpoint save. While you are playing the game there are checkpoints throughout the individual levels like any other game that doesn't actively despise its player base. The catch here is that if you quit the level for?? any reason, you will lose your checkpoint progress and have to restart the level. I was playing with a pre-retail copy so it remains to be seen if something is going to ??be added at the last minute. I have reached out to the development team on the matter but in an era where time is precious; it feels unnecessarily harsh to withhold what is now an industry-standard feature.

One of my main concerns going into the game was how a game that relied so much on speed and momentum was going to fair in the performance category. I can say that while there are some issues in the game in the later levels when the environments are a bit more open, the game runs nearly flawlessly. I was able to easily get 120 frames per second in 1440p on my rig in all other areas. Granted I'm a little over-powered for this but I was also pushi??ng the game beyond the normal limits, so to see it running as well as it did even at that resolution was a welcome sight.

As I played through the roughly eight-hour campaign this week I couldn't shake the feeling that I was playing the unholy union of Hotline Miami and Mirror's Edge that I didn't know I was missing in my life. Through all of the frustration and cursing at my??self for screwing up something that I knew I should have gotten right, I was still having a blast and loving every minute of the game. Though the story is complete for me, I'll most assuredly be returning to this to see how well I can hone my cyberpunk ninja skills.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Ghostrunner appeared first on Destructoid.

Yes, a tablet with ninja abilities

We've got copies of slick metroidvania Kunai up for grabs in today's contest!

Sometimes, a con??cept is so silly that you just have to stop a?nd watch the trailer for it. And then you watch it, and it turns out it looks really cool! Today is one of those days.

Kunai is a metroidvania title where you control a sentien??t ninja tablet. For real. We've got some PC copies to offer up, so check it out and win a copy!

It's pretty much the end of humanity, and machines are trying to wipe out the last vestiges of mankind. Finally, robotic beings rule the earth! But not all is lost -- there's a tablet device imbued with the soul of a ninja on the loose trying to piece civilization back together with help of a broken resistance. Ha?ck, slash, parkour, and grappling hook your way through a broken world to restore order and destroy the machines!

• Fast-paced action platforming with a grappling twist
• Silky smooth movement mechanics tuned to the pixel
• Lots of juicy exploding robots crafted with care (note: screenshake can be turned off at your own leisure)
• Kunai-driven grappling fun with swinging included to amplify those deadly ninja drops
• A wide variety of places to explore, ranging from a fallen city, floating airships to artificial deserts and more!
• Unique art style, with every area having its own color palette taking you back to the early days of gaming.
• Combat mechanics and weapons in abundance to slice, dice and fire your robotic foes to pieces.
• Friendly and not so friendly robots to meet along the way including Earl, Chief and the evil A.I. Lemonkus.
• Rocking soundtrack with lots of 16-bit references blasting into your ears.
• You are a NINJA TABLET. 'Nuff said.

And they said tablet usage was on the decline.

To enter ??to wi??n, comment below telling us how this tablet was able to acquire ninja powers. Like, what the hell? Crazy, right? I'm very confused, so throw me a bone here.

We have six Steam keys to give away; winners will be drawn Wednesday, February 12. Make sure to comment using a Dtoid account with your current email address on file. Not a member? Sign up here to bestow ninja knowledge.

Kunai is available now for Steam. Hit up PC Invasion for more chances to nab a copy.

The post Contest: Control a ninja tablet in metroidvania Kun??ai appeared first on Destructoid.

Aim your grappling hook like a madman

I wouldn't have guessed it right away from the Game Awards 2019 trailer, but Naraka: Bladepoint is a multiplayer game. The footage shown at the awards ceremony struggled at times but the basic premise of launching yourself around with a fully aimable ninja grappling hook sounds pretty okay to me.

Earlier this week, we learned that Naraka is in production at 24 Entertainment and NetEase.

It's tough for a game like this in a post-Sekiro world, but we'll see.

The post Naraka: Bladepoi??nt is a multiplayer ninja action game appeared first on Destructoid.

Enter the Ninja

Ninjas. Where would late '80s entertainment have been?? without them? In the wake of a string of hit movies showcasing the infamous assassins (usually portrayed by famous Japanese actors such as Franco Nero and Michael Dudikoff), the ninja craze exploded. Not only on the big screen, but in cartoons, comic books and??, most notably, in the arcades.

With its mysterious eastern heritage, unique weaponry, and badass martial arts skills, becoming a ninja became the dream vocation of the schoolyard practically overnight, not dissimilar to how everyone wanted to be a fighter pilot after Tom Cruise put shades on and flashed a grin in Top Gun.

Video game developers were quick to cash in on this new fascination, producing great coin-ops such as Shinobi, Shadow Dancer, DragonNinja, Mystic Warriors and Ninja Gaiden, all starring the rooftop-running fellas. 1987 release The Ninja Warriors, by arcade veterans Taito, was one of the most popular titles of this genre. So popular, in fact, that it was remade in 1994 for the Super Nintendo as The Ninja Warriors Again, b??ack when video game remakes weren't ten a?? penny.

But today, we're looking at The Ninja Warriors' second remaster. Developed by Natsume – who recently polished up another 1994 release, Wild Guns – The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors gives a new generation of wanna??b?es the opportunity to dish out shuriken-assisted life-ectomies to seemingly insurmountable odds.

The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors (PS4 [reviewed], Switch)
Developer: Natsume/Tengo Project
Publisher: Taito
Released: October 15, 2019
MSRP: $19.99 (Digital) $29.99 (Physical)

Set in the far off future of 1993, the world is dying under the smothering rule of a megalomaniacal U.S. President, who has declared martial law in ??order to hold the planet and its people in his iron grasp. With society perched on the brink of complete collapse, a small resistance outfit, le?d by the scientist Mulk, create a team of cyborg ninjas in a final do-or-die bid for freedom.

Equipped with expert martial arts knowledge, as well ?as blend of traditional and high-tech weaponry, the ninjas are programmed to take the fight to the President, defeat his army, smash his regime, and end his reign of tyranny. These high-kicking bots are humanity's last and only hope. ?They are The Ninja Saviors.

Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors is a remake of both the 1987 arcade and 1994 SNES release, which captures the design and gameplay of the original titles, constructed within a new engine to allow for slicker and more responsive gameplay. One or two players can pick from a team of unique characters, each with their own weapons and attacks, and then make t?heir way through seven stages of action, patrolling a 2D plane and carving up the myriad enemies and boss characters that stand between them, President Banglar, and the game's amusingly "philosophical" ending.

A tough title back in its heyday, Ninja Saviors still presents quite the challenge in 2019, with players only given one life and health pickups few and far between. Fortunately, each character is versed in a selection of unique skills, from melee attacks and grabs, to acrobatic air maneuvers and a range of specials – powered by an ever-charging "battery" meter. While at first glance gameplay seems a little slow-paced, dedicated players will soon find that it's in the clever combining of t?hese attacks that our psycho cyborgs can move quickly and efficiently around the screen, using throws, dash attacks, and even juggles to?? swiftly eliminate the opposition.

Where gameplay comes into its own, without a shadow of a doubt, is in two-player mode, allowing players to clear out enemies quicker, and use smart teamwork to perform extended combos, ripping up tougher baddies in double-quick time. Two brand new characters, Raiden and Yaksha, are particularly well-designed for this, and are two of the most enjoyable saviors to control, no doubt due to them being created with a modern approach to game design. It's a shame that these characters have to be unlocked, as I feel more would be gained from allowing people to hit up The Ninja Saviors' tough campaign with this pairing from the off.

It can't be denied that in single-player there is a limited longevity to The Ninja Saviors, but this particular release does place emphasis on its speedrun potential. Every stage can be revi??sited in isolation once defeated, with the entire campaign only recording your time should you complete the run in a single life. Thus, die-har?d fans will get a kick out of replaying their favourite stages to shave off those precious seconds, but tackling the might of the game in one go proves a momentous task for sure. For the majority of players, a couple of playthroughs with a few unique characters is mostly all that is on offer here.

From an audio/visual standpoint, The Ninja Saviors delivers the delights of a bygone age with just a pinch of modernism. Great-looking sprites, fluid animation (particularly?? for our heroes) and detailed backgrounds recall a golden era of console gaming, and while the remixed soundtrack is great, it's fortunate that the original score (one of Taito's best and most memorable) is unlockable, as is the OST for the SNES release.

There is some missed opportunity here. Given the brand's history, it's disappointing to not have a gallery, which could have included concept images, box art and advertising from all three titles. There is also no online co-op option (local play only). Still, the extra characters, multiple OSTs, and option to change the blood to red (a legit controversy at the time) are all nice additions. At $20, Ninja Saviors also doesn't break the bank, offering a fistful of two-player retro fun, and perfect for a typical Switch commute. Though it should be noted that the similarly-themed Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle offers far more bang for your buck.

The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors is a smart and slick reworking of a classic. Though 2019 sensibilities sometimes date its thin gameplay, modern characters, surprisingly varied combat, and a very welcome co-op mode breathe new life into Taito's iconic title. The Ninja Saviors is ideal for retro game speedrunne??rs and perfect fill?er for lazy afternoons or long journeys. Go ninja! Go ninja! Go!

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: The Ninja Saviors – Return of the Warriors appeared first on Destructoid.

So many games, so many ninjas...

This week's Arcade Archives release from Hamster is a genuine classic, coming from a decade where you had ninjas in your games, or you had nothin', Taito's The Legend of Kage is available now on Nintendo Switch.

Released in arcades in 1985, before making the leap to home computers soon after, The Legend of Kage is a high-speed action adventure which sees players guiding the titular ninja on a quest to rescue the shogun's daughter - the fai?r Princess Kiri - from a villainous warlord and his forces.

Gameplay swi??tches between horizontally and vertically scrolling stages, as Kage fends of attack from all directions from the warlord's underlings. Players will battle through a forest, a river, and the exterior and interior of a fortress, before the final showdown with Kuyigusa, and his bodyg?uard Riko.

With great sprites, fast-paced gameplay, cool music and some neat touches (including great thunder/lightning effects as the changing of the seasons as the game cycles around) The Legend of Kage features some unique ideas for its day, and is still pretty fun today.

The Legend of Kage is available to download now ??on Nintend??o Switch, priced at around $8. It was previously made available on PS4 and Xbox One.

The post Classic arcade actioner The Legend of Kage resurface??s?? on Nintendo Switch appeared first on Destructoid.

Physical copy along with steelbook case!

Today's contest features fast-paced ninja action in Sairento for PSVR!

I am not a ninja. I can't do any ninja things, and I'm not sneaky at all. Sometimes I lose my balance when walking in a straight li??ne. One time I tripped while standing still. All of these thin??gs would make me the world's worst ninja.

Luckily, I can pretend in VR! I've got a physical copy of PSVR cyber ninja title Sairento to giv??e away, complete with a fancy limited steelbook case! I want you to play ninjas with me. It'll be fun, I promise.

I'm ??not going to waste a lot of your time convincing you on this one. Watch the trailer. The game takes place in Cyber Tokyo (awesome) where a secret cult practices martial arts at the cost of spreading nanomachine corruption to their bodies (also awesome). You're a cyber ninja who uses guns, swords, and acrobatic moves (backflips, slides, time-slowing -- all awesome) who has to take them all down. The whole thing is pretty nuts, but in all the good ways.

Here are some game features:

• Single Player Campaign Mode - Players looking to skirt the shadows solo can delve into the full single-player campaign, tasked with identifying the root of corruption within the Silent Ones organization. To find the truth, they must face off against mutated samurais, devious ninjas, creepy robot geishas and hulking sumo wrestlers.
• Single- or Multiplayer Challenge Modes - In addition to a single-player campaign and challenge modes, Sairento offers a standalone mission mode that can be tackled solo or cooperatively with another player.
• Action Hero Prowess - With the ability to slow time down, players can perform the artistic executions of their choice to become the ultimate ninja badass. In addition to the range of combat choices, players can perform a wide range of acrobatics, leaping 15 feet into the air, performing double jumps, running across walls and sliding across the floor to outmaneuver enemies.
• Fully Loaded Arsenal - Including all base game weapons and the "Sairento VR - Weapons Pack" DLC from the PC version, the physical edition offers a variety of armaments for players to adapt their tactics to best suit their own style. Katanas, guns, bows, kunais and throwing glaives can all be enhanced with relics to equip the player as they contend against the ever-present cyber ninja threat. And really, anything can become a projectile weapon with the right modifications.

I put down a lot of word??s there?? when "Cyber Tokyo" really should have sold you on it.

Ok, so use the widget below to leave your name and email address to enter?? to win. You can repeat daily. For bonus entries, follo?w Dtoid and publisher @PerpGames on Twitter, and share our contest post with your friends.

Why do ninjas always have to fight, btw? Can't they just play a ?really interesting game of hide and seek, instead? Pontificate on t?his issue.

We have one physical c??opy of the game to give away. You must have a United States shipping address in order to quality. Winner will be drawn on Monday, A?ugust 19.

Sairento VR is available at fine retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy, and GameStop, and is also available to purchase digitally from the PS Store.

Contest: Get into VR cyber ninja action with a PSVR?? copy of Sair??ento

The post Contest: Get into VR cyber ninja ac??tion with a PSVR copy of Sairento appeared first on Destructoid.

Available today

The new free DLC for The Messenger called "Picnic Panic" is now available on all platforms. To get yourself in the mood for a tropical ninja getaway, publisher Devolver Digital has uploaded a launch trailer that shows off some of the locales you'll? be traveling to. In addition to being very colorful, there's more of that wonderful music by Rainbowdragoneyes. This crept up on me by surprise, so now I'm all ready to jump back into the game.

As for what you'll find in this DLC, "Picnic Panic" sends the titular main character on a summer vacation to ?Voodkin Island. The demon Barma'thazel has captured some of the island's creatures and intends to use them in his dark rituals. As only the wisecracking messenger can, he'll travel through the past and present of three new levels and face off against a plethora? of new enemies and bosses. Better still, the shopkeeper has more stories to tell that are likely loaded with snark. I can't wait for that.

Devolver Digital [Twitter]

The post Prepare yourself for a tropical ninja getaway with The Messenger: Picnic Panic’s launch trailer appeared first on Destructoid.

Irem classic back from the dead

After a few weeks of frankly uninspiring releases, retro funsters Hamster return this week with a neat Irem title from the late '80s, Ninja Spirit, now available to ??dow?nload now on PS4 and Nintendo Switch.

Originally hitting the arcades back in 1988, before being ported to various home platforms, Ninja Spirit is a Shinobi/Ninja Gaiden style side-scroller, as players guide a young ninja Tsukikage, on a dangerous quest to ?avenge his fallen father in a supernatural take on feudal? Japan. Armed with a wave-creating katana, as well as an array of typical ninja weaponry such as bombs and shurikens, Tsukikage must battle through six stages, facing waves of enemies attacking from all directions.

Ninja Spirit is still a good time. With neat sprites, a cool score, and some exciting - and surprisingly tough - gameplay, it's definitely worth a look-in for arcade fans who may have missed it the first time around, or just logged it in some distant corner of the mind. As a side-note, the PC Engine port is also worth checking out, being the first game ever to score a 10/10 score in Elect?ronic Gaming M?onthly.

Ninja Spirit is available to download on PS4 in Japan and Nintendo Sw??itch worldwide, priced at around $8.

The post Tough ’80s arcade Ninja Spirit returns on PS4 and Nintendo Switch appeared first on Destructoid.

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

Two years ago, David Lynch and Mark Frost brought the classic television series Twin Peaks back to television with a limited-series run on Showtime. While the original series balanced itself between small-town melodrama and the more curious elements that drove Agent Cooper's prolonged stay in the city, The Return leaned hard into those latter plot threads, crafting one of the most dynamic pieces of television ever created. It wasn't always easy to follow, and often times it wasn't quite clear what was real and what was fake, but when that series wrapped up with Carrie Page's scream, I knew in my soul I had just wit?nessed something spectacular, and that I wouldn't be able to look at other television shows the same.

Katana Zero had the exact same effect on me.

Katana Zero (Nintendo Switch [reviewed], PC)
Developer: Askiisoft
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Released: April 18, 2019
MSRP: $14.99

Talking about the story is a difficult task because while the overall plot doesn't venture too far off the beaten path of what we've seen bef??ore, the way it's told is something every player should discover for themselves. The dream-like nature of the narrative is open to many interpretations. For me, it's a stone soup of influence, pulling fr?om the works of Phillip K. Dick and Akira Kurosawa. For you, it might read differently.

Most of the game takes place in the Third District of a city reeling from the aftermath of a massive war. The protagonist, an unnamed samurai in a dingy kimono, is a veteran of that war, but in its wake he works as a contract killer. Several of the? game's dozen-or-so missions follow the same set-up: the samurai meets with his therapist, gets an injection of a mysterious drug, finds ou??t who his next target is, completes the mission, then wraps up the day at his shitty apartment. It's a story structure that works well for what Askiisoft is doing here, but the developers freely and routinely break this mold as the plot becomes more intricate and less grounded in reality.

Part of what makes the story so interesting are the dynamic dialog options. As NPCs talk to you, you have the ability to interrupt them with a curt response or wait until they finish for more reply choices. This isn't like other games where you'll have four responses available and you can go th??rough each of them. You only get one shot and depending on your choice, you may learn something previously unknown about the samurai or inadvertently ignite the wrath of whomever you're speaking with.

The gameplay is a lot more strai??ghtforward and unlike the dynamic conversations, offers an infinite number of second chances. The mysterious drug I mentioned earlier activates the samurai's specific set of skills that allows him to be such a talented swordsman. Basically, he has the ability to rewind time. So anytime he gets hit -- and it's one hit kills in this game -- he simply rewinds to the beginning of the portion of the stage and tries again. Every unsuccessful run is just the samurai running a simulation in his head, and every successfu?l run that you watch back from CCTV monitors is the one he actually performed. It's a neat effect and something the narrative puts to good use as you start to peel back the layers and discover just who this samurai is.

The action combat is fast, fluid, and something that easily injects itself into your muscle memory. The samurai strikes, jumps, slides, rolls, and wall-jumps with finesse. A single hit from his blade will kill most enemies, though some are well shielded. Most foes fight back with guns? that can be overcome with the samurai's time-slow ability. Another effect of the ?drug, you can slow time to dodge bullets or hit them with your sword to send them flying back at the shooter. 

Most missions feature you going through side-scrolling stages that are split up in the small portions, so it's really never a massive loss if you take a hit and have to start the section over. However, these portions in later missions can be quite complicated with many enemies to deal with and multiple ways to do so. There are several I died more than two dozen times trying to complete and the game adds a layer of difficulty to the process by not resetting everything 100% each time you do restart a section of a level. Not only do the enemy designs change, which is a small touch I absolutely love, but their placement isn't always exactly where it was before. There's never a big change, like restarting and finding all the enemies are right at the front door, but it's enough of a difference to guarantee no two at??tempts are exactly the same.

What I love about the combat is, like the story, it never came close to overshadowing everything else in the game. The actual gameplay mechanics are quite limited, and anytime it can feel a mission is going on too long, Katana Zero takes a hard left back into the story-driven content. This is a well-balanced game with just enough one-off elements, such as a motorcycle level, a?? few unique boss battles, and one frustratingly short but clever use of the rewind mechanic, that it's a fresh experience from the opening salvo to the final crushing twist.

There is far more I can say about how much I love this game, including the audial delight that is Ludowic and Bill Kiley's soundtrack or VHS visual tricks the game employs as the narrative grows more fractured, but at this point, I've already gushed enough. It can be frustrating at times. It made me want to break my Switch in half. But even in its most aggressively exasperating moments, Katana Zero remains bleak, be?a??utiful, bloody, and brilliant. 

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Katana Zero appeared first on Destructoid.

Thanks FromSoftware

A few weeks back, everyone started talking about difficulty and accessibility from how hard Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is and we all had a nice laugh as the internet burned down around us. But we haven't heard from how the lovelies within the jbsgame.community thought about Sekiro and its difficulty.

Sekiro removes a lot of elements you might be used to in a From Software game, but offers things in return. Even though the health of some bosses can be much higher to compensate for the Shinobi Death Blow mechanic, you also have unli?mited stamina and can even jum?p or grapple around. There are a lot of other little changes that can throw off the practice of dedicated FromSoftware players.

One of the most core elements of Sekiro's combat is deflecting blows. Rather than trying to use iframes to get around attacks, Sekiro expects you to stand your ground and deflect or block attacks in order to break your opponent's posture. Deflects and counters are typically the high risk/high reward option in games, so this reliance had me worried when getting into Sekiro, but then I found out that the window for a successful deflect is actually quite generous. It's nowhere near the strictness of parrying in a game like Street Fighter III: Third Strike, or even the counter shot from Bloodborne. And unlike those previous examples, an unsuccessful deflect just turns in?to a block.

Personally, I think the difficulty issue was just a flavor of the week topic. When you did get into Sekiro, there are plenty of options available and even open to abuse in order to make the game easier for yourself, like spamming firecrackers, Ichimonji, or even just having meta-knowledge - like using the evade attack on ??Madame Butter?fly.

So, what does the jbsgame.community think of the game and its difficulty? We asked you an?d here is what a few of the members had to say:

Deediddle echoes? the sentiment of how multiplayer i?s integrated or the lack thereof:

It's made harder by being exclusively single player. The lack of an option to get bailed out if you're stuck makes it more likely you'll get stuck than in Dark Souls.

Of course, Pat Bateman17 replied with a mechanic I had trouble with in Bloodborne:

Counterpoint: No likelihood of getting invaded and griefed.

ScionVyse thinks the defensive options are up to snuff:

I think it's far easier, since your defensive options are far stronger than anything else in any other From game. You can pretty easily bait away individual enemies, and in one on one fights, the only way to really lose is to mistime parries or press the wrong button for attacks you can't parry.

It only really gets tough in multi-enemy fights that you can't bait away from, since the system isn't designed to be really usable without lock-on. Kinda like the old Assassin's Creed games in that sense.

Kerrik52 compares to it to Bloodborne:

Harder to learn, but not as assholish as Bloodborne can be.

Sailor Zebes and lokhe both also think it's about the same:

Still working through it. But I think it's pretty much on par with the others in terms of difficulty.

Now that we're a few weeks out of release and the firestorm, I'm still enjoying Sekiro. While it's not quite as varied in terms of equipment (except for the prosthetic tools), the combat is laser-focused. I also totally love the sound of clashing steel that comes from good combat. What did you think of FromSoft's latest adventure?

The post How difficult was Sek?iro: Sha?dows Die Twice for you? appeared first on Destructoid.

Or Shinobi-esque. One or the other

The teased new project from Yacht Club Games has finally stepped out from the shadows. Cyber Shadow will be the long-awaited follow-up to Shovel Knight, sticking with the retro aesthetic and bringing us back to the glory days of the NES era. Being developed by Mechanical Head Studios with publishing from Yacht Club, the title gives off some serious Ninja Gaiden vibes and I couldn't be happier.

Cyber Shadow has been in development for over a decade by Aarne "MekaSkull" Hunziker. Yacht Club took notice of it a?? few years back and wanted to lend a hand to Hunziker to help the game realize its fullest potential. Thus the union was born and we'll be getting this wild action platformer in the near future. Some extra spice in the concoction is the soundtrack, which will be handled by Enrique Martin with production from Jake Kaufman.

Cyber Shadow is currently planned for a release on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Switch. While no firm release date has been given, the title will be launching for $14.99. After plowing through The Messenger recently, I'm ready for more ninja action!

Cyber Shadow [Yacht Club Games]

The post ??Yacht Club Games unveils Cyber Shadow, a Ninja Gaiden-esque platformer appeared first on Destructoid.

Did you see the pun?

When The Messenger launched on PC and Switch last year, I was pretty intrigued. The art style looked to harken back to classic titles like Ninja Gaiden on the NES, with Dtoid's own Rich Meister giving the game 10/10. I watched Game Attack stream a bit of it and was ready to pounce on a Steam sale to grab it. It looked like everything I would enjoy in a retro pl??atformer, but I somehow missed ?the boat.

When the opportunity to check out the recently announced PS4 port came up, I jumped at the chance. I wasn't going to miss out on playing this game, even if the hype wouldn't match my lofty expectations. Turns out I didn't have much to worry about because I'm really digging the first few hours of The Messenger. Oh, and this PS4 version is solid as hell.

The Messenger begins in a pretty unassuming way. Figuring this was strictly a serious game like Ninja Gaiden, I was surprised when the main character started talking about how frustrated he was with his secret ninja order. From there, the game introduces some evil beings and then starts dropping bits of comedy left and right. It really is the perfect D?evolver Digital game in that it doesn't take itself very seriously.

That tone never lets up, either. The main character is constantly saying dumb things to those he encounters such as the in-game shop keeper, who might just be my favorite character in this whole adventure. When I checked his chest in the corner and had him say, "Don't do that" I knew I was in store for so??mething special. The dialogue is very well written and it never ceases to put a smile on my face.

These are the qualities that turn a solid example of retro design into something truly special in the modern era. If The Messenger played its cards exactly like Ninja Gaiden, it wouldn't be ?nearly as remarkable. It'd still be great but feel a bit samey. That it has a kick-ass soundtrack and lots of humor is what makes it truly memorable and something I can't put down??.

Thankfully, nothing about this PS4 port is disappointing. Maybe there isn't 4K output for users with PS4 Pro systems, but the game runs flawlessly and controls wonderfully. You only ever really use two buttons and they are Square and Cross. It's perfect for pulling off jumping attacks and stringing together The Messenger's unique "Cloudstep" mechanic. This is a maneuver that lets you jump in mid-air after striking certain ?objects or enemy projectiles, which would be impossible?? if the buttons were spaced out.

Even when tested using Sony's remote play on Vita and PC, the presentation holds up exceptionally well. Everything is sharp, vibrant, and crisply drawn. It's the dream NES aesthetic that Nintendo has only replicated with Super Mario Maker. I wish every retro game could look this good.

As far as options go, there really isn't much else to The Messenger on PS4. You can change the volume of music and sound effects individually, and you can rebind all of the controls. There is surround sound support, so that's a nice plus. Of course th?ere are trophies, too, with a full platinum available.

There's not a whole lot to really report on. This is a perfectly suitable option for getting The Messenger and one I can recommend without hesitation. If you don't mind not having portability (??like with Switch) or 4K (like on PC), the PS4 port plays just as well as the others and looks sharp.

Now if you'll excuse me,?? I need t?o get back to reliving my NES days.

_{[This impressions piece is?? based on a retail build of the game provid?ed by the publisher.]}

The post The Messenger on PS4 delivers a perfectly suitable?? experience appeared first on Destructoid.

Practice your Bun-Fu

31 years ago a man was born. That man liked bunnies and foxes and ninjas, and as luck would have it, carrots were one of his favorite healthy snacks growing up. Fast forward to today and that man really likes bunnies and foxes and ninjas, and just last night demanded that his moth?er make him a carrot cake. She did, and he enjoyed it immensely.

Hi, I'm Wes, and I'm the man I was just talking about up above. And I'm your man to hook 10 Steam, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Switch owners up with a free copy of Ninjin: Clash of Carrots so you can be big and strong and dem?and confections from your mother -- LIKE ME!

Take it away, game developer Pocket Trap:

Ninjin: Clash of Carrots is an anime-inspired beat-‘em-up with a gaggle of v?aried enemies, deep customization...and ninjas! Play through side-scrolling worlds consisting of multiple stages and collect carrots that act as currency which can be redeemed in the Corgi Store for new equipment, or the Shady Shop for special weapons, m??asks, and other customization items. Grab a friend to join you in 2-player online or local co-op!

I don't know if you just read that part, but there's a Corgi Store. *clears throat* I said there's a Corgi Store! And you play as a totally kawaii bunny or fox and have to beat the crap out of other ninjas so you can hang out with the Corgi Store clerk! I have the power to?? ban you, and I think I might use it if none of this sounds appealing to yo??u.

For your chance to shop from the Corgi Store, comment below with your platform of choice and tell us which animal you hope the shopkeeper hires to help tend the store. I hope they hire a hyena ??because he'd laugh at all the jokes my w??ife stopped listening to about six years ago. I need the positive reinforcement!

Winners will be drawn on Thursday, September 13. Our Switch and P?S4 keys are for North American accounts only (Steam and Xbox One keys are region-free). Please make sure you comment from a Dtoid-generated? Disqus account that has your current email address on file -- if I can't email you, I can't give you a free game. And I might just ban you for insulting the hallowed corgi.

Ninjin: Clash of Carrots is available now for Steam, Xbox One, PS4, and Switch. Be sure to check out our other sit?es across the EG network in the coming days for more chances to win!

The post Giveaway: Fight for your food in Ninjin: Cla?sh of Carrots appeared first on Destructoid.

Don't shoot The Messenger

Maybe you've heard of a little game called The Messenger -- it's getting rave reviews across the internet (including receiving a 10 from Destructoid) and is being heralded a?s one of the best games for Nintendo Switch. That's one hell of an accolade!

We've got seven copies each for Switch and Steam to hand out, so you too can try your hand at one of this summer's?? hottest games. All you have to do is comment below for your? chance to get in on the action!

In The Messenger you play as the final surviving ninja of an ancient village after a hideous demon attacks, killing the res?t of your clan. You're tasked with delivered an important scroll through this 8-bit platforming adventure. But all is not as it seems as the world around you changes, altering your perspective and opening up realities outside of your own. Will you be able to survive the demonic onslaught and bring peace back to your once-great village?

To enter ??for your chance to win, comment below with your platform of choice and a description of your own special ninja ability. Mine is the ability to astound foes with the sheer amount of tears I can generate in a short amount of time. Noah parted the Red Sea with little trouble, but he'd be little m??atch for the flood produced by my prepubescent weeping.

W?e have seven Steam and seven NA Nintendo Switch keys, so you must have a North American eShop account to play on Switch. Make sure you comment from a Dtoid account that has your current email address on file. If I can't contact you, I ca??n't give you one of this year's highest-rated titles. Winners will be drawn on Friday, September 7.

The Messenger is available now on Steam and Nintendo Switch. Be sure to check out our sister sites Nintendo Enthusiast and PC Invasion for more chances to win!

The post ??Giveaway: Slice and dice with The Messenger on Switch and Steam appeared first on Destructoid.

What IS the secret behind the transitions?

It's immediately obvious at first glance that Sabotage Studios' retro-inspired platformer The Messenger owes a debt of gratitude to the classic Ninja Gaiden titles of the late '?80s/early '90s. But what would those original 8-bit developers? think of the homage to their work?

Well, you can find out in the video below, as publisher Devolver Digital sat down Ninja Gaiden director Hideo Yoshizawa and composer Keiji Yamagishi and gave them the opportunity to try out the spike-leaping adventure for themselves. Allowing?? the developers to see how the hard work they performed decades ago i?s still inspiring game creators today.

It's a very upbeat video, as both Yoshizawa and Yamagishi play through The Messenger's early stages, dodging obstacles and taking on a slew of enemies. We also hear a couple of interesting stories, such as how Nintendo demanded an underwater level for Ninja Gaiden, and how Yoshizama and Yamagishi attended BitSummit 2018, and were instantly recognised by Sabotage Studios whilst watching footage of The Messenger.

The Messenger launches August 30 on PC and Nintendo Switch. Our own Rich Meister reviewed the game just yesterday, awarding it a stunning score of 10 out of 10.

The post Ninja Gaiden developers check out The Messenger in this? cheerful video appeared first on Destructoid.

'Still no sign of this so-called Western Hero'

The Messenger is the game I walked away from PAX East this year swooning over. The NES-style platformer takes clear inspiration from Ninja Gaiden. Thierry Boulanger, the lead programmer and designer, has been upfront about that from the start, but The Messenger is a hell of a lot more th??an a simple tri?bute to a great NES title.

While our protagonist may have a lot in common visually with Ryu Hayabusa, his adventure is decidedly more complicated, and his skill set far larger. Along with that the fantastic soundtrack and quirky writing do wonders to differentiate The Messenger from its inspiration.

The Messenger (PC [previewed], Nintendo Switch)
Developer: Sabotage Studios
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Release: Summer 2018 

The story hook is straight out of an old NES game. A prophesied demon comes to destroy the world, and our protagonist, a young ninja, is tasked with traveling east and delivering an ancient scroll. You'll move across a few linear but well-designed levels gathering gadgets like a squirrel suit and rope dart to help you traverse the landscape, but the most exciting thing about The Messenger happens about halfway through.  

After a few levels, the story propels our ninja into the future, ditching the 8-bit design for a flashie??r Super Nintendo-era 16-bit one. Backgrounds become more extravagant, your character model changes, an??d new 16-bit tracks even drop into the already amazing music.  

It isn't just visuals that change here, either. It's revealed that our hero had a map this whole time. He never bothered to check it, but in his defense, this is the first it has come up. This quickly opens up into exploring metroidvania-style gameplay. Specific points on the map even allow you to shift between the past and the future to solve puzzles. For example, a tree that's withered away in the future ??might have branches strong enough to climb on in the past, or a pile of rubble in the past may have been cleared away in the future. 

The Messenger's nameless hero controls like a dream. Every jump feels deliberate, and his cloud step ability ?that allows him to perform an extra jump by striking certain objects with his sword ?makes moving quickly across these levels feel amazing. Thankfully, this game is a bit more forgiving in certain spots than its NES predecessor. Namely, it gives you a little more breathing room when getting spammed with enemy projectiles to get out of harm's way and back in the action. I still got my ass handed to me more than a few times during my playthrough, but it was always my own shortcomings. 

There's no life system to speak of. If you eat it, a small demon rescues you and brings you to the last checkpoint. As a tax, he'll take any currency you pick up for a while, but i?t's a small price to pay. The?? little guy isn't above making fun of you for dying multiple times at the same spot though. 

As you progress, you'll gather crystals you can spend at the shop to purchase and upgrade abilities. You can get more shuriken to throw or improve the damage of your sword attack. One of the ??first unlocks I'd recommend investing in lets you perform a cloud step off of enemy projectiles. You'll also get a few upgrades like the squirrel suit and climbing claws narratively, and new upgrade paths present themselves as you progress in the story. 

Speaking of the shop, some of The Messenger's best writing comes from the shopkeeper. This game is self-aware in an entertaining way at every turn, but the hooded shopkeeper seems to never run out of things to say. You can sit there probing him for qui?te a while before you'll get a repeated line. 

I also can't stress how brilliant this soundtrack is. If you aren't playing The Messenger with headphones, you're doing ??yourself a dis?service. 

The Messenger remains one of the games I'm most excited about this year even after having played through it on PC. I can't remember being this excited about an indie platformer since Shovel Knight. I may just ??have to double dip on that? Switch version later this summer.

 _{[This preview is based on a pre-release build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Preview: The Messenger appeared first on Destructoid.

'WILL HELP YOU!'

Ano?ther Arcade Classic is ?now available for rose-tinted inspection on PS4 and Nintendo Switch, courtesy of retro-enthusiasts Hamster and their burgeoning ACA range.

Kid Niki Radical Ninja is a 1986 acton-platformer from IREM, creators of other classic arcades such as R-Type and Vigilante. Radical Ninja sees the titular Kid Niki, a young ninja in tr??aining, embark on a dangerous mission to save his kidnapped girlfriend Margot from the evil Stone Wizard.

Armed with his legendary "Spinning Sword," Kid Niki must battle waves of enemies across seven stages, defeating boss characters en route to the final rooftop showdown with the Stone Wizard. The game saw multiple home ports, most famously the 1987 NES release. Though none of these releases truly answered the big question of what made Kid Niki particularly "radical"? I mean, at least Wonder Boy had a skateboard.

Well-remembered for its colourful graphics and jaunty music. Kid Niki's gameplay is a little linear, and this is perhaps another case of a game in the ACA range that could be bundled with another?? older title in a two-pack, to make the price-tag a little more appealing.

Kid Niki Radical Ninja is available now on PS4 and Nintendo Switch, ??priced at $8.

The post Kid Niki Radical Ninja is back in action on PS4 & Switch appeared first on Destructoid.

I NEED HEALING

Good Smile Company have released images of the next Overwatch character to get the Figma treatment, and it's the cyber-ninja that can be the golden boy, or bring ??complete disaster to your random play, Genji.

Genji's Figma stands just under seven inches in height and comes with all the precise articulation one can expect from the Figma range. The wall-climbing assassin can be posed in a whole variety of dramatic (an??d comical) ways, ready to call for healing from behind-enemy-lines or on the highest point of the map, wherever's more difficult for you to reach.

Genji is second in the Overwatch Figma series joining series' poster gal Tracer. Genji is scheduled for release in June 2018. I'm not a big fan on the shuriken-chucking dude, but I think his look is perfect for the Figma style.

Overwatch Genji Figma [Good Smile Company]

The post Slick Overwatch Genji Figma coming?? from Good Smile Com??pany appeared first on Destructoid.

Ready to assassinate fools from your bookcase

Premium model makers First 4 Figures have announced the next release in their Soulcalibur statue range, ?and it's one of the s?eries most popular fighters: highly skilled, super-moody, lady ninja Taki.

The gorgeous looking statue stands an impressive 19.5 inches tall, weighs in at 3.27kg and comes complete with a slick base a?nd a die-cast sword for slicing heads. There is also an Exclusive model available which boosts the height by four inches and comes with the beautiful lotus flower base as pictured in the gallery below.

The Kunoichi doesn't come cheap, however. Scheduled for release late next year, Taki will set you back $435, n??ot including shipping or any customs charges. Anyone wishing to pre-order the Exclusive model has until October 13 to do so (though pre-orders will re-open for the weekend of October 27-29.) After tha?t, only the standard base model will be available.

Taki can be pre-ordered at her official First 4 Figures page right here.

The post Not-so-Taki Soulcalibur sta??tue coming from First 4 Figures appeared first on Destructoid.

Miami: babes, cocaine, and NINJAS!

Continuing to prove that there was no period better than the end of the '80s to deliver flicks that have stood the test of time and have remained bad, meet Miami Connection. It was bad then, bad in the '90s, and is just hilarious now. Terrible music? Yes. Bikinis. Absolutely. Ninjas … maybe! And scenes that should be what are called establishing shots that drag out into entire music?? videos for no reason whatso?ever.

This movie may surprise you with not only its functionality, but its competency, at least for approximately 10 minutes. It opens with a fully, if not well-imagined, described action sequences that portrays a story, conveys it, and does so while ??not looking like amateur shooting. It's some time before some of the obvious tropes of bad movie filmmaking rear their ugly heads; for example, I'm not even sure I noticed terrible dialogue-dubbing until a half an hour in or more. But worry not, after that, it got much worse.

At heart, this is a tale of "central Florida's hottest club" where Dragon Sound has just replaced the local cover band. Dragon Sound, a boy band consisting of five male best friends who just so happen to be "black belts in taekwondo" in addition to shredding rock on electric guitars, believe in truth, justice, and honesty, as well as friendship for everyone. Yes, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia may have lifted the line from this movie (I won't rule it out). So when the old band ??tries to fight them for their turf, well, they try ??to peacefully resist, but you know how those '80s were. Bullies owned the '80s.

Tie in another plot line about a criminal group of ninjas presumably called The Foot that steal cocaine and cash from other criminals, and you've got the makings of a veritable story. Only, this is a bad movie, not a good one, so let's fuck that up by? throwing in random taekwondo demonstrations that go on for 10 minutes at a time, terrible audio production, and random biker gangs with their passed-their-prime gang groupie "sheep" going topless for no reason whats??oever. 

Their are more pulled punches in this thing than in professional wrestling. It's especially funny when shots are supposed to be slow motion, or are about to go into slow motion, only the editing is terrible and they don't start the slow motion until after the actors are visibly pulling punches and kicks. The fight choreography is about as bad as you'll ever see—which is unfortunate because the 30 people or so they tricked into playing ninjas for this movie move convincingly! I'd believe they were actual ninjas! And clearly, a few of the principles know martial arts. Does it add an air of authenticity? Absolutely not. And whatever street? cred it has is lost with outrageous chit chat that's just awful.

Characters evoke repeated worry about waking up their neighbors, so much so that they actually say, "Hey, what are you trying to do, wake the neighbors?" two or three times in the same conversation. Or characters get intensely focused on the arrival of mail and are creepily obsessing over mail and anyone else's particular interest in mail. (Bear in mind, email didn't exist, but this compulsion is still not excusable—it's wa?y too prevalent, almost as if the writer or director had never received mail themself and getting a white envelop in the mailbox was akin to the arrival of Halley's Comet.)

What you have here, are some fundamentally good ideas, mildly talented individuals partaking in production, and zero ability to put it all toget?her. Lucky us.

Miami Connection
Directors: Richard Park, Y.K. Kim
Release Date: December 26, 1988
Rated: UNRATED
Bad Movie Grade: C
Where to Watch: YouTube

COME FOR THE:

• Ninjas! Obviously! The ninjas.
• “The uzi 9mm.”

STAY FOR THE:

• Funktacular '80s synth-rock custom soundtrack. Between this and Class of Nuke ‘Em High last week, you’ve got the best b-movie theme song duo of all time. Hard to pick a winner in a direct battle, but this jazz about friendship and loyalty forever would probably come out on top, especially considering all its black belt backers.
•  Classic '80s sexual harassment, ogling, semi-stalking, and blatant disregard for women’s rights, individuality or personality. As these movies continue to prove, the '80s, rule!

IF YOU'VE EVER WONDERED WHAT FELLATIO WOULD LOOK LIKE IF PERFORMED ON A FIST INSTEAD OF A PENIS, NOW YOU KNOW.

FUCK

Sorry squad, while the bros of the '80s chased a lot of tail, they rarely got it. Mostly because they followed the Revenge of the Nerds book of dating. Meaning, act clueless, moronic, and unschooled in how to interact with girls—&ld?quo;Give me a kiss, ay!” 90% of the time, it works every time.

MARRY

There’s one serious dating situation here, and it sets almost all the film’s events in motion. Will Jeff’s sister (they may not even give her a name) marry the Scarecrow (it’s the only way you can possibly think of this dude, especially after he runs around bare-chested with a samurai sword)? We’re not sure, but the way she made out with him on a lounger in the waves of the ocean—who sits on those on the sand? Not the band members of Dragon Sound! Pu?t your chairs in the water bros! If there’s no threat of shark attack, it’s not radical enough!

KILL

The killin?g essentially happens by rounds. Round 1: Ninjas beat coke dealers. Ro??und 2 (failed attempt): Everyone vs. Dragon Sound. Round 3: The band brings home all the hits and kills every motherfucking ninja ever.

UBER DIALOG

• SCARECROW: “Oh. Ninjas.” When 40 guys dressed as ninjas with swords, riding motorcycles, block the road in front of you car. So everyday. So pedestrian.

• JEFF’S SISTER: “It’s not your fault”

• SCARECROW: “We had to do it.”

• JEFF’S SISTER: “It’s all over now.”

Presumably it’s been a d??ay, maybe two. But t??hat’s OK that her boyfriend killed her brother. NBD, bruhs.

• SCARECROW and ASIAN BLACKBELT put a tie on DADDY-ISSUES-JIM: “You look like a lawyer or something.”

• QUOTE AT END OF MOVIE: “Only through the elimination of violence can we achieve world peace.” 

Did you just watch this movie? It revels in violence and fighting! Someone should have explained that philo??sophically, this worldview does not align with their film-making agen??da.

The post Your B??ad Movie Night Guide, Vol. 8: Miami Connection appeared first on Destructoid.

Ninja Spirit (TG-16)

I swear as I do more of these retro shows, like 80% of them are about ninjas. Not that there's really anything wrong with that. Anyways then, it should come as no surprise that tonight's episode of The GTFOMLG Show is, well, about a ninja as well. Enter Ninja Spirit for the TG-16. I don't actually know if it's a tie-in or not, but I can't help but be reminded of Legend of Kage for the NES as I play, although this game has a bit more going for it graphics and mechanics-wise (you can be SEVERAL ninjas at once!). Be sure to tune into Dtoid.TV tonight at 7pm PST for yet?? ??some more hot, retro, ninja on ninja action!

[The GTFOMLG Show airs Monday through Thursday at 7p.m. Pacific on Dtoid.TV. Watch Rick 'King Foom' Olson play a variety of retro games, chosen by the viewers. With a heavy focus on community interaction, you can be as much a part of the show as anything else.]

The post Live Show: The GTFOMLG Show Episode 12.0 appeared first on Destructoid.

Maybe it should just appear like a Ninja

Nintendo has made a lot of strides in the indie scene with their "Nindies" initiative. While it may not be a gang busting business, having smaller games come to your platform can be a huge selling point for niche audiences who aren't swayed by big budget blockbus??ters. Somehow, though, Nintendo has ended up turning ??down a potential indie game from coming to the Switch.

In a random discussion thread posted on Reddit, fans were talking about ways to potentially get N++ on the Switch. As if being summoned from the heavens, Mare Sheppard of Metanet Software (the developer behind N++) randomly chimed in to let everyone know what had happened on that front. Porting your game ??to any system is apparently not as easy as calling up the platform holder and asking.

Sheppard let fans know that, "Nintendo has to give the go-ahead befor??e we can get started developing or porting." That makes sense, but the continuation of that sentence is where the problem comes in. "Although we've been talking to them for a couple of months," Sheppard ??states, "they said they are focusing on games that will sell systems right now." Ouch.

Now, I can almost understand this from a cold business standpoint, but N++ is launching a new expansion in the coming months. That could easily get people interested in buying the game, especially since the original N remains a mid '00s nostalgic centerpiece. Putting all that aside, is Nintendo basically saying N++ won't sell consoles?

If you're going to go that route, why is something like 1-2-Switch allowed to exist on the system, then? No one was going to buy a Switch for that (or the game itself), regardless of it being made by Nintendo. This seems like an arbitrary reason to exclude a game, though Nintendo is prone to making peculiar business decisions.

Beyond all this, though, it seems that simply getting the game on the Switch isn't solely up to Nintendo. There are a lot more factors involved then just getting a blessing from the big N. Sheppard continues this explanation in her post on Reddit, so you can give it a read if you're inclined. The cliffnotes version is that it costs money and the code would have to be re-written since N++ uses an in-house engine.

Let's support N++ to get out on the Switch [Reddit]

The post Nintendo seemingly doesn’t want N++ on the Switch appeared first on Destructoid.

It even has lights

As a support main in Overwatch, I know Genji's blade all too wel?l. I'm usually its ??first target!

The folks at Baltimore Knife and Sword have made a real-world counterpart (complete with shurikens!) for this episode of Man at Arms: Reforged. Though I think you should at least hop around in the early bits to pick up insights about the build and ?its ties to history, I understand if you just want to see the sword slice up milk jugs and soda cans. Skip to around 17:18 for that and some bonus cosplay.

The post Genji’s sword is fearsome in real life, too appeared first on Destructoid.

Win one of 10 copies!

Tribute Games is bringing the awesome Ninja Senki DX to PC, PS4, and PS Vita this February the 23 (as previously reported). The game will run you $4.99 (a bargain, I assure you), or you could you win it here for free! The awesome folks at Tribute Games have given us 5 Steam codes and 5 PSN codes. Instead of rubbing them all o??ver my body (tough choice), I'm throwing them at you!

What do you have to do to win? Simply leave a comment below, telling me why you think you are ninja enough (and be sure to include platform preference) to win. That's it! Contest ends 2/22/16 @ 11:59pm PST. Winners will be n??otifi?ed on launch day. Good luck!

P.S. If you need to get your ninja on before release, try the original freeware version here (PC download link)!

The post Giveaway: Ninja Senki DX (Steam & PS4/Vita) appeared first on Destructoid.

Also coming to Steam

Tribute Games, developer of Mercenary Kings and Curses 'n Chaos, is set to release Ninja Senki DX on PS4, PS Vita, and Steam in February.

Ninja Senki DX is an updated version of the freeware game from 2010 created by Jonathan Lavigne, co-founder of Tribute Games. The freeware version is currently still available to download for PC, and I highly re?commend checking it out! It's a fun NES-style action platformer starring a ninja who chucks an endless supply of shurikens the size of his body at his enemies. It's challenging, but the charming pixel graphics and music help to alleviate frustration.

The updated version will feature multiple endings, a new challenge mode, a remixed soundtrack, unlockable secret modes, leaderboards, and achievements. It'll run you $4.99, and suppor?ts cross-buy for PS4 an??d PS Vita.

The post Ninja Senki DX slashes onto PS4 ?and Vita with giant?????????????????????????? shurikens appeared first on Destructoid.

Beam me up, ninja

When I heard of a game concept that starts you off at th??e last boss and takes you back through his castle as the story progresses, I was intrigued.

Sadly, the mere premise of Roving Rogue is probably its strongest quality.

Roving Rogue (Wii U)
Developer: Padaone Games
Publisher: Padaone Games
MSRP: $9.99
Released: July 2, 2015

The basic gist is pretty genius. Players will take control of Kurt the Righteous, who has just slain the final boss of the game. But what happens when said big bad dies? You can't just jump out of a window at the top of his massive fortress, right -- you have to walk back through where you came from. That's what you'll be doing throughout the course of Roving Rogue.

Kurt only has one mechanic to master, so you won't get too flustered as you're busting your way out. Using a two-button system, one button jumps, and the other teleports. By quickly tapping the latter button you can warp a short distance, and holding it will stop your progress and allow you to aim a cursor in whatever direction you desire; it's a lot like Daud's blinking power in the Dishonored DLC. It's an easy concept to pick up, and it works very well. Players can opt to make a lot of jumps manually for safety?, or go for a riskier teleport jump at nearly every turn. It makes every platforming portion a choice, but you can only teleport ??through specially marked "golden" walls to prevent you from breaking the game too hard.

While the controls are on point, the levels on which you perform these antics are a mixed bag. Once you've played the first 10 stages or so you've basically seen it all, a feeling that's augmented by the fact that there? are only six enemy types in total, all of which essentially operate in the same patrolling manner. There are some new ideas presented on occasion like darkness, and a switch between horizontal and vertical layouts, but it never really iterates beyond that. Four player co-op is definitely a big draw if you happen to have three other people on ??hand.

Like the level design, the way the developers have chosen to approach the lore is also both brilliant and flawed. Altho?ugh the premise is based on Kurt's tired old memory loss trope, you're basically rediscovering the fluff of the game's universe as you play it. Picking up collectibles will in turn decrypt diary entries explaining the initial journey throughout the castle, and why you're actually doing it. It even lends itself to multiple endings if you find enough.

On the flipside, there's also a less stylish storytelling element -- Twitter feeds. I can't stand these, as they're basically a collective of memes and hashtags that are seemingly chosen at random, presented between levels. They're easy to skip, but feel wholly unnecessary. As for the visual style itself it's a bit plain when it comes to most of the game's animations and structures, but I actually dig the Loderunner feel to it, and as I stated previou??sly, it does play well.

Roving Rogue failed to really capture my interest throughout the entire adventure, but from a raw gameplay perspective I had some fun with the platforming bits. Y??ou'll enjoy it even more with friends.

_{[This review is based ?o??n a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Roving Rogue appeared first on Destructoid.