Ninja Five-O (2003, GBA)

Original Developer: Hudson Soft
Original Publisher: Konami
Clear Version: PS4
Port Developer: Limited Run Games
Port Publisher: Konami, Limited Run Games
Clear Platform: PS5
Clear Date: 3/10/25

---

Why should I care?
This rare, expensive GBA game finally got an emulated port to modern platforms, and its tough, exciting gameplay was worth the wait.

---

Good Job!

For a physical game collector like me, Ninja Five-O was always one of those games that was “fuck that” priced. As with all such games, that’s a situation that only got worse in the COVID years, to the point that I assumed I’d never own it. Fortunately, along came Limited Run Games with a competent (if no-frills) emulated port. Ninja Five-O is an interesting ninja platformer that sets itself apart from the Gaiden and Shinobi types with its labyrinthine and puzzling gameplay, and I’m glad it’s back.

The game takes place in modern times and follows Joe Osugi, a pure-hearted ninja who fights crime. Fueled by a hunger for the supernatural powers they imbue, some of his fellow ninjas don the so-called “Mad Masks,” which had been sealed away generations prior because of the damage they wreaked. The masks lead them to a life of crime, putting them doubly in the crosshairs of our protagonist. To free his friends from the corrupting influence of the masks and put a stop to their crime sprees, Mr. Ninja Five-O springs into action.

The game consists of five missions, with multiple stages therein. The first three are pretty typical crime stuff: a bank robbery, illegal shipments at a harbor, and an airplane hijacking. These can be tackled in any order. In each stage, there are several hostages that must be rescued while dispatching the opposition. Joe can attack with his sword at close range or from a safe distance with throwing stars, and he can swing around to get a terrain advantage on his enemies with his grappling hook. You’ll need to master the use of all of his small moveset to deal with the game’s challenging encounters.

Enemies range from stereotypical mobster types with guns to fellow sword-wielding ninjas to huge robot samurai with cannons. It’s a solid variety for this fairly short game. Few of these enemies are super intimidating on their own, but in aggregate they can be a handful. To make things easier, you can pick up powerups to level up your offensive capabilities and damage output, but watch out — take one hit, and you’ll be leveled back down a notch.

And that’s really the name of the game in this one: don’t get hit. Health is at a premium as it is, so you’ve really go to be careful. In this sense, the game often feels as much like a puzzle game as an action game. Since the game is generally split into rooms only a screen or two large, it’s generally a matter of figuring out how you can clear one without exposing yourself to too much risk. You then have to execute that plan, of course, which can be pretty tough!

After hacking your way through the underlings, you’ll reach a crime boss, each of which is one of the corrupted ninja masters. These are nice, challenging fights, and I personally recommend entering them with at least one offensive upgrade. Once you beat the first three of these, you’ll get intel about the remaining master’s hideout and pursue him onward.

It’ll take you maybe 4 or 5 hours to take down all the bad guys, but you’ll have a great time doing it. It’s a game that can make you feel both strategic and action-skilled at once.

Even though I understand the call of expensive old games about as much as anyone, the experience of Ninja Five-O truly was never worth hundreds of dollars. As much as I enjoy collecting, I try to maintain (and practice) the ethos that the point of having games is to play them, not to amass valuable assets. Thus, I’m glad this rerelease has democratized (legal) access to a pretty solid game.

Pick it up sometime if you’re looking for a cool one-off curiosity from an old platform.