Ninja Five-O Longplay (Game Boy Advance) [60 FPS]
457Developed by Hudson Soft and published by Konami in 2003
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Also known as Ninja Cop in PAL regions, Ninja Five-O is platform game released for Nintendo's Game Boy Advance handheld, blending classic 80's arcade action with a modern twist. The player assumes the the role of Joe Osugi, a ninja in the employ of the city's law enforcement and tasked with taking down a group of evil ninja masters and the criminal groups that work for them.
The game is an action-platform game that, at first glance, is reminiscent of Sega's own ninja-themed arcade game, Shinobi (and even closer to the G.G. Shinobi for the Game Gear). However, look closer and you'll notice elements from other arcade titles, such as Rolling Thunder and Ninja Gaiden.
The game is divided into a number of missions, each comprising a number of stages. The player can choose from three missions at the start of the game, each with increasing difficulty; once these are complete, further missions become available as Joe tracks down the leaders of the nefarious criminal syndicate.
In each of the missions, the criminals have taken a number of hostages that Joe must rescue. Many of these are being used as human shields by their captors, so Joe can only rescue them when the captor lets his guard down, or tries to shoot Joe. Mistiming the attack will result in the hostage dying, reducing the number of points that the player can earn during the level.
Located throughout each stage are various doors that lead to other areas. Some of these rooms contain hostages, whilst others may contain power-ups to aid Joe in his mission. It's a good idea to explore all of these areas thoroughly since you will need to find a number of coloured keys that can be used to unlock doors throughout the level.
In terms of weapons, Joe is equipped with his trust sword, which can be used to hack up any enemies that get within melee range. Also on tap is an unlimited supply of shuriken for taking down enemies at range - ideal for gun-toting enemies. The power of the shuriken can be upgraded by locating special lightning symbols, either by acquiring them from fallen enemies, or by destroying supply caches. The first level of upgrade increases the number of shuriken thrown, whilst the second level converts it into a powerful fireball that can pass through multiple enemies; be warned, however, as taking damage will cause Joe to lose one level of upgrade, making things tougher as the game goes on.
For when the going really gets tough, Joe is able to invoke the mystical powers of ninjitsu magic. Killing bad guys and collecting power-ups will gradually fill the magic power gauge (lower bar located in the top left of the screen). Pressing jump and attack buttons will grant Joe temporary invulnerability, draining the bar in the process. As useful as this can be, waiting until the bar is full before activating will unleash a devastating attack that destroys most enemies on screen at once - it's a powerful skill that should be used sparingly as it completely drains Joe's magic bar in the process.
Also in Joe's possession is a grappling hook, with which he can swing from platforms, scale walls and increase his mobility. With enough momentum, it's possible to perform so truly crazy acrobatics and the the game is at it's most fun when using these skills to chain together successive kills.
Considering the Game Boy Advance's minute screen resolution, the graphics and animation are remarkably detailed and look excellent - quite how the artists managed to cram so much attitude into a such a small collection of pixels is impressive.
Things are equally impressive in the audio department, too. The in-game music blends NES-style chiptune notes, accompanied by more modern synthesizers and samples and it really fits the game's tone. It's a shame there's not more of it, but it's a case of quality over quantity. The game also features some excellent sound effects, with enemies perishing with suitably agonising cries and the grappling hook latches on to surfaces with a pleasingly metallic 'kerchunk'.
It's easy to see why the game featured as number 23 in IGN's top Game Boy Advance games, thanks to the attractive pixel-art graphics and fast and fluid gameplay. Anyone who enjoys their classic action platform games and is looking for a more modern take on the genre would do well to seek this title out - highly recommended!
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