The Last Ninja
| The Last Ninja | |
|---|---|
Cover art for the Commodore 64
|
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| Developer(s) |
System 3 Eclipse Software Design |
| Publisher(s) |
Activision Superior Software |
| Designer(s) |
Mark Cale (concept) Tim Best (storyboard) |
| Artist(s) | Hugh Riley (C64) Hugh Riley, Erik Simon, Tim Lange (Atari ST & Amiga) Erol Otus (Apple II & MS-DOS) Peter Scott (Acorn Electron & BBC Micro) |
| Composer(s) |
Ben Daglish, Anthony Lees (C64) Jochen Hippel (Atari ST, Amiga) Russell Lieblich (MS-DOS), Tania Smith (NES) |
| Series | The Last Ninja |
| Platform(s) | Commodore 64, Apple IIGS, BBC Micro, Acorn Electron, MS-DOS, Apple II, Atari ST, Amiga, Acorn Archimedes, ZX Spectrum |
| Release date(s) |
1987, 1988, 1989, 1990 Virtual Console (C64)
|
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Publication | Score |
| Dragon |   |
| Commodore User | 9/10 |
| Zzap!64 | 94% |
| Datormagazin | 4/5 |
| .info | 4/5 |
| Electron User | 9/10 |
| CU Amiga | 85% |
| Amiga Format | 78% |
| Amiga User International | 81% |
| Amiga Force | 71% |
The Last Ninja is an action-adventure game originally developed and published by System 3 in 1987 for the Commodore 64. Other format conversions were later released for the Apple IIGS, MS-DOS, BBC Micro and Acorn Electron in 1988, the Apple II in 1989, the Amiga and Atari ST and ZX Spectrum (as Last Ninja Remix) in 1990, and the Acorn Archimedes in 1991.
The Last Ninja was one of the most successful games released on the Commodore 64. As the first in the Last Ninja series, it set the standard for the unique look and feel for its sequels: Last Ninja 2 and Last Ninja 3.
The Last Ninja contains a blend of exploration, puzzle solving and combat. The object of the game is to guide the ninja protagonist Armakuni on his journey to the palace of the evil shogun Kunitoki to assassinate him, avenging his clan, and retrieve the sacred scrolls. As the player progresses, Kunitoki's henchmen become more challenging as they learn the ways of the ninja.
The interface consists of the opponents' energy and collected inventory (on the right) and player's health (on the bottom). The world is viewed in an isometric perspective allowing the player to move in eight directions. Movements are relative to the direction Armakuni is facing but restricted to predefined paths (the scenery being inaccessible). Composure and precision must be used when navigating and jumping around obstacles, traps and fatal features of the terrain. By approaching and kneeling at certain landmarks, such as shrines to Buddha and water fountains, an indication of what to collect next is revealed. These items are often hidden in trees or bushes and flash shortly after a new screen has been entered.
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Wikipedia