Short article series, part 2: Ninja Five-O on the GBA

[DunkeyKong]

I'm supposed to do an article about Ecks vs Sever, but unfortunately I got stuck on that one level in the train, for quite a long time too. So I did one for this instead, (sorry for those that have been waiting for it though) anyway…

Ninja Five-O is an action platform game with an amazing sprite work. It has almost everything that a ninja has like the grappling hook, throwables and most importantly…the blade

You can feel how weighty the blade is with each swing
(I actually had to post it on YouTube just to show the demonstration since the file size is a bit too big, it was worth it though)
​

The platforming is quite good, a bit hard to master but still, it's good

Only two of you?
You'll need more than that ​

The combat is pretty solid when done right, knowing the timing and how far he would swing that blade really helps

Of course I could just slide through these without any momentum, I'm a ninja!
​

The slide mechanic is satisfying to pull off, it helps when I wanted to get down quicker too

Don't worry ma'am, I'll save you. Just gotta wait for this dude to aim at me
​

It can be quite frustrating to save each one of them, especially when you can accidentally kill them

Screw the hostages, I wanna fight this cool looking guy instead
​

Overall the game is fun, it's just pretty hard to master. Not only that, it has a really great visuals too

I guess you could say that the game looks fire​

Just like last time on Invader, it was pretty short. It was such a hidden gem though, it's a classic

That's all for today, peace out

 

[Zerpina]

I Think, this was one of the first game's i got for the GBA, from god's know what Site. it was actually pretty fun, and Solid for what it was.
i had completely forgotten about it TBH. <hits the repo>

 

[DunkeyKong]

I Think, this was one of the first game's i got for the GBA, from god's know what Site. it was actually pretty fun, and Solid for what it was.
i had completely forgotten about it TBH. <hits the repo>
View attachment 29734

That's cool, also damn you're fast lmao. Hope you enjoy the game!

 

[Zerpina]

@DunkeyKong Well, i kinda speed read, Always have.
And i remember now, i did like the game. so it'll go on my Trimu smart pro, and I'll play it when I'm out and waiting on something.

 

[LiberoVulpes]

Those animations are so nice, and the sprite work is splendid, its very surprising to know its a GBA game, good article.

 

[DunkeyKong]

@DunkeyKong Well, i kinda speed read, Always have.
And i remember now, i did like the game. so it'll go on my Trimu smart pro, and I'll play it when I'm out and waiting on something.

Speed read indeed. Also, you have TrimUI Smart Pro? That's awesome

Post automatically merged: Feb 21, 2025

Those animations are so nice, and the sprite work is splendid, its very surprising to know its a GBA game, good article.

True that, it's a miracle that this game exists. Really impressive

 

[Zerpina]

Also, you have TrimUI Smart Pro? That's awesome

yeah, bought one last December, was on sale 70% off. got it for 25$ and some odd change. plays upto PS1 really well, no DC. lags all to hell.
but its damn good for PSP/GBA ect. and has a REALLY good clear screen
*Edit* Controlls are 7/10 due to the L2/R2 being Abit to close to the l1/r1 buttons. aside that they are Fine

 

[DunkeyKong]

yeah, bought one last December, was on sale 70% off. got it for 25$ and some odd change. plays upto PS1 really well, no DC. lags all to hell.
but its damn good for PSP/GBA ect. and has a REALLY good clear screen

25?! Damn that's cheap. I'd love to have that, it seems like it handled most of the games until the 5th gen

 

[Zerpina]

Like i said, up to the PS1. even upscale. its great, i use the Crossmix OS for it <no internal storage, aside the GUI> with a 256GB Micro SD. and plays everything Fine and well at full speed. upscaled, and tweaked. has some RGB, but i keep it off.

it's abit of a learning curve when you first use CrossMix OS, but after a few minutes it's Pretty friendly.
buttons are nice and clicky, I'd say the shoulder buttons are on par with OG PS1 controllers, the Analog sticks <it has 2> are as good os 360 AS's, D Pad, eh i would say nes? maybe Gameboy

Battery life is pretty good to. playing PSP, got about 4ish hours, before needing a charge.

Overall if ya see one for 15-30 bucks i would grab it, anything over that, Eh.. pay abit more and get something better.

*Edit* Mind you it played everything i played fine, never tried the N64, so it may not do that well

 

[DunkeyKong]

Like i said, up to the PS1. even upscale. its great, i use the Crossmix OS for it <no internal storage, aside the GUI> with a 256GB Micro SD. and plays everything Fine and well at full speed. upscaled, and tweaked. has some RGB, but i keep it off.

it's abit of a learning curve when you first use CrossMix OS, but after a few minutes it's Pretty friendly.
buttons are nice and clicky, I'd say the shoulder buttons are on par with OG PS1 controllers, the Analog sticks <it has 2> are as good os 360 AS's, D Pad, eh i would say nes? maybe Gameboy

Battery life is pretty good to. playing PSP, got about 4ish hours, before needing a charge.

Overall if ya see one for 15-30 bucks i would grab it, anything over that, Eh.. pay abit more and get something better.

*Edit* Mind you it played everything i played fine, never tried the N64, so it may not do that well

Dang that's a lot of info lmao, I think this is quite a bargain. I like how you give each description for each controls, makes it easier to know if I wanted to buy it. And honestly, with that price?

 

[Zerpina]

Dang that's a lot of info lmao, I think this is quite a bargain. I like how you give each description for each controls, makes it easier to know if I wanted to buy it. And honestly, with that price?

Basically, its a SNES Controller, with 360 analog sticks and PS1 shoulder buttons. with a Screen in the middle XD

 

[Bonkers225]

That name and the box art did the game dirty unfortunately. But fortunately the Switch release gave it a great cover years later

 

[DunkeyKong]

That name and the box art did the game dirty unfortunately. But fortunately the Switch release gave it a great cover years later

I think it did alright, it's still critically acclaimed after all

 

[bjork]

I used to own a physical of this that I bought new for $28 at a Game Quest in Santa Ana, CA. Sold it in a bundle with some other stuff for super cheap, and constantly kick myself because of what secondary prices are now. I'll pick up the steam version sometime in the near future, though. It's a great little game.

 

[DunkeyKong]

I used to own a physical of this that I bought new for $28 at a Game Quest in Santa Ana, CA. Sold it in a bundle with some other stuff for super cheap, and constantly kick myself because of what secondary prices are now. I'll pick up the steam version sometime in the near future, though. It's a great little game.

Damn that's rough, it's still an enjoyable game though

 

[naizou's iconnaizou]

This game was not released in Japan, so I recently found out about it.
After playing it, I realized it’s a highly polished ninja game, and I really want the cartridge.
Unfortunately, the price to buy it in Japan is quite high, so it’s disappointing.

 

[Octopus]

The GBA was such a great console; unpopular opinion, I know. It had so many great little games like this one. Its one of the best I think for just being able to grab a random game and having it be a banger.

 

[Stingy Perry]

This game made me feel Konami caught SEGA napping for me it kinda have those classic Shinobi vibes. The swinging mechanic take’s time to master but when you do it’s a whole lot of fun.

 

[DunkeyKong]

This game was not released in Japan, so I recently found out about it.
After playing it, I realized it’s a highly polished ninja game, and I really want the cartridge.
Unfortunately, the price to buy it in Japan is quite high, so it’s disappointing.

Things in Japan can be quite expensive, I think it's better if you grab it from the Repo because that's what I always do

The GBA was such a great console; unpopular opinion, I know. It had so many great little games like this one. Its one of the best I think for just being able to grab a random game and having it be a banger.

That's Konami at their peak, even though they're slowly getting started again. No one can predict the exceptional work Konami does at the time, and yeah the GBA is just great

This game made me feel Konami caught SEGA napping for me it kinda have those classic Shinobi vibes. The swinging mechanic take’s time to master but when you do it’s a whole lot of fun.

Sega catching strays even when it's not Sega thread lmao. The swinging mechanic is awesome

 

[bjork]

The GBA was such a great console; unpopular opinion, I know

You could make an argument that it has one of the best libraries of any hardware and I think it would be valid.

 

[DunkeyKong]

You could make an argument that it has one of the best libraries of any hardware and I think it would be valid.

Of course! It has one of the best library of games

 

[ObscureJigglypuff]

I love this series.
I would like to see more short articles, even their own space for shorter writings.

 

[DunkeyKong]

I love this series.
I would like to see more short articles, even their own space for shorter writings.

That'd be awesome

 

[Jotaro]

few days ago, they released the steam version of this

 

[DunkeyKong]

few days ago, they released the steam version of this

One of the reasons why I made this lmao, the trailer is awesome