Ninja

About

Ninja is a 1986 beat 'em up where you play a warrior breaching a castle's defenses. The fortress is split into static screens connected by narrow corridors. You swipe through rooms to punch enemies and dodge traps, with some areas offering alternate routes to backtrack and clear hidden foes. The layout rewards careful movement more than brute force. Each level has a maze-like feel despite the simple 2D format. The game’s fixed-screen design was common for the era but implemented with enough variety to keep things fresh. Its DOS and C64 ports let home players tackle the same challenges as arcade crowds. Though it lacks multiplayer or deep mechanics, the clean controls and tight room transitions made it a durable entry in the genre. Decades later, it’s remembered for making a castle feel like a puzzle to figure out.