One of the most obscure, and valuable, GBA games finally gets a re-release, as what was known in Europe as Ninja Cop becomes available for everyone.
Ninja Five-O – not your average bobby on the beat (Konami)
Video game rarity in an almost digital-only world is a very different thing to how it was 20 or so years ago. It’s currently impossible to play failed live service games like Concord and XDefiant, despite the fact that they’re less than a year old, and yet most games going back to the late ‘70s are relatively easy to play on one format or another.
However, back in the day, many games weren’t released in Europe at all and if they weren’t an immediate hit in their country of origin, they were seemingly at risk of disappearing forever. But things change and while we’ve got a Japanese import of Radiant Silvergun for the Sega Saturn, that we originally paid £150 for, you can currently buy it on Switch or PC for £15.
Like most people, Ninja Five-O passed us by when it was originally released on the Game Boy Advance in 2003, but we became aware of it a few years after and managed to pick it up for £60 or so. It would cost a lot more to buy now (increased interest in physical copies has seen most rare games retain their value, regardless of whether they’re available digitally or not) but thankfully it’s also now available as a digital download for £20.
The history of Ninja Five-O is strange and poorly understood. It was released in Europe as Ninja Cop but despite being made by Bomberman creators Hudson Soft, and published by Konami, it was never released in Japan.
Nobody seems to know why, as the game gives every impression of being made for a Japanese audience and then translated for the West. But it was such a flop, and released in such small numbers, that it almost immediately became an urban legend, famous for both its quality and its rarity.
The game is very obviously inspired by Shinobi and other ninja titles of the 80s and 90s, such as the original 2D Ninja Gaiden titles, but while the basics are very familiar Ninja Five-O has some unique ideas of its own and doesn’t feel like a clone.
As you might imagine, your police duties do not involve giving out parking tickets or organising speed traps and instead protagonist Joe Osugi, who goes to work dressed as an old school ninja, is out to stop a group of terrorists who have access to magical kabuki style masks.
That’s a very roomy aeroplane (Konami)
The first mission revolves around foiling a bank raid by… killing everyone inside that isn’t a hostage. Like Shinobi (whose hero is also called Joe) you have both a sword and infinite shuriken. Non-ninja opponents are generally easy dealt with and in many cases they, or destructible crates, will leave behind extra energy that will power up your shuriken through three levels, culminating in a laser projectile that passes through enemies.
You’ve also got a special meter which, when full, can set off a smart bomb style magic attack. That’s also very similar to Shinobi but where the two games differ is in how you deal with platforms. Shinobi borrowed liberally from Namco’s Rolling Thunder series, where you could leap instantly between platforms and the ground, as long as you were directly below them.
In Ninja Five-O it’s more complicated, as you have a grappling hook that you have to swing around on, Spider-Man style, so that you loop through 180° and onto the platform you want to reach. This requires a lot more skill, which is tested in increasingly more complex levels filled with laser beams and unfeasibly dangerous looking machinery and moving platforms.
The game’s level and enemy design is surprisingly varied, with some neat boss battles, but the game is very unforgiving in terms of difficulty, with shuriken levels hard to maintain and a health bar that can disappear in moments (there is an easy setting, but it only lets you play the first three missions).
What’s impressive about this remaster is that a lot of effort has gone into offering a full suite of modern conveniences. So you can now rewind time whenever you want and there’s new save and load options, which helps greatly with the demanding difficulty.
For a Game Boy Advance game, Ninja Five-O is a real looker, especially as it must’ve been quite low budget, but as nice as the animation is all the sprites are quite small and it does not look good when in full screen mode on a modern TV. Shrink the screen size though (we settled on Native 2x) and use the filter and the game still looks surprisingly good and not just a pixellated mess. Although played in portable mode on the Switch is the best overall option.
On top of those features you’ve got both versions of the game – Ninja Five-O and Ninja Cop – as well as a music player (sadly, the soundtrack is rather unremarkable) and even a little museum of artwork, box art, and scanned-in manuals. All of which is far more than many much higher profile retro releases get.
You would think that a modern day re-release of a Game Boy Advance game, which originally ran at a resolution of 240p, would have nothing to offer anyone but hardcore retro aficionados, but that is not the case.
Ninja Five-O could have been released new today, as an indie title, and nobody would have any idea it was actually 22 years old. It’s a wonderfully crafted portable game that knows what it wants to be and executes on that concept almost perfectly. Ninja Five-O was purposefully old school even when it was originally released but its cheerful simplicity is just as endearing now as it ever was.
Ninja Five-O Nintendo Switch review summary
In Short: A very welcome remaster of one of gaming’s most carefully hidden secrets, whose charming retro simplicity is as entertaining today as it was 22 years ago on the Game Boy Advance.
Pros: Great 2D platform action that has just enough unique ideas to feel distinct. Plenty of level variety in terms of settings and platform design. Surprisingly good graphics and animation.
Cons: Even with the rewind feature it’s a difficult game, while also being quite short. Despite the range of display options, playing it on a TV is a compromise.
Score: 8/10
Formats: Nintendo Switch (reviewed), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC
Price: £19.99
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Limited Run (original: Hudson Soft)
Release Date: 25th February 2025
Age Rating: 12
A policeman’s lot is not a happy one (Konami)
Ninja Five-O Nintendo Switch review – the world’s rarest GBA game