Ninja Issen (忍者一閃)

개인적으로 직접 오락실 아케이드 게임을 직접 하던 세대는 아니고, 이후 에뮬레이터를 통해 조금씩 접해온 세대입니다. 스팀페이지 뒤지다가, 거기서 거기같은 고전게임 느낌의 새로운 인디게임들 사이에서, 진짜로 그 당시의 명작같은 그래픽과 연출보고 흥미가 생겨서 게임을 해보게 됬습니다. 일단 전반적으로 게임에 대해서는 굉장히 만족스럽게 즐겼습니다. 아케이드 게임 특유의 감성을 충실하게 갖춰주고 있는 게임의 그래픽, 사운드, 세계관 모두 옛날에 아케이드 게임을 직접하면 이런느낌일까 생각이 들게하는 즐거운 경험이었습니다. 특히, 스팀에서 보다보면 레트로 컨셉을 빙자해서 불편함만을 강조하고, 부족한 조작감, 연출, 그래픽들을 모두, "레트로"라는 마법의 단어로 퉁쳐서 숨겨버리려던 게임들과 다르게, 레트로가 가지는 낭만과 특징들을 그대로 현대에 가져와서 불편하지 않고, 동시에 너무 쉽지 않도록, 현대에서 예전의 그 느낌이 날 수 있도록 고민하신게 느껴지는, 부지런한 고민이 들어간 스팀에 몇 안되는 "레트로"장르의 게임이라고 생각합니다. 또, 게임 후속 지원과 관련해서도, 사실 이전에 플레이 하다가 막혀서, 게임을 접어뒀다가 오랜만에 해보니 그 사이에 개발자님이 적극적으로 이용자들 피드백에 대해서 반응해주시면서 업데이트를 많이 해주신게 바로 보일 정도였습니다. 다른 스팀의 흔한 레트로 게임들이랑은 다르게, 그저 느낌을 내는게 아니라, 직접 그 당시의 감성과 즐거움을 담아내고자 고민하신 것 들이 직접 느껴지는 재밌는 게임이었습니다. 즐거운 게임을 이렇게 만들어 주셔서 감사합니다. PS.다른 리뷰들을 보다보니, 1인 개발로 제작하신 게임에다가, 기사 같은거에서는 직접 CRT모니터로 플레이가 가능해 보이던데, 한번쯤 가능만 하다면 CRT모니터로도 플레이하며, 레트로한 그 느낌을 즐겨보고 싶네요.

액션 좋고, 난이도 조금 어렵습니다. 그러다, 게임패드 구매해서 해보았더니, 거의 다른 게임 수준의 타격감과 시원시원한 느낌을 주네요~! 게임패드 필수게임!

재밌습니다。조금 매운 구간 있습니다。떨어지면 즉사하는 구간 개 킹 받습니다

Hard, but challenging. "I am ninja master'

[h1] Ninja Issen Review [/h1] [h3] Do You Have Ninja Skills at Platforming? [/h3] [hr][/hr] Kiba is a revived Ninja in a Cyberpunk futuristic city that has lost his memories and needs to jump and slash his way to the truth! Can you help him find out what happened? [h3] About This Game [/h3] [hr][/hr] [h2] Storyline [/h2] The story is told in a cartoon style, which is really cool. It makes you feel like you are reading a Comic Book! The rebel scientist Hanzo found Kiba's body in a dump and restores his abilities using high tech weapons. His presence has been noted and Kiba is immediately attacked by armed robots! The question is: why? You will have to play to find out! Overall, the story is good and the ending is really interesting. [h2] Gameplay mechanics [/h2] It’s a 2D platformer that plays really well. You have a basic sword attack and special abilities both for attack and defense (4 for each). There is no basic defense, but you can slash some incoming shots or teleport to avoid others. Teleport and special abilities consume SP. Once your HP bar gets to zero, you die. In order to use the special abilities, you have to unlock them. After that, you can upgrade the abilities after each level using the points you have collected. Every level has a different set of hidden collectibles for you to find. Some add to the story, while some are funny quirks. There are 9 levels, each of them with bosses and minibosses. Save points and recovering points are well placed. The pace is changed mixing horizontal sections, vertical sections, elevators sections and spaceship maneavering sections. Each level has a rating system based on number of attempts, highest combo and time to beat. After you beat the game, you unlock a stage selection and a hardcore mode (play it all without dying). [h2] Visuals & Audio [/h2] If you like pixel art and Comic Books, the visuals are incredible! You can choose to play in regular style or retro style. Audio is really good, but for some sections it did need a bit more variety. Maybe because of the difficulty that leads to multiple attempts, it felt like there could be a second or third beat for each level. [h3] Pros [/h3] [hr][/hr] • Great story. And great way to tell through comics! • Awesome graphics!! Option for regular or retro is really neat! • Plays well. Not perfect though... sometimes it's more chaotic than precise and there are some bugs. • Sound is great. Repetition can get annoying in some parts though. • Hidden collectibles add story and some funny comments. • Upgrades to manage difficulty are a great idea and very well implemented! • The attacks and mechanics were very well thought and implemented! • Spaceship stage is an awesome idea! Nice change of pace! [h3] Cons [/h3] [hr][/hr] • Cannot change controller settings. • Some sections are really unbalanced. First boss being the most troublesome one. • There are enemy screen attacks that simply cannot be avoided. • Respawn takes over 10 seconds. This becomes very clear and annoying in areas with instant death. • Cannot choose to replay levels unless you beat the game. • Enemies killed does not impact grading, so it’s better to just rush to the end. • Many unskippable story parts right after a save point, which is a dread. • After consecutive attacks, there are random bugs in enemy hit detection, which leads to unfair combo chain breaks. • There is no restart from save point option in the pause menu. If you choose to restart, you have to play it all over again. I found this out in the final boss fight! • Some English mistakes. [h3] To Be Improved [/h3] [hr][/hr] • Chapter 1 - Boss has unavoidable screen attacks. Took me over 8 attempts and I don't even know how I did it (pure luck). Over 56% players gave up on stage 1. The boss needs to be fixed. Either move for a later stage or remove the unavoidable full screen attacks (like the jump). Also make the tell for each attack more evident. It is not possible to tell the difference besides the laser attack. • Chapter 3 - When your feet touch the poison even slightly, you die. It gets annoying, because it is on the pixel level, so low jumps lead to death. • Chapter 3 - Respawn becomes annoying (many instant deaths and over 10 seconds to try again). • Chapter 4 - Bug - Spaceship exploded and suddenly there were no more enemies. I suppose I was almost at the end and they simply did not respawn. • Chapter 5 - Story gets in the way of poison filling part (instant death). You have to keep skipping the story every time you die. • Chapter 5 - Elevator part could have some enemy waves. • Chapter 6 - Boss Bug - Leave one of the eletrical enemies alive and the boss will stop evolving. • Chapter 9 - Do we really need to read the final dialogue without being able to skip every time we try to beat the final boss? • Chapter 9 - Final boss is boring and unbalanced. Many screen attacks impossible to defend. You will only win by sheer luck. First boss stage is ridiculously easy and then it's impossible to beat. Terrible design choice. • General - Achievements - Some achievements use the written number, while others use the single digit number to refer to chapters. Choose one way of notation and use it for all. • General - Story getting in the way is a recurring issue, because some save points are just before unskippable dialogue or boss animations. It's an issue when you die frequently in an area. • General - Some English mistakes, like when you rescue Asran and get back to base (refer to my screenshot) or the boyfriend shotgun description. • General - Bugs that break combo chains - Out of the blue, enemies don't get hit by your Ninja attack and manage to hit you and break the chain. Happens even with special attacks. • General - Since stages have hidden items and grades, players should be able to replay them instead of being forced to beat the game or start a new game and do everything all over. • General - Controller - Allow us to change the control buttons. For specials, L2 and R2 would be better than L1 and R1, but we cannot change. • General - Standing over enemies is the best way to fight. I don't know if this was intended or not. On the one hand, it makes some enemies way too easy. On the other hand, some enemies are basically impossible to beat without doing it. [h3] Conclusion [/h3] [hr][/hr] There are many small improvements to be made, but the overall game is great! The first boss difficulty needs to be fixed as soon as possible! If you like challenging platformers, you will have fun! The ending is very interesting! So keep on pushing to get to it!! Time to beat: 6h Rating: 9/10 Played on SteamDeck Reviewer: [b] green [/b] I'm green 🍀 [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/38888018-United-Critics/] Please follow [b]United Critics[/b] for more quality reviews.[/url]

Ninja Issen is a stylish, fast-paced action platformer developed by ASTEROID-J and published by CFK Co., Ltd., and it immediately distinguishes itself through its striking retro-futuristic identity. Set in a world that blends traditional shinobi mysticism with neon-lit cyberpunk machinery, the game follows a lone ninja thrust into a violent technological uprising. Instead of relying on lengthy exposition, the story unfolds through atmosphere—ominous stage design, looming mechanical threats, and fleeting character interactions that hint at a fractured society struggling to reconcile ancient warrior ideals with cold industrial logic. It’s the kind of narrative setup that doesn’t overwhelm players with lore, but provides enough thematic tension to give each level meaning and mood. The gameplay focuses primarily on high-speed traversal and skill-based combat, echoing classic 16-bit action platformers while adding modern responsiveness and polish. Movement feels slick and empowering—wall running, double jumps, air dashes, and quick evasive maneuvers allow players to maintain momentum, and mastering that mobility becomes just as important as learning enemy attack patterns. Combat is a blend of precise melee strikes, projectile counters, and timed abilities that encourage aggressive play instead of passive blocking. Fights rarely devolve into simple mashing; enemies attack in coordinated patterns that demand quick reactions and spatial awareness, and well-timed executions feel sharp and satisfying. Boss battles serve as stylish skill checks, requiring players to recognize telegraphs, adapt strategies, and use every tool the arsenal provides. Progression balances challenge with accessibility. Levels introduce new hazards, enemy types, and environmental mechanics at a steady pace, ensuring players are constantly learning without feeling overwhelmed. Collectibles, hidden routes, and optional objectives provide value for those who explore thoroughly, while streamlined paths allow speed-focused players to rush ahead. Unlockable upgrades encourage experimentation with different combat and movement styles—some enhance survivability, while others turn the ninja into a glass cannon capable of devastating bursts of damage. The game respects player agency, offering multiple ways to approach encounters rather than funneling everyone into a single playstyle. One of Ninja Issen’s standout qualities is its audiovisual presentation. The pixel art is crisp and expressive, capturing both the elegance of traditional Japanese aesthetics and the harsh glow of cybernetic weaponry. Character animations are fluid, tightly choreographed, and exaggerated enough to make every attack feel dangerous. Environments feel alive—rain-soaked rooftops, industrial corridors, crumbling shrines overtaken by circuitry, and futuristic skylines build a layered world where beauty and brutality coexist. The soundtrack reinforces that duality, switching between nostalgic chiptune flair and modern electronic intensity, giving each stage and boss encounter specific emotional weight. The difficulty curve is intentionally challenging but fair. Mistakes are punished, yet failures never feel cheap because the game’s rules remain consistent and readable. Checkpoints are placed thoughtfully, reducing backtracking while maintaining tension. Players who enjoy mastering systems, refining inputs, and replaying stages to improve performance will find plenty of depth, while those seeking a purely casual experience may struggle if they aren’t willing to engage with the learning curve. The game offers accessibility options and upgrades that soften the difficulty, but it remains fundamentally designed with action enthusiasts in mind. Its limitations stem more from scope than execution. The story is intentionally light and may feel thin to players hoping for deeper character development or narrative twists. The campaign, while tightly designed, may feel short if approached without exploration or optional challenges. Certain difficulty spikes—especially late-game boss fights—can frustrate players still adjusting to the movement and evasion systems. Yet these qualities speak to a deliberate design ethos rather than oversight: Ninja Issen prioritizes gameplay flow, mechanical clarity, and replayability over cinematic length. Ultimately, Ninja Issen succeeds because it understands the appeal of old-school action without being constrained by nostalgia. It values precision, momentum, and responsiveness, offering a combat and platforming experience that feels handcrafted for players who enjoy mastering timing and movement. Its visual and thematic identity—cyber-ninja futurism rendered in lush pixel art—gives it a personality that stands out in a crowded indie action landscape. For fans of challenging 2D action games, retro-inspired combat, or titles that reward skill and perseverance, Ninja Issen delivers a thrilling, polished, and memorable adventure that invites repeated playthroughs and deeper mastery. Rating: 8/10

기술 잘 사용하면서 플레이하면 고수 된 느낌들어서 재밌음 가끔 발판이 좁거나, 아래 발판이 잘 안보여서 착지를 어디로 할 지 미리 알기가 조금 어려워서 몇번 트라이함.

무난한 플랫포머 액션 게임. 대미지가 시원시원해서 좋았다. 스테이지 이동, 대사 재생 이후에 방향키를 입력하고 있으면 방향 입력이 씹히는 부분이 조금 거슬렸고 그 외에는 큰 불만은 없었음.