During the Game Boy Advance era, it was easy for some great games to slip through the cracks, going largely unnoticed. The Nintendo system saw a metric ton of games released during its time on the market, from unique original games like Boktai and Drill Dozer, to remakes of SNES favorites like Super Mario World and Final Fantasy VI. As a result, some games struggled to find an audience, even when released by a major publisher. Ninja Five-O was one example, as the game received great reviews, but failed to sell well for Konami.ย
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Ninja Five-O was released in 2003, and over the last 21 years, the game has become one of the absolute rarest on GBA. As of this writing, eBay listings for boxed copies of Ninja Five-O can be found for $1000 (and much more when graded), while loose copies have auctions with bids exceeding $250. Thankfully, a lot more players will soon have a chance to experience Ninja Five-O, as Limited Run Games will be bringing it to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. The game will receive both digital and physical releases, and a trailer can be found in the Tweet embedded below.ย
Years in the Making
As noted on Twitter by Limited Run Games CEO Josh Fairhurst, the new release for Ninja Five-O has been in the works for several years now. Fairhurst pointed to the company’s Club O’Fun newsletter from 2021, in which LRG teased that “a certain ultra-rare GBA ninja game may be swinging its way into action soon.” Three years later, and Ninja Five-O‘s return is actually happening!ย
It will be interesting to see if Ninja Five-Oย actually manages to find an audience beyond retro game collectors. The mythology that has surrounded the game could lead to a lot more interest, but it’s also possible the game’s rarity is one of its greatest appeals.ย
What is Ninja Five-O?
For those that have never played Ninja Five-O, the game is a 2D action platformer where players take on the role of protagonist Joe Osugi. As the ninja, players must rescue hostages from a group of terrorists. While published by Konami, the game was developed by Hudson Soft, the team best known for its work on franchises like Bomberman.ย
The Limited Run Games version of Ninja Five-O will arrive on modern platforms thanks to the company’s carbon engine. The carbon engine is a development tool created by the publisher specifically for the creation of “highly accurate, emulation-based ports of classic games.” Ninja Five-O is the latest example, but the carbon engine has been in use for several years now, going back to the company’s re-release of the original Shantae.ย
How do you feel about Ninja Five-O‘s return? Do you plan on checking out the game on modern platforms? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter atย @Marcdachampย or on Instagram atย @Dachampgaming!
