More than just a Shinobi clone?
Ninja 1987 is a dive back into the past with the most authentic 8-bit side-scrolling action-platformer. Use shinobi skills to thwart a nefarious threat and rediscover all the adrenaline of timeless classics!
Ninja 1987 genuinely looks and feels like an old game like the original Ninja Gaiden or Shinobi, albeit a lot easier. Each stage is full of enemies, traps and bosses to overcome as you slash with your sword, throw shuriken’s, climb walls and perform great leaps. If you die, you lose 1000 points and restart the area you are in, so there’s not much penalty for dying.
Enemies vary from people swinging swords and firing guns to robots and more. Each level feels like a homage to these types of games, there’s even a sewer level which is almost a must for any early side-scroller.
It’s a relatively short game and an easy double Platinum if you want to do both PS4 and PS5 versions. I did come across one glitch where I got stuck climbing a wall and there was no way to dismount, so I had to restart the entire stage. That was quite annoying, but I only encountered it once. The visuals are classic 8-bit and the music has a retro feel to it as well. As you would expect, there are no differences in performance between the PS5 and PS4 versions.
The Verdict
Ninja 1987 is a decent throwback to old-school side-scrollers. It may not add anything new to the genre, but it is fun and feels like a tribute to classics like Ninja Gaiden and Shinobi.