Time moves fast, videogames even more so. What was new in 2020 is a throwback four years later. Some series survive. Civilization remains a mainstay of PC gaming. Everyone still loves Half-Life. There’s plenty of life in Resident Evil. But for all the games that never fade away, a hundred more are lost to the annals of history. In 1987, one action, fighting, and ninja game paved the way for the likes of Tenchu and Sekiro with a mix of puzzles and combat. You could be forgiven for thinking it was lost for good, but now, four decades since it first arrived, it’s arguably hotter than ever – in less than 60 minutes, The Last Ninja Collection has obliterated its funding goal.
The Last Ninja is a puzzle, fighting, and action-adventure game all in one. First released for the Commodore 64, it puts you in the tabi of burgeoning ninja Armakuni, whose quest is to assassinate the evil shogun and retrieve an ancient, powerful scroll. Combat is challenging and varied – particularly for a game from 1987, The Last Ninja boasts a sizable variety of weapons, including shurikens and smoke bombs, and your enemies get considerably stronger with each new zone. A game of the year winner back in the day, it catalyzed the entire Last Ninja series, which is now making a valiant return thanks to a big new collection.
Created by System 3, the independent developer behind the original game, The Last Ninja Collection contains seven hits, including the entire Last Ninja series, the re-released version, Ninja Remix, and the beat ’em ups International Karate, IK+, and Bangkok Knights. The collection was only launched on Kickstarter today, Tuesday September 10, but in less than an hour it’s already been fully funded – in fact, as of this writing, it’s more than doubled its funding goal.
The Last Ninja Collection is coming to PC in 2025. If you want to contribute to the crowdfunding campaign in the meantime, just head here.
Otherwise, get the best old games still available on PC, or maybe the best fighting games out there today.
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