Throughout history there have been certain games that simply stand out from their peers and fall into a category that can only be described as "A Timeless Classic".
This game brought true 3D game play to an era otherwise obsessed with side scrolling platform games that contained inspiring protagonists with massively oversized weaponry. Alas the boys and girls at System-3 had the guile to dream to be different. Their offering had more than just fancy music; it had an overwhelming sense of depth to its environment.
From the first screen of game play you are faced with multiple screen exit options, which is not much of a shock by today’s standards I grant you, but back in the day it was truly breathtaking to witness such a thing!
The Last Ninja also shook off the stereotype of the "Muscular Army Marine Core Type Hero" gaming that seemed to follow each other out of the developer's software houses and onto the shelves in an almost "lemming" like fashion. Not so in the Last Ninja. Somehow this character has a silent air of grace about him; he doesn’t have an AK47 or grenades, and in fact nothing in his arsenal even makes a noise. This guy was doing things on
the quiet. Even when you are standing nose-to-nose with an enemy, giving him a taste of Far East beating, there's a kind of "take him out without a sound" element to proceedings.
With this aside, the Last Ninja also had much more to sit back and be smug about. The scenery on pretty much every screen was not only incredibly fast loading, but absolutely gorgeous for the standards issue back then. Each level has its own character and feel, matched beautifully by the atmospheric tunes behind it. The controls for "Mr. Ninja", were certainly a little tricky to master at first, especially when attempting, let’s say, the stepping stone jump across the swamp scene, but once mastered the character flows around the game with ease.
Finally to summarize, you have to play this game, because if you don't, you would have missed out on enjoying a game that leaves a lasting positive impression on just about everyone who played it, and how many games past , present or future can say that. While tame by today's standards, this was a work of art in the category of platform games back in the day and is a great choice in retro gaming. I highly recommend downloading this game immediately!
