NINJA OR DIE
All speed, no running, in this game of aerial action
LEFT “Since I produce all of the graphics and programming, I decided to paint the centre black and only colour the edges, so that I could paint with less effort,” Shibata says in regard to Ninja Or Die’s distinctive visual style
Nao
Games
studio
founder
Nao
Shibata
Your ninja will start to slide down a wall as soon as they land on it, which compels you to keep moving
Developer Nao Games
Publisher Marvelous Europe
Format PC
Origin Japan
Release 2023
There’s an unmistakable Mega Drive feel to Ninja Or Die. The Shinobi games spring to mind as we start playing, but this is a much more intense, chaotic experience. The pixel art is dark, moody, almost scrappy. Our ninja ricochets from wall to wall like a heavily armed Sonic, as damage numbers and particle effects fill the screen. There’s barely time to think, let alone catch our breath. Ninja Or Die wouldn’t look out of place amid the frenetic jump cuts and edgy attitude of a Sega Pirate TV advert from the ’90s. Ninjas gotta go fast.