Ninja Five-O, developed by Hudson Soft and published by Konami for the Game Boy Advance, quickly developed a cult classic reputation after its original launch in 2003. These days, it's arguably the most sought-after GBA game of them all, with even loose carts commanding $300 price tags. But now, finally, Konami has confirmed the release date for the game's modern reissue, promising a much cheaper way to enjoy this portable favorite.
You'll be able to pick up Ninja Five-O on February 25 across PS5, PS4, Switch, and PC. The game will launch at $24.99 across all platforms, though there's a 15% pre-order discount on Steam taking the price down to $21.24. You might consider that pricey for what ultimately appears to be a single GBA ROM packaged with an emulator frontend, but given the price you'd otherwise pay to play this one legally, that MSRP is pretty easy to stomach.
Ninja Five-O is perhaps most succinctly described as 'Ninja Gaiden meets Bionic Commando.' It's a 2D action platformer where you play as a ninja cop fighting terrorists and much weirder monsters as you rescue hostages throughout a handful of stages with the benefit of delightful mobility options including a grappling hook. While it was a fully Japanese production, it was only ever released in North America and Europe - and in fairly limited quantities, at that.
This new reissue adds features like a time trial mode and rewind feature, but the real question is whether the emulation itself will be up to snuff. The game was originally announced in collaboration with Limited Run Games using the boutique publisher's Carbon Engine, which has produced impressive results in the past. Here's hoping this version of Ninja Five-O lives up to the game's legendary reputation.
Most of the best GBA games won't break the bank quite this hard.
