One of the greatest delights in gaming is undoubtedly being completely surprised by a new and unknown title. The sort of thing where your learning of a game’s existence and becoming extremely excited for the full release are separated only by a matter of minutes. It’s a difficult feeling to provoke, and so isn’t that common – but this week it happened to me again, with a little indie called Ninja or Die.
Coming from one-man Japanese developer Nao Games, Ninja or Die is a sort of indie I do feel we’ve seen before – a hard as nails roguelike with pixel art so sharp you feel like you could cut yourself on it. And yet, it stands apart as unique – and as an absolutely killer twist on this concept.
Much of what sets it apart is down to its control scheme and the skill-set of the titular ninja, which offers a very simple concept: every core action is tied to a single button and action. Jumping, attacking, and parrying are all handled with the same input and action. The protagonist can’t even walk – movement is accomplished through stringing together leaps, wall-jumps, and ground-based dashes, all triggered with that one single button.
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