The Last Ninja
Ranked 2 of 4 action games by recommenders
People recommend it for its music, loading screens and animation, which stood out for a 1987 home computer. Critics say it is hard, and each failure costs one of your limited lives.
People recommend it for its music, loading screens and animation, which stood out for a 1987 home computer. Critics say it is hard, and each failure costs one of your limited lives.
15 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 13
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 87%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 13 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 6.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Music and loading screens
“The loading music is exceptional and I enjoyed listening to it while waiting.”
Comment from 6 Apr 2026 in “The 1987 Game "The Last Ninja" was 40 kilobytes” “the loading screens were also amazing”
Comment from 6 Apr 2026 in “The 1987 Game "The Last Ninja" was 40 kilobytes” “The music and atmosphere was gorgeous”
Comment from 6 Apr 2026 in “The 1987 Game "The Last Ninja" was 40 kilobytes” Fondly remembered classic
“I grew up with and absolutely adore The Last Ninja series”
Comment from 6 Apr 2026 in “The 1987 Game "The Last Ninja" was 40 kilobytes” “it was one of the best games ever made”
Comment from 6 Apr 2026 in “The 1987 Game "The Last Ninja" was 40 kilobytes” Impressive for 1980s hardware
“they still had to stream it in tiny chunks and make it run within those constraints”
Comment from 6 Apr 2026 in “The 1987 Game "The Last Ninja" was 40 kilobytes” “It had amazing animations for that level of detail”
Comment from 6 Apr 2026 in “The 1987 Game "The Last Ninja" was 40 kilobytes”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Failure costs limited lives
“These are worse, because each failure loses you one of your limited lives.”
Comment from 6 Apr 2026 in “The 1987 Game "The Last Ninja" was 40 kilobytes”
Other action games people recommend
The three most recommended other action games, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | 33 | 6 | 85% | 7 | — | Approved |
| The Last NinjaThis page | 13 | 2 | 87% | 2 | — | — |
| Max Payne | 11 | 2 | 85% | 3 | — | — |
| Contra (NES) | 7 | 1 | 88% | 5 | — | — |
What people said
12 of the 15 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“The Last Ninja video game”
“they still had to stream it in tiny chunks and make it run within those constraints”
“The music and atmosphere was gorgeous”
“felt like a graphics demo though. Almost unplayable.”
“it was still somehow incredibly fun”
“the loading screens were also amazing”
“it was one of the best games ever made”
“The loading music is exceptional and I enjoyed listening to it while waiting.”
“It had amazing animations for that level of detail”
“These are worse, because each failure loses you one of your limited lives.”
“Wow that search/interact mechanic is obnoxious”
“I grew up with and absolutely adore The Last Ninja series”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.