Zen: Intergalactic Ninja (1993)

Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami, Playtronic
Platforms: Nintendo Entertainment System
Genres: Adventure
Rating: 4.0 of 5, 6 player ratings
Where to get it: Website

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

More games like this

How it feels

Fight pollution and its mutant minions as an intergalactic ninja warrior across wild multi-directional scrolling stages.

actionenvironmentalside-scrollingninjaquirkyarcade-style

About

IF YOU LIKE FIGHTING DIRTY, YOU'RE GONNA DIG ZEN! The greatest environmental disaster in human history is about to hit your backyard. But you're not backing down, because you're Zen, a cold-blooded Ninja warrior who's come to Earth to clean the clock of Lord Contaminous and his crud-loving cronies. But wasting these slimeballs won't be easy. Because they'll spew forth the most hazardous graphics ever to wreak havoc on your NES. We're talking horizontal, vertical and 3/4 view scrolling that will give you a whole new perspective on acid rain, oil spills and ozone-ravaging smog. And wait till you see the fluid character movements. They're hotter than a uranium-oozing nuclear meltdown! There are 12 total levels, each with its own ecological enemies, toxic traps and pollution-fighting objectives. You'll battle oil rig fires, trying to save trapped workers. Use your Photon-Stick to zap gaseous garbage men on a high-speed plutonium mining car ride. Vertical jump through two separate screens to reach a venomous vixen who's single-handedly scorching the rainforests. And spin kick Smogger, a smoked-out scum of the Earth. Finally, try to survive a rescue mission stage. Rack up points in the bonus recycling level. And slash through 6 subgames that will lead you to the feet of Lord Contaminous, who you must dispose of before he trashes every living thing on the face of the Earth. For 1 Ninja Master.

Screenshots

More games like this

More by Konami

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.