Kid Niki: Radical Ninja
Introduction
Kid Niki: Radical Ninja started life as an Irem arcade game in 1986, and Data East brought it to the NES in North America in 1987. Niki is a young ninja with spiky hair and a spinning sword who sets out to rescue Princess Margo from the Stone Wizard. The game plays as a side-scrolling action platformer through forests, rooftops, temples and mountains, with enemies that range from frogs and birds to ninjas and odd creatures. Niki’s sword spins like a propeller when he attacks, giving him reach in front of him, and he can bounce off certain objects to gain extra height. Bells hidden in the stages hold bonus rewards and extra lives, and each level ends with a boss battle. Its bright colours, bouncy music and goofy personality made it a memorable title in the NES library, and it spawned sequels in Japan under the name Kaiketsu Yanchamaru.
