The Ninja Kids

Game Details:

The Ninja Kids was officially released to the arcade market in 1990 by the renowned Japanese developer Taito. The game is set in a modern city thrown into chaos by a Satanic cult. To prevent the cultists from resurrecting an ancient demon, four distinct young "paper puppet" ninjas step forward to fight. The game's standout feature is its unique "marionette" visual style, where character and enemy movements are both comical and lively. Blending urban fantasy with comedic elements, the stages range from bustling streets to eerie cult altars, making it a quirky and creative gem from Taito's golden age of beat 'em ups.

Game Guide:

The core gameplay revolves around utilizing character-specific traits for kiting and screen clearing.

Pro Tips:

• Hanzo uses a greatsword with the longest reach, ideal for crowd control;
• Renzo wields dual kamas with extremely fast attack speed but a narrower range;
• Raba excels at wide-range sweeps with his long staff;
• Sasuke is incredibly fast and possesses a ranged advantage with his shurikens.

Pressing the attack button repeatedly triggers basic combos. When surrounded by mobs, pressing both the attack and jump buttons simultaneously releases a full-screen elemental ninjutsu (at the cost of a small amount of HP)—a vital "get-off-me" skill when cornered. When facing the Berserk Zombie Boss in Stage 3, avoid a direct head-on fight; instead, use Y-axis maneuvering to bait out attacks, then strike from the side or rear once the Boss misses. In the final battle against the Demon Priest, prioritize clearing the infinitely spawning puppet minions to maintain a healthy HP bar and ensure a steady clear.