Developer: Irem Publisher: Data East Release: 11/87 Genre: Platformer
Christmas of 1988 is permanently burned into my memory. Like many I was excited to open my presents to see if there was a new games. What I did not expect was two. Both Rad Racer and Kid Niki made that holiday special. Rad Racer I still adore to this day even if it is a bit simple. But that day I was more interested in the game with the subtitle “Radical Ninja”. I did not care that it came in a pink box, I just thought Kid Niki looked like the most bad ass ninja this side of Snake Eyes. Looking back I was a victim of Atari 2600 levels of false advertising. But in this case at least the game is enjoyable.
Kid Niki Radical Ninja was created by Irem and but was released outside of Japan by Data East. As was standard practice back there are certain…liberties with the localization. Like Totally Rad they inject awful 80s surfer speak into the game although in this case it is minimal. Whether that was to Americanize it we will never know. But it is pointless considering anyone with half a brain can tell the game’s origin. Regardless for such an old game (it was originally 1986 title) Kid Niki is surprisingly entertaining although it plays second fiddle to the console’s best.
The radical in the title might be a little too try hard but Niki’s weapon is not. The spinning sword is a pretty cool weapon and does exactly what the name suggests. It is pretty large, spawns an inch in front of you, and has a large spread. You can take out most enemies without being particular about your aim thanks to this. The spinning sword is so overpowered you only have one other power-up, a silver bell that creates a temporary rotating shield. Normally this would get old but the focus is squarely on platforming.
Despite its simple appearance Kid Niki is plenty challenging. Enemies rarely stop spawning, creating a sense of urgency to keep moving forward. The timer also reinforces this although the clock is pretty generous. What the two accomplish is making less wary players rush into making amateur mistakes. Tricky enemy placement and platforms will sap your lives if you do not pay attention. But any slight platforming veteran will likely steamroll this game.
If there is any one area that Kid Niki excels in it is its goofy bosses. Death Breath is the most memorable, with his large head and signature breath attack. He resembles a certain monk from Big Trouble in Little China. There’s an angry monk who repeatedly calls you a fool, with the word balloon dropping the letters to further spell out that you are an idiot. Then there is Spike, who runs after you like a moron. They aren’t all hapless however. The Samurai Guard is one of the most challenging fights in the game. The horned witch fight is confusing and I still question how I avoided death at times. Then there is the final boss…
While the bosses are funny fighting them is not. The game does not do a good job of communicating their weaknesses. Even worse every time you hit them your sword goes flying and needs retrieval. Take Death Breath. His window of vulnerability is very small; only when he is jumping or facing away can he be hit. For the Samurai Guard you need to take a huge risk and wait for him in the corner. His window is only after you hit his spear and it drops. But you need to be close to retrieve your sword before he grabs his spear. It sounds fun but the game does a piss poor job of leading you. It is little details like this that separate a Kid Niki from a classic like Mega Man.
In Closing
I had my reservations about revisiting Kid Niki. I remember it fondly but also recognize that it is a bit simple. But I was worried for no reason. Kid Niki is not a lost classic but is at least above average. I would not recommend it over other NES platformers but it is a solid second string title.
