Play Ninja Taro Online

Ninja Taro came out for the Game Boy in 1991, developed by NMK. It was part of that wave of early portable action games, the kind you'd play in short bursts on a dim green screen. It didn't try to reinvent the wheel, just offered a solid, straightforward adventure you could take with you.

You control a young ninja named Taro, moving screen by screen through side scrolling levels. Your main goal is to rescue a kidnapped princess by fighting through enemy ninjas and monsters. You attack with a short range sword, and you can also find power ups for a bow that lets you shoot projectiles. The levels are linear but filled with platforming challenges and simple puzzles, like finding keys to open doors. The pacing is quick, and the difficulty can be sharp, with enemies often placed to knock you into pits. Playing it feels like a brisk, sometimes punishing, test of your timing and reflexes.