C64 Longplay - The Last Ninja

[@paulr1514]

Unless you’ve played this game,you won’t appreciate the skill level shown here. Brought back so many memories!! 👍🏻

[@evenberg8499]

I agree. I had a hard time crossing the large swamp. I was not very good at this game, but it was fun to play though. 😊

[@sebbarquin8006]

It’s so beautiful

[@merkyuk]

Yes, those river crossings were the worst to judge. He’s really using the trick of running past most enemies.

[@elio3281]

@@evenberg8499 WTF, so my Memory is tight ! I think i Ve never passed the Swamp 🤣

[@evenberg8499]

@@elio3281 There were certain movements on the joystick, as I can recall. One flick forward for short, and two for long jumps. On top of that, the flashing "Ninja magic" had a tight time limit, and without it, you could not pass the flames at the end of the level.

[@CJWarlock]

I've actually met with Ben Daglish (the author of the music in Last Ninja 1) at BIT Live in Brighton and personally thanked him for the awesome music in Last Ninja 1, which inspired and touched me deeply yet in my teenage time. You should see that honest joy of appreciation on his face... Unforgetable moment. From one musician to another. Only musicians and true fans will understand. :)

[@rootykazooty351]

Cool.

[@LeesChannel]

RIP

[@ckdecembergaming5655]

@@LeesChannel OMG... I would never have know if not for your comment. I was hoping it was a misplaced one, but... alas, RIP indeed.

[@cryptekwizard8336]

I was JUST about to comment on how funky, jazzy and creative the music is in this game. I would leave it playing, and go mess with other toys...just to come back to it again (it was a hard game sometimes!). But I would use the music just like listening to a stereo. It hypnotized me and made me feel cool at the same time. For only a moment...

[@dmac8247]

This game has always had a special place in my heart. Watching this and hearing the music brought back the wonder and the amazement I experienced playing this game as a kid. For it’s time it was cleverly designed and the music was awesome. Sekiro is my favorite modern game, and the two parallel each other in creativity in game design and great music.

[@DrGonzo123456789]

One of the best soundtracks of this era. Still gives me the 8-bit goosebumps, nostalgia feeling is off the charts.

[@noelht1]

I was just thinking the same. The synthesiser of the Commodore 64 was awesome. This music and reminds me of the music off I think it was commando. One of the Rambo bass games anyway.

[@lowpinglag]

Ben Daglish (31 July 1966 - 1 October 2018) Thank you for the music ♥

[@jimmysidiroglou4689]

30 years later and the music still sings in my ears like it was poetry in motion. Absolute masterpiece. Never finished it, only seen on YT the whole gameplay hahaha

[@Tehui1974]

I spent a lot of my teenaged years playing this game and a few others. LOL

[@RevenantBob]

All my childhood frustrations at drowning in rivers have received justice by this player. Well done!

[@AchtungBaby77]

Just jumping the rivers? What about that darn swamp? 😂

[@XtreeM_FaiL]

@@AchtungBaby77 Swamp was easy. After you took the leap of faith because that was all you had left at that moment. Jump to the unknown can't be worse than death.

[@Teltharion]

this game is... poetry. Such beauty in every way possible: progrmatically, graphically, musically, conceptually and more...

[@0x777]

13 minutes... I remember how we played this for like 13 hours without even getting near the final boss.

[@sairas3649]

This game was hard, the jumps..arrgh =)

[@craigdobson7792]

you're right. i could never get past the waterfall jump with the dragon in it, in the emperors garden. Nice to finally see how the game finished; if only 30yrs later.

[@DementedCaver]

I know what Doc Brown felt like now...."30 years...has it really been that long" Good golly I'm now 50, and I thought I would feel much worse. ;)

[@Klausvans]

Once you know all the solution of the hundred puzzles scattered around the game you can actually finish it in less time (even if 13 minutes can be a world record for this game!)... The real problem was how to figure out all the solutions back in those days! Some of them are soooo obscure! Of course this was part of the legend that made this game a true milestone! 💪❤️❤️❤️

[@triggahappyyt5420]

Lol same. My copy would stop loading at a certain stage and I never got to finish the game. Loved it though and tried again again to play it but the cassette wouldn't load past that bit. Edit.. wait is that the end? As a kid I thought there was more lol.

[@yukoon]

only someone who played it back in time understand how skilled this player is ! incredible

[@MartelloClaudio]

Absolutely true. Just jumping over the river took me 1 week of training at that time (1987). Considering that internet did not exist, only friends could help you with suggestions and hints. It was actually a team game!

[@kwikoperator]

The best thing about this game is the Music. What a catchy tune as it pushes the C64 to it's limits. One of the best game music tracks ever produced in my opinion.

[@jannetranberg7186]

Fuuuck, i loved this game. Seems like an lifetime ago...... and im Still here!!

[@davidrider2264]

The way this guy leaps across the roots in the swamp is outrageous. i wept tears of fury and anguish getting across that BASTARD. But the music always brought me back. That music.

[@davidmathew603]

😂😂😂 I thought the same thing and back then that frustration. Ive been watching a few of the C64 games and seen over 30 years later watching these and all the errors i was making and all that frustration. Lol

[@davidmathew603]

And the music for this game I ❤ it.

[@MutteringUrchin]

This was THE game. Man, I remember my brother and I staying over at my cousin's house playing this at 2 in the morning when I was a kid. Proper game.

[@4h0w1e6]

I stopped by when I read Ben Daglish passed away. I vaguely remembered playing this on the C64 but after watching the video I'd forgotten what a great game this was and how the music especially was truly amazing. I need to see what other music from my childhood he was responsible for. Rest in peace sir.

[@Gemraw]

As a kid I could never go passed the first dragon. Incredible how much more content was afterwards.

[@jono3697]

The old smoke bomb Took my ages 😊

[@nzrpgnerd4454]

I played this when I was 15 years old with two friends of mine. We purchased it in cassette form for C64 from a local games store and played it after school. We never got very far but it's charm has stayed with me.

[@XtreeM_FaiL]

I think no one got far. If someone say he beat the game in the 80s or early 90s, I don't believe him.

[@LeanderNadeltanz]

Although I haven't played or seen it for decades, I still remember every single detail of this game! I know every screen frame by frame and I can tell easily where are all of those weapons and needful things are hidden. Last Ninja never gets old!

[@MegaasAlexandros]

Ok then smartie pants, where is the rose ? And don't say the bachelor lol 🤣

[@LeanderNadeltanz]

@@MegaasAlexandros The rose? ha, that’s easy - you will find it in level 3 (The Gardens), left side among the yellow flowers, but don’t you even dare to pick it up without the glove you will find in level 2 (The Wilderness)!!

[@MegaasAlexandros]

@@LeanderNadeltanz bravo. That's one of the faults of this game. If you finish the stage without the rose you can't go back to collect it therefore you wont be able to finish the game and have to start over !!! They should have a message at the end of the stage telling you to go back and collect all the items.

[@LeanderNadeltanz]

@@MegaasAlexandros well, you kind of had that in some levels - whenever you went to meditate in front of the Buddha-statues, there was a hint what you should find next.

[@MegaasAlexandros]

@@LeanderNadeltanz hmmm perhaps you have a point. I am going to play it again and see if your correct.

[@Wiihawk]

Still one of my favourite gameplays on this channel. 13 Minutes for "The Last Ninja" is just awesome. Even in my prime time at this game I´m not sure if I ever made it in less than 30 minutes. Great job!

[@rootykazooty351]

They didn't really complete it in just 13 mins. It's sped up.

[@theyamo7219]

Rooty Kazooty That and they use save states and edit the video

[@raakone]

@@rootykazooty351 well, the loading parts are all skipped. Even the disk version (sorry, you lose half of the tunes) required you to wait, I heard the cassette version was worse.

[@ep1phany62]

How the hell did they make this on the C64? The details are incredible! And the multiple soundtracks are gorgeous!

[@AchtungBaby77]

There's a reason this game was such a landmark title - absolutely stunning visuals and music, really showed what the C64 could do when the right programmers were involved.

[@erikny3137]

Best game ever, first time I got all the way, it was… the best feeling ever. And the music was and still is, epic

[@gj8313]

Oh the music, he really did make the C64 sing🎶.

[@musashidanmcgrath]

Man, I once feigned sickness from school to play this on the tiny black and white television I had in my room. My Dad caught me and took the television. 😂 Watching how easy he's ploughing through this makes me want to cry. This game was a nightmare to play, but I LOVED it!

[@tempsanity]

also played it on a black and white, and I sucked at it, but loved the audio and visuals, haha

[@alteriusnonsit6124]

The seppuku opponent at 1:31 is such a great detail!

[@bbenjoe]

As far as I remember all the enemies could do it, if they failed to stop us.

[@alteriusnonsit6124]

@@bbenjoe I don't think so. Only some opponents did. Like my dad. He failed to stop me playing The Last Ninja, too. ;) No, just kidding. He did not even try. Idk why.

[@jakubpytko5551]

This game is absolutely outstanding. I love this music.

[@lesthegreat]

This brings back memories of playing this when I was a kid. Thanks for showing the end of the quest, I never could complete it.

[@drzeissler]

The Music is absolute stunning! awesome!

[@davedogge2280]

created by Ben Daglish who sadly died in 2018 at the age of 52.

[@lolololalala8225]

I sometimes just put it on to hear the music :)

[@DinoBroDon]

@@lolololalala8225 me too. I can hear this and am instantly transported to my old bedroom aged 12

[@Feselokt]

Old 80s best game in my opinion. Its not about pixels it´s about feeling. Music strikes your ears. Remember how I was sitting in my boyroom and totally forgot about time. This video does really awaken memories :)

[@Neptuniamos]

What they pulled out of this 8-bit-machine is magic.

[@whatever-yi1lf]

I recall the music been riveting and the graphics amazing. Had it in compilation with the other series of Last Ninja's. It was talked about a lot amongst my two school friends that also had C64's. Very unique game.

[@catwhowalks99]

Wow, thank you so much for putting this up. My father bought the game for me when I was 14 or 15, and I played that thing forever. I remember it took me a heck of a lot longer than 13 minutes to get through. This really brings back some great memories of my father... thank you.

[@cenkhanevcil1974]

MY AGE NOW 45 I NEVER FORGET THIS MUSIC ATMOSPHERE LEGENDARY....still im here 48 years old..

[@alibaba4374]

same now i got 3090 rtx msi suprim wow have we come far or come old lol

[@cenkhanevcil1974]

IM 49 years old and still i am here

[@kev082006]

Completely agree. I'm a bit younger than you. Who would have thought many years later, we would be watching someone complete it in 13mins. It used to take me 13mins trying to pick the items needed off the floor lol

[@cenkhanevcil1974]

@@alibaba4374 now my age 50 😆We are going to down road 😆😆

[@cenkhanevcil1974]

@@kev082006 now 50 Age i am 😆

[@sanderossi8013]

Dyees I could wissle the whole soundtrack verbatim after 35+ years!! Insane how this sound is still there in my mind. What a masterpiece this game was!

[@matthewjdouglas6471]

This games brings back memories that I didn't even know I had. As soon as I saw that screen shot I remembered my brothers mate playing it in my bedroom as he was stopping over and he brought his c64 with him. Brilliant

[@Nimbus1951]

Damn you're good. As a kid I never managed to complete The Last Ninja 1. Great to finally see the story to the end!

[@TeroKorhonen]

I remember when I used to play this game a lot. The only problem was that the game crashed at the point when your in the palace/castle and go to the red carpet so I never finished the game. Thanks for making this video and let me finally after 25 years see the ending.

[@lesdixon7487]

The stepping stones were a right tw#t..

[@danielmace406]

YUP 90% of my deaths were the damn stones

[@ggerely]

@@danielmace406 same here

[@davedogge2280]

i remember them

[@bbenjoe]

1:35 Me and my brother at the swamp, 33 years ago: 10 minute long struggle. This guy: lady-da jumpy-jumpy.

[@huguini2893]

It's hard to describe how amazingly this Game can bring me back to my Chilhood for an Instant, Just Unique

[@Mintcar923]

It actually reminds me of early ‘88 during the whole Hogan Andre feud! In any event it was my favorite C64 game and somehow I was able to finish it.. And getting my ass kicked in Ninja Gaiden Sigma tonight made me think of it lol

[@Njal55]

The first time I heard the Wastelands music in 1987 me and my friends, our jaws dropped. Awesome tune. Great game, too, back when games were bloody difficult!

[@MarkxUK1]

I loved the palace gardens level; superb graphics and music really drew you into the atmosphere of the game.

[@chrisdigiuseppe7717]

One of the greatest video game experiences of my life. Me and my kid brother basking in the glow of a Commodore 1702 monitor at 2AM. That soundtrack is still incredible.

[@BoB-gl1il]

There is something mysterious and oriental about this game that I haven't been able to find in the new gaming era with advanced graphics, internet etc. It is pure magic this game.

[@cryptekwizard8336]

J H - Old comment, but YES! To everything you said. Like it was manufactured by Chinese warlocks with lasers. Fookin’ Mesmerizing.

[@AchtungBaby77]

You nailed it. And all with 64K RAM! Amazing achievement.

[@matthewjdouglas6471]

I thought the same. Always have. This game has been popping into my mind for the last 30 years and I never even got to play it. Just watching my older brother and his mate play it was a treat and magical experience for me as a 10 year old.

[@DOGOID]

Bec advanced graphics substitutes the imagination.

[@notanfningain]

This game was responsible for my first all nighter, being late for school the next morning, and being expelled for being late. My only regret, I never got very far in the game.

[@jimbean9142]

damn.. i love the sound.. kicks me by to my childhood.. c64 was so cool stuff.. sadly i sold mine after getting an amiga 500

[@ren0kid]

M2 Bro...

[@daveperryLXXVII]

WoW i use to love this game back in the day. never finished it. good job man.

[@HN-ig2gc]

Super Video mit einer tollen Musik! Das waren noch Zeiten..... Danke!

[@pabloclarke77]

Completing this game was one of my biggest gaming achievements

[@robertmueller1114]

"Longplay", more like incredibly masterly skilled "Shortplay". 13 Minutes. That ridicules my aspirations as a kid playing 2 hours on level1 before giving up haha. Great work!

[@hanslanda5956]

Every picture looks like a great painting. I knew it but the graphic designers did a superb job. :-)

[@kommissar.murphy]

I love the way each screen renders very quickly, often giving you a clue.

[@phillhart2990]

Holy crap - I played this for hours when I was a teenager. This brings back so many memories! Only 16 colors and no 3d engine... and they managed to create this. I have NO IDEA HOW. they pushed the machine to the absolute limits of what you could do with 64kb of memory. Also it only had three "voices" so basically you could only play three sounds at a time. Listen to the music... there are only ever three instruments playing at the same time but somehow by swapping, they would make it seem like a lot more music tracks were playing

[@DONUZI2000]

I love it! Ich war noch so klein aber die Musik hab ich noch im Ohr.

[@brandonvernet]

Holy crap, the memories. I honestly would’ve never remembered this game if it wasn’t for KZbin.

[@comemyfanaticscom]

How good is the music!!! I love this soundtrack. :-)

[@LivingInCloud1]

Oohhh the memories of long nights playing with friends, eating unreasonable amounts of pizza! Loved it!

[@sikecar534]

One of the games that defined C-64. One of my favourites. Along with Ghostbusters.....

[@marcelpeereboom1858]

The Master mind for the music was Ben Daglish. My favorite are The Wastelands and The Palace Gardens . Remember the man was only a kid, programming basic for fun. He was getting about 100 dollars paid for each music he wrote:D.

[@cryptekwizard8336]

@Marcel Peereboom - Child prodigy in my book if that’s the case.

[@davedogge2280]

$100 back then wasn't much, it cost like £10 for the last Ninja on cassette £20 for the disk version. That's like 9 copies sold or less and that's Ben all paid for.

[@duodua4130]

When I got really stuck I would phone the man at the shop and he would tell me what to do. That's analogue baby.

[@kagemusha168]

This brings back good memories of my childhood. Playing this after dinner while my parents did the dishes. I miss my old childhood home and my late father.

[@stephenfuller2119]

Wow, that is an amazing game, way ahead of its time! I wish I would have had this one.

[@richardcarter8185]

I played The Last Ninja 2 inside out on my Amstrad CPC 464 back in the day - and watching this vid is the best example of a game that you have no idea how tricky it is to play just by watching it. 1000’s of deaths simply for a slightly misjudged jump! Great game but hard as nails!

[@scottd9448]

Wow. I got about half way through. That was amazing to watch!

[@thenomad4123]

Wow it actually looks pretty good and atmospheric especially for its time.

[@Doughty321]

Great video. I remember watching my brother play this, I wish I could remember some other games we played back then.

[@exidy-yt]

Of All the things I love about this series, it's the little touches like the guard who is so bummed you ran by him he kneels down and commits seppuku right then and there on the road ;-) So much thought went into these games!

[@br3030]

is that what he actually does??? amazing if true. i thought he was doing a crouch attack, too little too late

[@exidy-yt]

@@br3030 Haha, yeah re-watch it. He kneels draws his sword and drives it in. I LOLed as a kid first time I saw it.

[@exidy-yt]

@@br3030 I also just remembered, there was a keyboard command where you could make your ninja commit seppuku as well! If you were about to be defeated, a true ninja can never be captured, I guess! Better to un-alive. :-) I wonder if that was carried over into Last Ninja 2 and 3?

[@br3030]

@@exidy-yt wow 😲 that is a very interesting detail. i wonder is there any further explanation for why they including player sepuku. perhaps it functioned as a kind of "restart" button since the basic pause menu interface didnt really exist yet! after all, it was possible to dead-end yourself by failing to collect an item, and i cant think how you would proceed to a restart except finding a way to die somewhere.

[@exidy-yt]

@@br3030 Yeah, no idea if it was a playability element to prevent being stuck or just a cool bit of 'ninja lore' the designer decided to include in the game, but it was something I never forgot, even if it took a while to re-surface in my mind.

[@chriskallen1]

I never got past stage 5. Everything was so cryptic in this game. And those jumps, contrary to what it looks like in this video, were next to IMPOSSIBLE.

[@theyamo7219]

While I agree with you, Last Ninja 3 had by far the WORST jumps

[@AchtungBaby77]

It's not so much that they're impossible, more just pixel-perfect 🤣

[@arihaviv8510]

I somehow managed to finish the game without the help of KZbin hehe

[@keiranninjaspirit]

Amazing..I really missed out on not having a commodore 64..I had a spectrum..1987 I played this on my 48k and really enjoyed but this version with the music really captures the era of biscuits and tea,trading mags,swapping games and ofcourse in the arcade the scene was fantastic..double dragon came out the same year and was the first 2 player best em up I played..I should have had a commodore..great Machine..I stand at the precipice of technology..looking back with a tear in my eye.. dreaming of the my childhood innocence..the memories..suger coated in time..undisturbed .... 😭..

[@Mogsters]

Remember I was stuck on that bullshit wall you have to go backwards to climb down. The hard times without internet.

[@KnownAsKenji]

This might well be one of the greatest C64 games ever created. And to think, someone could make a representation of this in RPG Maker in about 10 hours. But that's now, this is then. I wish I had this among my pirated C64 disc mountain.

[@ACanOfBakedBeans]

LN2 was my favorite from the series (not the NES version that just called itself Last Ninja), but I still love this game to death

[@stevencross8215]

Still remember this one, the early parts of the game anyway, incredible c64 programming.My younger brother finished this in summer 89 which was a proper scorcher. I remember skateboarding was my thing that summer but I came back inside to watch my bro finish this game with my jaw on the floor, one hard game

[@fredrikrunberg]

Still remember the longevity of this game, there was no save state. You had to go thru all levels in one sitting despite murderous jumping puzzles. But the music kept me going.

[@DinoBroDon]

The music. My god the ability of this track to bring back memories is unbelievable

[@MrPlastkort]

This is one of the favorite music from Ben Daglish, may you rest in peace ! Love the remakes from Matt Gray and Lukhash as well !keep them coming ❤❤

[@dayglo98]

That damn game ! I dont remember if I even ever crossed the water with the rocks

[@TheAngryMutha]

absolutely loved this series

[@Klausvans]

Once you know all the solution of the hundred puzzles scattered around the game you can actually finish it in less time (even if 13 minutes can be a world record for this game!)... The real problem was how to figure out all the solutions back in those days! Some of them are soooo obscure! Of course this was part of the legend that made this game a true milestone! 💪❤️❤️❤️

[@AudieHolland]

We didn't have the internet but we did have games magazines like Commodore User. Every now and then, they'd publish a walkthrough of a popular game complete with maps and instructions how to deal with certain guards and bosses.

[@bastiaan0741]

wow, I owned tis back in the day...

[@danielmace406]

I remember this being insanely difficult... Of course I was like 5 years old when I played it

[@ericrecano8557]

Such a good game and for the time-the graphics and music were pretty much top notch…spent so many hours playing this, Karateka. And airborne ranger! Great times!

[@ericrecano8557]

I have to add that the person playing this is a friggin master-this game is Sao much harder than what this shows-the player makes it look so easy..I can assure u it is NoT easy!

[@2PeteShakur]

"I saw an image where a ninja fighter blended in with a dark background, and it was then that I recognised that the eyes surrounded by the black of the mask immediately conveys 'ninja' without any more information needed. I used a mirror to study my own eyes as a reference and utilised a small pipette to put water drops on my forehead to get the look of beads of sweat. In those early days of video games, I was using paints, inks and airbrushes to create artwork." -- Steinar Lund, artist [The Last Ninja - C64]

[@Koettnylle]

The roads in ninjaland are really well paved

[@raakone]

Except for those gaps (and in the Palace Gardens, there are....gaps that make you think they're passable when they are not in at least one direction), it's very perfect, no potholes. Of course the absence of vehicles may have also contributed to this.

[@iainmarchant9740]

'Not in 4k and 60 fps' The mentality of anyone born after 1990 that comments on these type of videos.

[@rphillips1071]

Amazing soundtrack, at the time this game was mind-blowing, used to love this game

[@Klausvans]

This is very likely the point when the videogames start to become an actual form of Art! The scenery of each single screen in this game is so detailed and wonderfully drawn which the whole game is like a sequence of paintings of the ancient Japan! And of course the music... nothing less than legendary! This game should be preserved in a museum!

[@franktaylor7978]

Oh man. Huge nostalgia moment. Crazy

[@scottb8035]

Another amazing feature of this game is how fast the scenes render as one moves from one scene to the next. Very impressive for an 8-bit computer!

[@BattlestarGentoo]

The music was always the best of all Last Ninja games :)

[@torten-tv]

nice

[@derrbow]

I had no idea how much there was to this game. All those days I played this as a kid and never even got far enough to hear past the first music track

[@boom0308]

Great game, i have played it 😃👍many times as a kid, now with my daughter☺

[@LB1980LUFC]

I’m 44 remember having to get my mum to help me cross that river 😂 what a game! Need this back in my life again ❤

[@Alinsouth]

My first ever experience of gaming on tapes on the commodor 64 was epic i was truly amazed

[@Edgel-in6bs]

When you listen to this through headphones and remember playing this at the time, still staggers me how some rated the speccie or amstrad ahead of the C64. It's like the ps5 v the ps2.

[@kirderf7222]

Beautiful game waterfalls running and all.

[@Scorpio2074]

Ah, yes - the SoulsBorne-Series of C64 games! Love it!

[@jax6271]

There’s sum great redos of the music on Spotify, those jumps were mental btw, great game and great memories

[@Dude-etiquette]

I absolutely loved this game. Brings back so many memories. Today if this game was made you couldn’t enter another screen unless you paid micro transactions

[@Locateson]

That game be really frustrating at times.

[@MrAbe1984]

That music is just bringing me back

[@AIEra-bz2lv]

Ben and Anthony, thanks for this soundtrack ,we will miss you.

[@JayKhwaja]

Timeless & Legendary!