The Last Ninja 🥷 Versions Comparison

✅ Decide which is the DEFINITIVE VERSION of The Last Ninja (System 3 1987).
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👉 Check out all our comparisons: • The Last Ninja 🥷 Versi...
00:00 Intro
00:15 Commodore 64 / C64 (1987)
02:49 Acorn Electron (1988)
04:28 BBC Micro (1988)
05:54 Apple IIGS (1988)
08:42 Apple II (1988)
12:05 PC DOS / MS-DOS (CGA) (1988)
14:57 PC DOS / MS-DOS (EGA) (1988)
18:00 Tandy 1000 (1988)
20:39 Amiga (Ninja Remix) (1990)
22:45 Atari ST (Ninja Remix) (1990)
25:16 Acorn Archimedes / Acorn 32-bit (1992)
Developed by System 3 in 1987 for the Commodore 64, The Last Ninja is an action-adventure game that contains a blend of exploration, puzzle solving, and combat. The goal of the game is to guide the ninja Armakuni on his journey to the palace of the evil shogun Kunitoki to assassinate him, avenging his clan, and retrieve the sacred scrolls.
Versions for TRS-80 Color Computer / CoCo 3, ZX Spectrum, and Amstrad CPC were in production but they were never released.
Which are your favorite ports or conversions?
#retrogaming #retrogames #oldgames

[@retrosutra]

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[@gaminglazarus4343]

hi retrosutra you make good videos and are on my youtuber favorit list . last ninja (amiga, c64, atari st) is classic game. my favorit is amiga games, c64 games, atari st games. i have question can you make videos about indiana jones and the fate of atlantis- the action game (amiga, c64, atari st), last ninja 2 (amiga, c64, atari st), last ninja 3 (amiga, c64, atari st)

[@Turbo-D]

the c64 version is just epic especially the music and noone really cared about the missing soundeffects back then...but when i listen to the other versions with effects i get just earcancer and my dog barks at me all the time 😂👌

[@Edgel-in6bs]

The amiga remixes are excellent too musically

[@b213videoz]

So by "noone" you really meant yourself and your dog ? 🤣😁

[@Turbo-D]

@@b213videoz funny 🤷‍♂

[@PlasticCogLiquid]

That Acorn version is ruined by the ridiculous music, way to kill the atmosphere!

[@Simon0]

The music really makes a difference eh? Makes the game feel totally different and c64 music here is great as with many on c64!

[@losalfajoresok]

The music in the C64, MY GOD!!! I played hours and hours this game and never get passed some point. It was simply amazing!

[@Simon0]

Some of the jumping needed such accuracy.. some parts were very hard because of that. Like that lake with the small pebbles.

[@pedazodeboludo]

Yeah, I know technically the Amiga was superior but the slender, all-black ninja of the C64 seemed cooler… after 1990 it started being all about showcasing the higher color palettes. Granted, the Amiga version was a port of the original…

[@Saxdude26]

WAIT, there was an ARCHIMEDES PORT?! Dang, it flew right past me as a kid. So many BBC Micro and Electron games had RiscOS remakes or sequels, but a remake with a BOPPING soundtrack that uses samples also featured in Zool and Lotus II is WILD! Now I've learned of yet another classic on the platform I grew up with.

[@heroes453_]

I think that Commodore 64 have the best version, it's amazing to see how well animated the ninja is

[@retrosutra]

It is my favorite version

[@Simon0]

As I commented elsewhere in this video.. the music really makes a huge (positive!) Difference 🎶

[@anno5936]

What Commodore was able to deliver in sounds was just so incredible and ahead of anyone else; have to admit I hardly ever tried any version outside of C64, though I also played it on Amiga; the Atari ST looks pretty good too, might fire that up on my day off :)

[@jerrettfarmer]

The guy who designed the SID sound chip in the C64, designed the music chip in the Apple IIGS. The one in the IIGS was the one he wanted to make in the Commodore, but he ran out of time. The IIGS had really good sound. It is heartbreaking the IIGS didn’t get the music. It would have been incredible.

[@-Steven-]

Just remembered there was supposed to be a 3D version of Last Ninja coming out for the OG Xbox but it got cancelled which was a shame as I was really looking forward to it, there were even a couple of screenshots shown in computer magazines in the day one showing a massive spider.

[@technischemaschinenfabrik5882]

The source of all versions is the C64 version. Nice graphics and a super sound. The Atari ST is very impressive. The music sounds better than the Amiga version.

[@retrogamesrevived1189]

I never knew this ported to the Archimedes...which looks great but seems off a little bit. The C64 is just the definitive version, it's just brilliant along with the soundtrack, that SID rendition just cannot be beat 👍

[@federicocatelli8785]

It's awesome for the somewhat limited hardware not the best overall which is the Archie

[@Saxdude26]

@@federicocatelli8785 Props to the soundtrack though, definitely makes use of instruments iconic to its prime.

[@MrLtia1234]

I always felt let down by the arc version - should be much better & they should have stuck with the original soundtrack.

[@federicocatelli8785]

@@MrLtia1234 Too little market share to spend more time and resources on it

[@MrLtia1234]

@@federicocatelli8785 Indeed :-(

[@ThePernoctatorLives]

The music of the C64 is a master piece.

[@youuuuuuuuuuutube]

Still can't believe the C64 sounds so much better than everything else, best version by far.

[@rikk319]

The SID chip was ahead of its time.

[@juri_xiii9977]

100%

[@julienbraudel7109]

Not that true. Amiga and ST versions are also great. There were adapted by the legendary Jochen Hippel.

[@JordetheArtist]

Actually. The c64 is by far the best. The music is EVERYTHING as with other legendary c64 games. You will notice as the graphics improved and with the sound effects it became very rigid, flat, and robotic. But the c64 version allows your imagination to guide the way and create the story. The imagery is less important. Generally life is this way. Sound and tactile feedback is emotion. Visuals are generally secondary and always fleeting anyways .

[@DrJ3RK8]

RIP Mr. Daglish! This Lees and Daglish soundtrack will be forever etched upon my mind. Especially the dungeon music! :)

[@julienbraudel7109]

This is most a Daglish and Lees soundtrack (Daglish wrote the most of the in game music). Lees unfortunately also passed away.

[@arcadepixels]

C64 and SID = OMG!!!

[@GordonBraicks]

I played the C64 version a lot so that's my reference. The Amiga version looks crisp and runs fast, it's soundtrack is a very nice sample based rendition of the theme.

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

I was surprised at how mediocre the Apple II GS version was. No in-game music?

[@Lofote]

It's not even competition. The only good version is the original C64 version. Just alone the soundtrack is absolutely epic and legendary.

[@t5kcannon1]

A magical game. Thank you for the upload!

[@f.k.b.16]

I never played this and I bet this wouldn't appear on anyone's top 10 Funnest games list but man I bet my 12 year old self would have spent hours on it!

[@xcoder1122]

I will never understand why almost all CGA games always used the magenta-cyan-white-black palette. CGA had an alternative palette, whose colors where green-red-yellow-black, exactly the same palette as was used for the BBC Micro and the Acorn Electron in this video. Why didn't they just stick with that palette, when it's already in use by two other platforms? Wouldn't it have made more sense to have green grass and red rocks? Actually there were two more palettes, as both of these palettes existed in a dark variation as well (cyan and magenta as well as green and red would both just be slightly darker, but instead of white the darker variant has gray and instead of yellow the darker variant has brown). Also you could switch those palettes at any time, so every screen could have used a different palette as well. And using mode 5 (same resolution as mode 4 used by most game), you get two more palettes, this time either cyan-red-white-black or a darker variant with gray again (yes, cyan+red, not cyan+magenta, true red). So CGA had 6 palettes to choose from in 320x200 resolution, yet almost all CGA games used exactly one of them and the most ugly one IMHO. Using a trick, you could even display 16 colors in CGA but then the resolution would only be 160x100 pixels, pretty much useless for most games. And CGA could also display black & white graphics with 640x200 resolution. CGA was far less limited than it appears in most games or what people believe. And when connected to a TV via composite out, which many CGA cards also supported, as it was expected that people would rather hook their computer to an inexpensive TV than to an expensive monitor at that time, you could even get more colors by using another trick. With composite out, certain patters would result in mixed colors on TV (cross color artifacts), allowing for 16 colors with 640x200 resolution (one palette available) or 16 colors with 320x200 (two different palettes available) and when combining this trick with the 160x100 trick, you can display up to 1024 different colors at the same time on the screen. And yes, there are a few games that really used those tricks and when you see their graphics, you would not believe that this is actually CGA! But with most games just using the super ugly cyan-magenta palette, I can totally understand why most people though, that CGA just sucked. And this game is another example for that.

[@tsl9430]

I played PCjr CGA version in late 80s a lot!! What nostalgia, good memories comes back again!

[@lurkerrekrul]

The C64 version is the first one I ever played, so I have huge nostalgia for it, but the Amiga version is also pretty good, and the Atari ST version isn't bad either. I don't care for the Archimedes version at all, and the rest are just terrible for one reason or another.

[@-Steven-]

C64 version because it was perfect, then the Amiga version because it at least got the music right and the visuals weren't to bad. Honorable mention is the Archimedes because of the graphics but the sound effects and music was really bad.

[@consty715]

C64 absolute classic

[@JB_inks]

Brilliant video. Perfect production values, love it

[@frodbolf]

What did the kids who got Acorn do to get punished by such computer?

[@litjellyfish]

Surprising that system 3 waited so long with the Amiga version. Like A500 was released 87 and by 89 had a lot do games going

[@lesdixon7487]

I attended school with Peter Scott. Great job mate.

[@Emulous79]

I love it on the C64 and not bad on the Amiga and ST. I've never seen the Acorn Archimedes version. Looks quite good. Funny how they just put one rock in the water to jump rather than the tricky mass in the others. And the Buddha has boobs!

[@AngusD1]

YES YES YES YES

[@luisbarbosa1]

The Amiga, c64 and Zx, were the best versions…

[@federicocatelli8785]

To me the Archimedes has the best version for 16 bit

[@bytebooster8196]

@@federicocatelli8785 and the iIGS

[@jasonlee7816]

if the ZX Spectrum version wasn't officially released it can't be one of the best versions

[@gwishart]

As far as I'm aware only the "Last Ninja 2" (also sold under the title "Last Ninja Remix") got an official ZX Spectrum port. A port of "Last Ninja" was in development, but it took so long that they gave up, and reworked it into a port of the sequel.

[@remifasol6337]

Nice game that I played on Atari ST at the time. Still I prefered the Last ninja 2 I had on Zx. Would you please do a video on the sequel, it was very interseting with the modern new york setting.

[@brunaferreira2315]

Eu amo retrosutra e bom demais! Amei!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@f.k.b.16]

I'm surprised the Tandy music was so poor and was no different than the one voice DOS version

[@steveleadbeater8662]

I really need to do some Archemides research. A system I paid no attention to back in the day had more games released than I thought.

[@juri_xiii9977]

Hah..! You either had C-64 or you were one of those rare Kids who didn't have one, and you were sitting at one of your friends place who had a C-64 or C-128..! Amiga's were quite rare until later. Good stuff..! Reeeeeally hard game..!

[@Edgel-in6bs]

C64 one is epic!

[@johnhorak2000]

Its crazy that Amiga was top computer at the end of 80s and early 90s and PC just became superior so fast and Amiga died in 1992 or so.

[@KurtPedersen-tg7jc]

Why I (personally) think the Amiga died so soon, was because they compared it with the wrong platform (Atari) and when the PC showed what is were capable of, it's was Game Over for the Amiga

[@johnhorak2000]

@@KurtPedersen-tg7jc amiga was superior to PCs. They were still looking like a joke in 286 era in comparison to Amiga sound, graphics and OS UI. With 386, better graphics, better sound and breakthrough games like Wolfenstein 3D and year later Doom or Mortal Kombat Amiga was suddenly worse option. It took just 1 year to switch sides. But PC didnt look like worthy competition till 1992 or so.

[@KurtPedersen-tg7jc]

@@johnhorak2000 Superior: Depends on what you're using your computer for. Gaming: Then, it's a Commodore. Professional stuff, then it's a PC. Even that the PC wasn't seen as a gaming platform, quite a lot of the games on C64 were actually on the PC like, Matchpoint, Impossible Mission II -Just to name a few. A complete list of games can be found with a Google search and it's impressive how many of the old games that got released to it. Graphics and sound: VGA were released in 1987 and The Soundblaster 1.0 (CT1310) was released in 1989, not to forget GEM were released in 1985 so I don't agree the Amiga were so "superior" as some fan(atic) users state.

[@KurtPedersen-tg7jc]

-And by the way, the Amiga isn't a computer. It's a console. Commodore clearly stated: "The Amiga is a console with computer options"

[@Schleimie]

Was es alles an Computern gab, was Schleimie so gar nicht wusste! 😮

[@luffy-yy9zc]

acorn is a good surprise

[@EvansuperPowers]

You forgot the NES version, but otherwise a great video as always Edit: I stand corrected, that was the second game that was ported to the NES, I salute you, Retrosutra

[@janthoregrefstad251]

The nes version is actually last ninja 2

[@retrosutra]

Yes, it is a different game although they decided to give it the same name. Greetings my friend.

[@juhanipolvi4729]

Apple II GS version looks and sounds quite nice, though having the same thumping hit sound for katana as for unarmed combat sounds a bit out of place...

[@iliushin2]

C64 classic, for me!

[@nooan79]

The sound effects of the archimedes port remind me of the arcade game Vigilante

[@williamwright9079]

Respect!

[@yousefslimani99]

Several months has been passed and there's no space invaders clones or galaxian comparison, What a bummer!

[@retrosutra]

Hahaha sorry my friend, work is piling up.

[@sitaroartworks]

Amiga version is the best.

[@sobesons]

Acorn Archimedes

[@SinjaEs]

hm didn`t know that there is a dos version but its just looks and sounds crappy to me, stone age EGA graphics and pc speaker sound is just a recipe for a disaster apparently 😂.the tandy version is also hard to withstand longer than 10 seconds before you get headache from it..

[@mastersproutgamer9327]

Have you done Xevious (1982) by any chance?

[@retrosutra]

Not yet, although I want to.

[@Edgel-in6bs]

Noted, the Apple II graphics must be the best on the machine

[@almeidachannel7121]

Nice Video ! Sub & Big Like ! And love retro games !

[@b213videoz]

There is also an Atari 800 version, it was released more than 3 weeks ago (meaning prior to this video). Any reason why it was excluded?

[@retrosutra]

I usually only put the official versions of the games.

[@b213videoz]

@@retrosutra Why?

[@cisco1655]

msdos intro gave tinnitus

[@swapd0]

En la epoca pense que era exclusivo de C64, despues a mediados o finales de los 90 encontre la versión de Atari ST, y ahora me encuentro con esto XDXDXD

[@MrMaxeemum]

C64 every day. The Apple II GS is better but at 8-10x the cost no thanks. Daym I miss my C64.

[@desireeschnyder9728]

there’s a amateur game of Dominga virains❤😂😅

[@fradd182]

c64:8-bit classic. Electron, BBC: pleasant surprise, not half as bad as i thought it would be. Amiga, ST: graphics is 2 steps above all mediocre 16-bitters (IIgs, EGA,Tandy). Archimedes: disappoints a bit, i dont think its using anything close to 256 colours, which is available on the system.

[@pju28]

Still the Amiga!

[@CraigGrannell]

The Archie version is really weird. All the sound effects and the movement feel really cartoonish. There’s no atmosphere. Probably fun to play though. C64 wins out for the music. ST comes second. (Amiga always sounds out of tune to me these days.) Good work by the Electron folks, though. Not easy squeezing this game into that machine.

[@Galahadfairlight]

"Amiga ways sounds out of tune"....what kind of ridiculous claim is this to make?!?!?!

[@CraigGrannell]

@@Galahadfairlight It’s the nature of heavily sample-based audio vs waveforms. Because of the limited nature of the number of samples you could use (because memory) and the manner in which many were pitch-shifted, a lot of Amiga audio sounds slightly off in terms of tuning. That’s all the more evident when you compare an Amiga tune with something that also exits on the ST or C64.

[@Galahadfairlight]

@CraigGrannell never heard such bollocks in all my life. Musicians on Amiga frequently had 3-4 copies of the lead samples at different pitches precisely so this wasn't an issue. Politely, go get your ears syringed, because there's no way you're getting away with a claim like you made without ridicule. The Amiga is remembered for great music for a reason, your minority opinion suggests more wrong with your hearing than all Amiga music being out of tune.

[@montheralomari7225]

yep...⛩⛩

[@RogerKaptunik]

The Archimedes version of Last Ninja didnt get the "last" part of the title

[@nikkoberserker]

oh ??? where is the amstrad cpc version , i play it a lot , and love this version !

[@retrosutra]

Actually the CPC version is a port of The Last Ninja 2.

[@nikkoberserker]

@@retrosutra oh really ,i don't remind this , thanks for this precision !

[@gwishart]

@@nikkoberserker Just to make things even more confusing, they released "The Last Ninja 2" for the Amstrad CPC (and the C64 and ZX Spectrum) in 1988; then two years later, they re-released the same game with a slightly different intro, under the name "Last Ninja Remix".

[@IvanRodriguez-C]

Hola!! La música de la intro, es tuya, es de algún banco de música...?

[@retrosutra]

Buenas, la música no es mía, la saqué de un banco de música.

[@jakegnr90]

Hermoso juego , falto la NES ...

[@yousefslimani99]

Yet again no Master System or SEGA Genesis version I don't know why?

[@litjellyfish]

Where is the spectrum version?

[@neil36619]

So, it's C64, Amiga, ST in that order - the Archimedes looks horrible.

[@Valadares108radical]

And Nes?

[@BradleyQuerruel]

Where is the NES version?

[@gwishart]

Despite the name, the NES version was actually a port of the Last Ninja 2.

[@rwxdesigns]

What on earth is going on with the Archimedes port? That is really bad.. Ninjas at a disco more like. C64 version beats all of them by the look of it.

[@Matze_Supercomputer]

C64 version !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@scepticskeptic1663]

so commodore rules then?

[@igordantasneres6103]

Forgot time stamps

[@josephinman3037]

25:39 Why does he sound like that when he gets punched in the face?

[@retrodave79]

I've tried to like Last Ninja games many times, but it's so clunky and the fights are so stupid that I can not play it for more than 15 mins. Apple II GS is the best for me, just because I love the screams, the second best is C64, AWESOME.

[@valterandrade5168]

Version amazing think little just video arcade me had please on prefered the super last still game l do world.

[@valterandrade5168]

retrosutra

[@VinceGoodrum]

Where's the NES version

[@objectObject212]

Holy s#|t, THAT music on Amiga

[@TheMacCheechMan]

"More like the worst ninja"

[@Eirath]

The only legit versions are the Commodore ones and the Remix-version for Atari ST. Graphics, gameplay and level design on point and Daglish music. I have NO idea what that Acorn Archimedes abomination of a game is doing. Is it a game about a postal worker going berserk on his jogging round in a park? Soft but horrible animations. And why make the music worse on a probably better sound chip? That's crazy. And why have a completely different level layout?

[@luisonl1563]

ey , con esta saga te mueres en conversiones, se hicieron todas menos arcade XD, ACORN la version barata de BBC luce igual, salvo mas lento y sonido menos estridente, la version de appleII se lo tomaron muy en serio, las voces digitalizadas y la alta resolución, flipantes. Luego llegan Amiga y atari y se mean en todas las demás, la version del acorn archimedes de donde la sacaste? Xd, 5 años después aunque graficamente luce bien, las animaciones del tito benny hill no las representan. ANECDOTAS: Vendieron 2Millones de copias en todo el mundo y es considerado uno de los top 20 en comoodore, el juego la verdad luce fantástico, el sistema de peleas de piedra/papel /tijeras, podría mejorar. Las versiones de spectrum y amstrad, estaban casi terminadas, hay anuncios y capturas de pantalla del juego, pero nunca se terminó y no se lanzó, se termino en ATARI, y tampoco se lanzó, así que aprovechando el remix lanzaron los 2, por eso en amiga y atari se ven iguales, suele pasar. TOP. 1. Commodore 2. Atari / AMIGA 3. PC EGA

[@retrosutra]

Tienes razón con la versión de Acorn Archimedes. Se ve muy bien, pero esas animaciones... Me recuerdan al estilo de combate de Steven Seagal en sus últimas películas, casi completamente estático para dar golpes... Xd. La versión de PC para mí es de las peores, quizás se vea mejor que algunas pero el control es insufrible. Aunque no se note en el vídeo, hay un montón de edición. Me tomó decenas de intentos coger los ítems a la primera porque tienes que estar milimétricamente colocado, y el control no ayuda para nada. Un auténtico infierno.

[@alexjackson1130]

My NEWEST favourite Game❗just a shame I can't actually PLAY , I don't have this Machine

[@retrosutra]

You can use an emulator to play it in your computer.

[@jasonlee7816]

if the Amiga version is based on or a lazy update of the 8-bit version then converted to the ST it is crap if the ST version is based on or a lazy update of the 8-bit version then converted to the Amiga it is shit

[@MickeyKnox]

yeah, both versions were ugly

[@andreasnyman2839]

The Amiga version is decent, the rest sucks. Beside the C64 one ofc.

[@famicomkun]

Yo when will you do commando/senjou no okami instead of these games that no one has ever heard of

[@retrosutra]

I'll try to do very soon if I manage to find all the ports.

[@keng6663]

Am I the only person that thinks this game is massively overrated? Never got the attraction music was good but it was clunky as hell

[@jammadamma]

Great graphics. Great soundtrack. Horrible game. One of those always on best-of lists. But the gameplay sucks. Button mashing crap conrtols.

[@teddym2808]

In the top 10 most overrated 8 and 16 bit games of all time, specifically the 8 bit C64 version. So, it's pretty. But it PLAYS LIKE SHIT! Always did. Awful game.