Kasumi Ninja

Kasumi Ninja
Cover art in all regions
Developer(s)Hand Made Software
Publisher(s)
Producer(s)Jim Gregory
Ted Taquechi
Designer(s)Hank Cappa
Joe Sousa
Programmer(s)Mark Lyhan
Nob Nicholson
Pete Wiseman
Artist(s)Andy Johnson
Greg Irwing
Martin Kilmer
Composer(s)Stephen Lord
Platform(s)Atari Jaguar
Release
  • NA: 21 December 1994
  • EU: 21 December 1994
  • JP: July 1995
Genre(s)Fighting
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Kasumi Ninja is a fighting game developed by Hand Made Software and published by Atari Corporation for the Atari Jaguar. It was first released in North America and Europe on December 21, 1994, and was later released in Japan by Messe Sanoh in July 1995.[1][2][3] It was the first fighting title to be released for the Jaguar, and unsuccessfully sought to capitalize on the trend of ultra violent fighting games started by Midway Games's Mortal Kombat in 1992.[4]

When the elder ninja Gyaku kills two of his fellow elders through black magic and becomes possessed by a powerful demon after breaking the gate to the underworld, it is up to the player to assume the role of any of the playable characters in order to defeat other opponents before Lord Gyaku destroys the Earth. Being one of the first titles announced for the Jaguar before it was launched to the public in November 1993,[5][6][7] Kasumi Ninja was created by the same company who previously developed Dracula the Undead for the Atari Lynx in 1991 and had a troubled development process, undergoing various changes before release.[4][8] It was also one of the first games to feature a parental lockout system, allowing censorship and limiting the violence displayed during gameplay.[9]

Kasumi Ninja received mixed to negative reception when it was released. While it received praise for its visuals, critics panned the controls, sound and slow gameplay, with many reviewers calling it a Mortal Kombat rip-off. By April 1, 1995, the game had sold more than 24,000 copies though it is unknown how many were sold in total during its lifetime and has since been called by some as one of the worst games of all time.[10] A sequel, Kasumi Ninja II, was in development for the Atari Jaguar CD but it was cancelled.[8][11][12]

  1. ^ "Jaguar launches fiercest fighting game ever; Kasumi Ninja sets a new standard in 3D reality and 64-bit power". TheFreeLibrary.com. Business Wire. December 22, 1994. Archived from the original on 2018-07-30. Retrieved 2018-07-30.
  2. ^ Castle, Justin (July 21, 2018). "Historical Atari Jaguar UK Magazine Advert/Reviews Collection". Issuu. p. 340. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-01-04. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
  3. ^ DD (October 14, 2012). "JAGUER販売カタログ". astralunit.blog.fc2.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 25, 2018. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
  4. ^ a b LaMancha, Manny (July 1994). "PreView - Jaguar Special Previews - Kasumi Ninja". GamePro. No. 60. IDG. p. 113.
  5. ^ "Jaguar's Domain". GameFan. Vol. 1, no. 11. Shinno Media. October 1993. pp. 130–133.
  6. ^ Jockey, The Desk (October 1993). "The Cutting Edge - Jaguar Software Showcase". GamePro. No. 51. IDG. p. 19. Archived from the original on 2018-09-02. Retrieved 2018-09-29.
  7. ^ "ATARI SHIPS JAGUAR FOR NEW YORK AND SAN FRANCISCO MARKETS; WORLD'S FIRST 64-BIT INTERACTIVE MULTIMEDIA HOME ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM AVAILABLE". TheFreeLibrary.com. PR Newswire. November 23, 1993. Archived from the original on 2017-07-11. Retrieved 2018-05-28.
  8. ^ a b Sillifant, Ross (2016). "Jim Gregory interview". ataricompendium.com. Archived from the original on 2018-09-29. Retrieved 2018-09-29.
  9. ^ "Kasumi Ninja (Game) - Overview". Giant Bomb. Archived from the original on 2018-09-29. Retrieved 2018-09-29.
  10. ^ "Atari Jaguar Lifetime Sales". betaphasegames.com. Archived from the original on 24 August 2017. Retrieved 2018-07-30.
  11. ^ "Spiele - Jaguar: Kasumi Ninja". Atari Inside (in German). No. 2. falkemedia. February 1995.
  12. ^ "X-CulT: Jaguar CD > Kasumi Ninja II". www.x-cult.org. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 2018-07-30.