''Ninja Golf'' is an
Atari 7800
The Atari 7800 ProSystem, or simply the Atari 7800, is a home video game console officially released by Atari Corporation in 1986 as the successor to both the Atari 2600 and Atari 5200. It can run almost all Atari 2600 cartridges, making it one o ...
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
developed by
Blue Sky Software
BlueSky Software was an American video game developer based in California. Formed in 1988, BlueSky closed in March 2001, when parent company Titus Interactive was in financial trouble. The BlueSky trademark continued to be owned by Titus Interac ...
which combines
scrolling beat 'em up and
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...
gameplay. Released in 1990, it was one of the final eleven games
Atari Corporation
Atari Corporation was an American manufacturer of computers and video game consoles. It was founded by Jack Tramiel on May 17, 1984, as Tramel Technology, Ltd., but then took on the Atari name less than two months later when WarnerMedia, Warn ...
released in 1990-91 for the 7800 before dropping support for the system.
In 2022, it was included in the video game compilation ''
Atari 50
''Atari 50'' (subtitled ''The Anniversary Celebration'') is a video game compilation and interactive documentary about the history of Atari that comprises newly shot interviews with former Atari employees, archival footage, emulated games from th ...
''.
Gameplay
The player starts each hole by aiming their ball and shooting it toward the green, then runs toward the ball, in traditional
side-scrolling video game
''
A side-scrolling video game (alternatively side-scroller), is a game viewed from a side-view camera angle where the screen follows the player as they move left or right. The jump from single-screen or flip-screen graphics to scrolling graphic ...
fashion, fighting various enemies encountered along the way. These enemies include other ninjas, gophers, birds, giant mutant frogs, sharks and more, depending on the environment the ninja golfer is currently in. Sharks are encountered in water hazards and snakes in the sand traps. Ninjas are encountered in all the environments, including underwater.
Reception
AllGame
RhythmOne , previously known as Blinkx, and also known as RhythmOne Group, is an American digital advertising technology company that owns and operates the web properties AllMusic, AllMovie, and SideReel.
Blinkx was founded in 2004, went publ ...
gave the game a two and a half star rating out of five.
The review noted the repetitive gameplay and lack of replay value.
In an AtariHQ review, Matthew Lippart praised the fighting, disliked the golf elements, and concluded with "a good game that's worth having just because it's friggin' weird." Atari 7800 Forever gave it a 4 out of 5, praising the whimsical gameplay and the overall fun factor of the game.
In 2011,
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
called the game's box cover one of the most notable in video game history.
See also
*''
Aqua Teen Hunger Force Zombie Ninja Pro-Am
''Aqua Teen Hunger Force Zombie Ninja Pro-Am'' is a video game based on the Adult Swim animated television series, ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force''. It is a hybrid kart racing/fighting/golf game that takes place on several New Jersey golf courses. It was ...
''
References
{{reflist
1990 video games
Atari 7800 games
Atari 7800-only games
Atari games
Beat 'em ups
Golf video games
Japan in non-Japanese culture
Video games about ninja
Video games developed in the United States