''Oniken'' is a side-scrolling action platform video game developed and published by independent Brazilian studio

Joymasher Thais Weiller is a Brazilian game designer and producer. Together with Danilo Dias she co-founded JoyMasher and released ''Oniken'', ''Odallus'', Blazing Chrome ''Blazing Chrome'' is a run and gun video game developed by JoyMasher and publishe ...

for

Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

OS X macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and lapt ...

and Linux. The game was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows on June 21, 2012, on OS X and Linux on November 20, 2012, and on

Nintendo Switch The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...

on February 1, 2019 as ''Oniken: Unstoppable Edition''. In August 2012, the developers have announced that the game was accepted on

Steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...

Greenlight.

Gameplay

The game has an 8-bit style and follows a classic slasher gameplay formula similar to '' Strider'', '' Ninja Gaiden'' and '' Shatterhand''. The objective in the game is to get to the end of each level and beat the boss for the level. There are six levels in the game and an extra mission with an additional character in '' Contra'' gameplay style after you beat the game.

Plot

Taking place in a post-apocalyptic future, human kind has nearly been completely destroyed by global war. Those few humans that have managed to survive are being oppressed by a cybernetic armada known as the Oniken. A small resistance led by General Zhukov attempt to defend against the Oniken but are ultimately overwhelmed by their forces. Zaku (a legendary ninja mercenary, with an unknown past) who is believed to be the only one capable of stopping the Oniken, is approached by Zhukov and asked to join the resistance movement against the robotic forces, to which Zaku obliges.

Development

''Oniken'' was developed by the duo consisting of friends Danilo Dias (JoyMasher) and Pedro Paiva (then Arcaica, now Menos Playstation) as a means for them to pay homage to their favorite games from the

8-bit In computer architecture, 8-bit Integer (computer science), integers or other Data (computing), data units are those that are 8 bits wide (1 octet (computing), octet). Also, 8-bit central processing unit (CPU) and arithmetic logic unit (ALU) arc ...

era, such as '' Ninja Gaiden'', '' Contra'', '' Kabuki Quantum Fighter'', ''

Shadow of the Ninja ''Shadow of the Ninja'', originally released in Japan as and later released in Europe and Australia as ''Blue Shadow'', is a side-scrolling action game developed by Natsume for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1990. The game revolves ...

'' and '' Vice: Project Doom''. Zaku's character design was highly inspired by that of Kenshiro from '' Fist of the North Star'' fame.

Reception

Shortly after release, ''Oniken'' was included in the July Jubilee bundle, part of the series of bundles on Indie Royale, a Desura indie bundle service. It received a score of 7/10 on Destructoid. Multiplayer.it gave it 8.0/10.

References

External links

Last archived version of official website
( Wayback Machine) {{Portal bar, Video games 2012 video games Action games Video games about cyborgs Indie games Linux games MacOS games Video games about ninja Nintendo Switch games Platformers Post-apocalyptic video games Retro-style video games Video games about robots Science fiction video games Side-scrolling video games Single-player video games Steam Greenlight games Video games developed in Brazil Video games featuring female protagonists Windows games Xbox One games Japan in non-Japanese culture JoyMasher games