1-bit Ninja is a 2011 platformer game developed and published by Kode80. In the game, the player controls a ninja who must avoid enemies and collect coins throughout thirty levels. The player may adjust the camera to a three-dimensional perspective to reveal hidden platforms. 1-bit Ninja was released on June 23, 2011, for iOS.
In1-bit Ninja, the player controls the Ninja, who can jump on enemies to defeat them.[1] While the Ninja can move across the level, they cannot go backwards.[1] The player is required to collect coins in each of the thirty levels.[2] They may turn the camera to unlock a three-dimensional perspective that reveals hidden platforms.[1][3][4] With the Tiled Map Editor, players can create their own levels.[5]
1-bit Ninja was developed by Kode80, the studio of Ben Hopkins.[4] He was inspired by his childhood experiences from playing the Game & Watch series.[4] While the game was scheduled to released at the end of May,[4]1-Bit Ninja was released for iOS on June 23, 2011.[1][6][7] In October 2011, the game was given Game Center support and video exporting.[8] In March 2012, a fifth world was added and a lite version was released,[9][10] which contains five levels, checkpoints, and replays.[11] In December 2014, the game was released for iOS 8 and iPad.[2]Anendless runner sequel titled 1-bit Ninja Remix Rush was released on January 8, 2015, for iOS.[12][13]
1-bit Ninja received a "generally favorable" rating on Metacritic.[14] The pixelated art style was praised.[16][20][15] Jared Nelson of TouchArcade praised the game's graphics for having a "ton of character and style".[18]
The difficulty of the gameplay was received negatively.[21][17] Carter Dotson of TouchArcade found that the challenging gameplay made players decide where they should move the player-character.[19]Time magazine praised the game's ability to combine the "flattest gaming technology" with the third dimension.[22]
