Zen: Intergalactic Ninja is an action platformer game developed and published by Konami, released for both the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy in 1993, based on the comic book Zen the Intergalactic Ninja created in 1987.
You play as Zen, a blue Ninja warrior who is on a mission to stop the evil alien Lord Contaminous and his loyal minions from wrecking and destroying Planet Earth with toxic waste and pollution. Zen battles through five different scenarios, consisting of a toxic factory, a rain forest, a burning oil tanker, an industrial mine, and finally Lord Contaminous' underground palace. Along the way, Zen faces down Lord Contaminous' cronies, who will him attack every which way. Zen however is a more than capable warrior, and he has different power ups and skills to thwart them.
The gameplay consists of Zen moving in a side-scrolling action as he battles dangerous enemies and leaps over obstacles. He can attack with his photon sword, either by slashing or lifting enemies and slamming them. Some levels however, place Zen in a Isometric view, which has impressive zoom-in sprite effects for the console.
As was typical of the time, the game contains a heavy Green Aesop, but Zen's strong gameplay and powerful soundtrack provided by Konami's finest has let it establish an identity of its own as a standout NES title.
This game contains examples of:
- Apocalypse How: The entire Earth is suffering from Planetary-Scale Civilization Disruption as a result of the doings of Lord Contaminous' goons. And in the final battle, Contaminous himself is using many asteroids to bring Earth closer to Planetary-Scale Physical Annihilation unless you stop him in time.
- Big Bad: Lord Contaminous is polluting the planet with his goons and its up to Zen to stop them.
- Bonus Stage: A sequence where Zen knocks bits of garbage that fall through chutes into the recycle bin. He gets bigger bonuses the more pieces you hit, like extra lives, health refills, and health extensions.
- Eternal Engine: The Toxic Factory stage. Zen set some bombs to the place and has to escape before the bombs explode.
- Green Aesop: As was typical of the time. The game has a very big pro-environmental message.
- Healing Factor: Zen can restore his health meter with the Ultra Intensive Meditation ability. He can do this a certain number of times.
- Heart Container: Given as a reward in the bonus stage, which extends Zen's life meter.
- Minecart Madness: The High Speed Railway stage takes Zen on a furious minecart ride. He has to hit switches to alter his direction.
- Polluted Wasteland: What Lord Contaminous aims to turn Planet Earth into with his Toxic, Inc. business. Its also the final stage where his palace resides.
- Ninja: An intergalactic ninja, but Zen is still an awesome ninja all the same.
- Toxic, Inc.: Lord Contaminous' whole operation. To turn the entirety of Earth into a wasteland.
