Software:Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja

From HandWiki
Short description: 2006 video game
Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja
European box art
Developer(s)Ninja Studio
Publisher(s)
Platform(s)Nintendo DS
Release
  • JP: June 8, 2006
  • NA: February 20, 2007
  • EU: October 12, 2007
Genre(s)Roguelike, dungeon crawler
Mode(s)Single-player

Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja, known in Japan as Gōma Reifu Den Izuna (降魔霊符伝イヅナ; lit. "Devil-conquering Soul Talisman Legend Izuna") and in Europe as Izuna: The Legend of the Ninja, is a Nintendo DS dungeon crawler video game developed by Success and Ninja Studio and published by Atlus USA in the United States and by 505 Games in Europe. It was followed by a sequel, Software:Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns, in 2007.

Plot

Izuna and her ninja clan are looking for a place to settle down after their old master Mugen decided that ninjas were obsolete, and booted them from his castle. Upon arriving at a village that's suitably out of the way for their "Grandboss", Gen-An, they decide to stay at an inn when Grandboss wanders off.

While trying to find Grandboss, Izuna manages to offend the gods of the village, and everyone in the area starts behaving strangely. Now Izuna has to descend into the various shrines for the gods in order to set things right.

Characters

Izuna's group

  • Izuna: A 16-year-old girl who was born and raised as a kunoichi. She's stubborn, and often doesn't listen to others. Izuna travels with the remainder of her recently unemployed clan, Gen-An, Shino, and Mitsumoto (whom she calls her slave).
  • Shino: A girl whom Izuna looks up to like an older sister. More on the short tempered side than Izuna but is kind at heart, as read in the comic on the official site. She is referred to by Izuna as Shino-Sis (シノ姉, Shino-nee). Also has the dubious honor of being the DS's "first flat-chested character", according to the US official site.[1]
  • Gen-An: Formerly the leader of their ninja village, but now just the leader of their group of unemployed ninjas. The others in the group just refer to him as "Grandboss".
  • Mitsumoto: The last member of the group, Izuna doesn't treat him with any respect, mostly because he doesn't stand up for himself and doesn't seem to have any real ninja abilities. His skirt-chasing tendencies probably do nothing to raise his esteem in Izuna's eyes.

Gods

  • Shuuchi: The god of Earth, he follows a warrior's code and uses a sword as his weapon.
  • Fuuka: The goddess of Wind, a calm and kind being. Legend says she has quite a temper that she uses to keep people in line.
  • Kagen: The hot-blooded god of Fire, he is an "act first ask questions later" sort who can turn his forearms into claws.
  • Suiren: The goddess of Water who is similar to Izuna in personality, and very mature despite her appearance.
  • Utsuho: The god of air, very kind and cool in personality.
  • Takushiki: The god of Consciousness. He hates dishonesty in all its forms yet keeps his own secrets from others. He is also the leader of the other five gods.

Gameplay

Izuna is a dungeon crawler game with randomly generated dungeons, much like the Mystery Dungeon series. Inside the dungeons, gameplay is effectively turn-based, with monsters in the dungeon getting to move or attack every time Izuna moves a tile or takes an action. If Izuna should get KO'ed inside the dungeon, a passerby will bring her back to the village, but she will lose all the items and money she was holding, except for equipment with the Kikan talisman attached to it. However, after completing the first dungeon, the player is able to store items and money in a warehouse, allowing the storage of reserve weapons and items in case Izuna is KO'ed.

Reception and legacy

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic66/100[2]
Review scores
PublicationScore
1Up.comB[3]
Eurogamer6/10[4]
Game Informer3.5/10[5]
GameProStarStarStarHalf star[6]
GameSpot6.7/10[7]
GameZone7.5/10[8]
IGN6.9/10[9]
Nintendo Power6.5/10[10]
Nintendo World Report6.5/10[11]
X-PlayStarStarStar[12]

The game received "average" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[2] Some reviewers enjoyed the game's high difficulty and quirky storyline, while others panned the game for a perceived lack of depth, difficulty, and battling. Reviewers also noted that the game does not use any additional DS features, such as the microphone, touch-screen or Wi-Fi. The game did gain something of a cult following and was popular enough to spawn the sequel, Software:Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns.

Izuna and Shino appear in Success and Atlus' 2007 game Rondo of Swords as unlockable characters.[13] Izuna additionally appears in Ninja Studio's fighting game Windy X Windam.[14][15]

In September 2023, Success announced a new game in the series to be in development for release on Steam and Nintendo Switch.[16]

References

  1. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20070523193127/http://www.atlus.com/izuna/comic.html Izuna Released!
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja for DS Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/izuna-legend-of-the-unemployed-ninja/critic-reviews/?platform=ds. 
  3. ↑ Barnholt, Ray (February 23, 2007). "Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja". http://www.1up.com/reviews/izuna. 
  4. ↑ Parkin, Simon (April 18, 2007). "Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja". http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/izuna-legend-of-the-unemployed-ninja-review. 
  5. ↑ Juba, Joe (April 2007). "Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja". Game Informer (168). http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/6F2278B2-95F9-48EF-B26B-A2CB658059E4.htm. Retrieved January 6, 2016. 
  6. ↑ Flasherman (March 5, 2007). "Review: Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja". GamePro. http://www.gamepro.com/nintendo/ds/games/reviews/103768.shtml. Retrieved January 7, 2016. 
  7. ↑ Magrino, Tom (March 1, 2007). "Izuna: The Legend of the Unemployed Ninja Review [sic"]. http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/izuna-the-legend-of-the-unemployed-ninja-review/1900-6166638/. 
  8. ↑ Hopper, Steven (February 19, 2007). "IZUNA: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja - NDS - Review". GameZone. http://www.gamezone.com/reviews/izuna_legend_of_the_unemployed_ninja_nds_review. 
  9. ↑ Bozon, Mark (February 23, 2007). "Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja Review". http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/02/24/izuna-legend-of-the-unemployed-ninja-review. 
  10. ↑ "Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja". Nintendo Power 213: 88. March 2007. 
  11. ↑ Kaluszka, Aaron (April 4, 2007). "Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja". Nintendo World Report. http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/13278/izuna-legend-of-the-unemployed-ninja-nintendo-ds. 
  12. ↑ Smith, D.F. (February 21, 2007). "Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja". X-Play. http://www.g4tv.com/xplay/reviews/1415/Izuna_Legend_of_the_Unemployed_Ninja.html. 
  13. ↑ "Official Rondo of Swords Website: Character". Atlus. http://www.atlus.com/rondoofswords/character.html. 
  14. ↑ Spencer (July 31, 2009). "Windy X Windam Breezes Into Europe". Siliconera. http://www.siliconera.com/2009/07/31/windy-x-windam-breezes-into-europe/. 
  15. ↑ "Windy X Windam". http://www.graffitientertainment.com/games/windywindam. 
  16. ↑ "Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja revival IZUNA announced for Switch, PC" (in en-US). 2023-09-21. https://www.gematsu.com/2023/09/izuna-legend-of-the-unemployed-ninja-revival-izuna-announced-for-switch-pc. 
  • Gifford, Kevin. "Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja". (January 2007) Newtype USA. Volume 6 Number 1 page 131.
  • Official website Script error: The function "in_lang" does not exist.
  • Official website Script error: The function "in_lang" does not exist.
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.




Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:Izuna:_Legend_of_the_Unemployed_Ninja&oldid=3967907"