Sexy ninja girls are back after a 16 year hiatus.

The 2023 Tokyo Game Show has once again impressed fans with the exciting announcement of IZUNA (working title) by SUCCESS Corporation. This highly anticipated revival brings back the beloved roguelike Nintendo DS series, Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja.

The game is set to be available on Nintendo Switch and PC, although a specific release date has yet to be announced. Unfortunately, no gameplay footage was showcased during the event, leaving fans (and myself) eagerly awaiting more details.

Originally developed by Ninja Studio, for gaijin who don’t know of Izuna, the gameplay is very reminiscent of older Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games and Shiren the Wanderer if it were pink.

It’s a delightful blend of familiar mechanics with its own unique charm, making it an enjoyable experience for players.

Essentially, an RPG game with dungeon crawling / exploration mechanics, with a unique and vibrant art style because Izuna certainly managed to capture a lot of attention back during the mid to later 2000s.

Thanks to effective marketing by ATLUS and captivating official artwork, Izuna managed to leave a lasting impression on players.

But obviously, Izuna wasn’t popular enough as the series seemingly had been shelved since 2008 so it comes as a total shock to see the announcement for IZUNA revival, and the possibility of HD ports of the original first two games quite surprising. It’s unexpected news that takes fans on a trip down memory lane before catching them by surprise.

The term “revival” suggests that there is potential for a brand new installment in the franchise in the future, especially if IZUNA proves to be successful. This gives reason to be optimistic about the prospect of a fresh addition to the series down the line.

If I were to speculate about the upcoming IZUNA revival game, I envision it adopting a modernized low-polygon 3D design, similar to games like Omega Labyrinth.

While this approach may differ from the original, it would still be a valid and acceptable direction for the game to take.