Play Ikki Online

Summary

Ikki is a fast‑paced top‑down shooter that drops you into a frantic ninja‑filled arena with just an 8‑way stick and a single button. You fling a homing sickle that seeks out the nearest foe, and in two‑player mode a partner can join as Tago, sharing the same simple control scheme. The screen constantly tracks your score and a tiny map that marks eight gold koban coins you must snatch to clear each stage.

The enemy roster reads like a ninja‑school roster: black and red ninjas, bomber types that launch explosives, and even wild boars that charge across the screen. Red ninjas are quicker and hand out double points, while ghosts (yōkai) temporarily block your sickle and handmaidens can freeze you in place. Collecting all the coins—or catching the occasional daikan—advances you, and grabbing an onigiri launches a quirky bonus round where a wandering sennin tosses more onigiri for extra points and a possible extra life.

The original arcade version strings together eight looping levels, each more relentless than the last. Lives are precious; a single hit from an enemy or projectile ends it, making the balance between aggressive sickle‑throwing and careful navigation a constant, satisfying tension.

Storyline

Ikki, the classic arcade game set in medieval Japan, puts you in a poor farming village that is planning an insurrection against its feudal overlord.

You play as Gonbe, a humble farmer, and in two‑player mode you can team up with Tago to take on the enemy.

Your mission is to battle wave after wave of ninjas, clearing the path so the villagers can overthrow the oppressive lord.

The narrative unfolds with vertical Japanese text and dialogue that feel straight out of a jidaigeki film, giving the action a cinematic, period‑drama flavor.