Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja — Everything We Know

The 2023 Tokyo Game Show event had lots in store for us. Among the surprises made on that day was the revival of the Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja series. It only took 16 years for developer Success to reboot the series for modern-day consoles. They previously launched the game for the Nintendo DS in Japan in June 2006. Then, later, it was re-released it in North America in February 2007 under the name “Izuna: The Legend of the Ninja.” 

But what more do we know about the upcoming Izuna game? Is there a story and gameplay trailer out yet? When exactly will the game come out? Follow along on our Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja— Everything We Know to learn more.

What is Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja?

Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed is an upcoming roguelike dungeon-crawler game currently in development by Success Corporation. The upcoming game is tentatively called “Izuna,” making it unclear whether it’ll pick up where the original series left off or usher in a new era on the whole.

Izuna is a reboot of the Izuna: The Legend of the Ninja series, which was originally released on Nintendo DS platforms in Japan in June 2006 and later in North America in February 2007. Following a relatively successful launch, developer Success went on to release the sequel, Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns. 

The two entries spanned a cult following that has since thought the series had come to an end. Announcing the upcoming reboot at the 2023 Tokyo Game Show event is certainly a welcome surprise that many of Izuna’s fans appreciate.

Story

The announcement at the 2023 Tokyo Game Show event was very brief: a mere few seconds in total. Its goal was to announce the development of a new Izuna game, and so we barely have any concrete details on the story yet.

If the original series is anything to go by, we can perhaps expect to enjoy a quirky storyline. The original story followed the titular character, Izuna. She was a 16-year-old girl born and raised to become a kunoichi. After old master Mugen declares ninjas obsolete and kicks Izuna and her clan out of his castle, they’re forced to find a safe haven somewhere else.

They come to a village that worships the gods. Izuna tries to steal a large floating crystal and offends the gods of the village in the process. So, to set things straight, she has to descend into an ever-changing maze where monsters lurk around every corner. 

Whether the upcoming game follows the same story is unclear. However, the announcement featured Izuna herself, so there is a high chance that the new story will revolve around Izuna and possibly her adventures in the same dungeon shrines for the gods or new ones.

Gameplay

Like the story, the announcement at TGS 2023 didn’t reveal anything about Izuna’s gameplay. So, all we can go by is the original series, seeing as the announcement video description reads:

Here I come!

The kunoichi Izuna returns to the modern era!

Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja, a Japanese-style dungeon RPG previously released on DS, has begun development on Switch and PC (Steam) with a new look!

Please look forward to seeing what form Izuna will take after 16 long years!

The original Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja is a dungeon-crawler RPG with randomly generated dungeons. It’s pretty akin to the Mystery Dungeon series, although we do hope developer Success Corporation finds Izuna’s unique flair to stand out in the sea of dungeon crawlers out there.

The gameplay was predominantly turn-based. Izuna would move a tiel or take an action that led to the monsters crawling the dungeons to move or attack too. According to critics, the original series incorporated high difficulty, which spanned a cult following. The high difficulty is also perhaps due to the roguelike nature of the game.

If Izuna is KO’ed while in the game’s ever-changing mazes, a villager will carry her back to the village. She would lose all the items and money on her, except the ones that have a Kikan talisman on them. Once players complete the first dungeon, they will be able to store their loot in a warehouse where they can reserve and recover weapons and equipment if they are KO’ed.

It’s unclear whether the new Izuna game will follow the same gameplay or revamp it in line with modern-day gaming. However, we’ll be sure to let you know once Success announces the gameplay for the new game.

Development

Developer Success, Atlus, and 505 Games originally developed Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja, while developer Success published the game. This time, developer Succes Corporation will take the reins on the development process. They first announced the development of a new Izuna game at the TGS 2023 event. 

According to the video game description, Izuna will receive a “new look.” Having spent 16 years in the shadows watching games like Mystery Dungeon take the lead in the Japanese-style roguelike RPG space, it’s certainly interesting to see how Success will ensure Izuna stands out from the crows and what the new form the final product will take looks like.

Trailer

The only trailer we have for now is the announcement trailer at TGS 2023. It’s barely revealing of the story or gameplay, merely announcing the development of a new Izuna game to the world.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Unfortunately, Success has yet to announce an exact release date or window for the new Izuna game. They have, however, announced that they’re developing the game for the Nintendo Switch and PC via the Steam platform. We don’t know of any editions that will be available on launch day either.

Clearly, there’s still plenty of story, gameplay, and release date details we’re yet to find out. However, do stay tuned, as we’ll be sure to let you know of any new information as soon as it comes up.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja when it drops? Let us know over on our socials here.