Choose Ninja Hanrei
Choose Ninja Hanrei if you want a Free To Play and Early Access experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. Ninja Hanrei launched in 2020.
Ninja Hanrei vs Ninja 1987
Ninja Hanrei and Ninja 1987 both land in Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam. Ninja Hanrei (2020) is 4 years older than Ninja 1987 (2024). Ninja 1987 scores higher on Steam reviews (93.3% positive) than Ninja Hanrei (84.5% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Ninja 1987
Choose Ninja 1987 if it's the newer release (2024) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Ninja 1987 launched in 2024.
Both Ninja Hanrei and Ninja 1987 sit in Action, Indie, and Adventure on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Ninja Hanrei |  Ninja 1987 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2020 | 2024 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Free To Play, Early Access | Action, Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | 4.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 84.5% positive (116 reviews) | 93.3% positive (15 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | DynKen | SEEP |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Ninja Hanrei (2020) is 4 years older than Ninja 1987 (2024).
- Ninja 1987 scores higher on Steam reviews (93.3% positive) than Ninja Hanrei (84.5% positive).
- Ninja Hanrei is free; Ninja 1987 is paid (4.99 USD).
- Ninja Hanrei is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Ninja 1987 has no Deck rating yet.
Ninja Hanrei vs Ninja 1987 — FAQ
- Should I play Ninja Hanrei or Ninja 1987 first?
- If you want chronology, Ninja Hanrei (2020) came out before Ninja 1987 (2024). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Ninja Hanrei and Ninja 1987 similar?
- They overlap on Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Is Ninja Hanrei free?
- Yes — Ninja Hanrei is a free-to-play Steam title. Ninja 1987 is paid (4.99 USD).
- Does Ninja Hanrei run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Ninja Hanrei is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Ninja 1987 doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.