Inverse Ninjas VS. The Public Domain is a 2023 bullet hell video game developed by Herosoft and Trainwreck Studios. In the game, the player assumes the role of a character from the American public domain and must eliminate ninjas.^[1] The game garnered media attention as the first creative work in 2024 to use Mickey Mouse, following an early version of the character entering the public domain in the United States.^[2][3][4][5]

A Kickstarter campaign for a story mode, titled Rule of Inverse Ninjas, was started on March 26th, 2024. The campaign is currently ongoing.

Plot

The "Gyaku Ninja clan" use the "Law of Fiction" in an attempt to increase their control over the planet. To stop this from happening, the "Gods of Fiction" have sent their most iconic warriors, who are all from the public domain, to stop the Ninjas.^[6]

Gameplay

The game is a top-down arena shooter, playable by 1 to 4 people. Players can choose from 5 unique characters and 4 guns. Gameplay involves fending off ever increasing hordes of Ninjas. Players can make use of power ups such as health pick ups, sticky webs and black holes to help fight enemies.^[6]

Playable characters

• W. Sherlock Holmes: originated from the books and stories released from 1887 to 1927 by Arthur Conan Doyle.
• Alice: known from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland from 1865 and Through the Looking-Glass from 1871 by Lewis Carroll. Formerly named "Alice Liddel" based on the real Alice Liddell, upon whom Carroll based his books. Her name was changed to simply "Alice" in an update on January 14, 2024, due to Carroll's alleged intention to marry her while she was still underaged.^[7]
• Sun Wukong, the Monkey King: known from the Chinese novel Journey to the West from the sixteenth century, written by Wu Cheng'en.
• Winnie the Pooh: known from the book Winnie-the-Pooh from 1926 by A.A. Milne.
• Mickey Mouse: known from Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks' animated short film Steamboat Willie from 1928. This character was added in January 2024 when it entered the American public domain.
• Dan Backslide: known from Chuck Jones' animated short film The Dover Boys at Pimento University, from 1942. The film's copyright was not renewed, so it lapsed into the public domain. He was added to the game on February 5, 2024.^[8]

Future Characters

• Felix the Cat: from the cartoon series formerly created by Pat Sullivan and Otto Messmer. The game uses a design closer to that of Felix's silent film era, as his modern design has not yet lapsed into the public domain, and isn't due to until circa 2026 when the Felix the Cat short "Oceantics" enters the public domain.