In the ongoing popularity war between ninjas and zombies, the latter seem to be edging ahead in 2009. We've battled the undead in Resident Evil, Plants vs. Zombies, Zombie Apocalypse and can't wait to see more Dead Rising 2. As far as ninjas go, we suffered through Ninja Blade and the Street Fighter/Chun-Li movie. Outside of Street Fighter IV, our favorite brand of stealthy warriors have been having an off year.
So we're already sharpening our shuriken in preparation for Mini Ninjas, a cartoony third-person action game announced in January. The game stars newbie ninja named Hiro, who uses his special powers to take on an evil Samurai warlord who's hell bent on destroying the planet (and Hiro's serene ninja village) by turning animals into his mindless minions. It's a familiar story, filled with pro-green messaging that we've seen in countless other Japanese games like Zelda: Twilight Princess, Blue Dragon and Okami.
Like any do-gooder protagonist, the naïve, but good-natured Hiro sets off to bring balance back to nature, by taking out enemies using shuriken, his magic abilities and by tossing potions. Hiro can then be swapped out on the fly with other characters that he meets during the game. His best friend Futo, a lummox with a big hammer and a powerful swing, can be used to smash down doors and take down larger enemies. Along the way, the two save the small but speedy Suzanne, who also joins their party. Based on the empty slots we observed in the character selector during the recent pre-E3 demo, others will be unlockable, but we only saw Hiro, Futo and Suzanne for now.
Each character has its own super moves and special abilities. Hiro can freeze time and take out several enemies at once, and he can possess animals. Take over a bear to knock down larger enemies, use a fox to sneak up behind enemies or a wild boar to mow down a group. Futo can similarly roll into a giant ball and crush a group of advancing enemies and Suzanne uses her flute to distract enemies while she takes them out with punches and kicks. As the characters progress through the missions, they earn experience which can then be used to buy upgrades. If that's not enough strategic options for you, the game will also include a potion crafting system using collected plants and other items from around the world.
While the game's creators seem serious about adding layers of strategic elements, the game still manages to keep a great sense of humor, whether it's the enemies' funny murmurs or the giant "fart boss" (working title) hiding in a castle. You have to avoid the fart boss' hot air (by hiding or jumping) and figure out how to use his own stink against him. While funny, it was still a challenging fight. It took a few tries to learn the farting patterns (ha!) and then how to lure the gas back to him, which triggers a button-mashing event. Pull this off three times, and the windy boss gets blown away, so to speak.
Why ninjas, you ask? Ulirk Hauen-Limkilde from IO Interactive says the logic is simple, "Ninjas are just pretty cool." We have to agree. We're definitely looking forward to tapping into our inner ninja when this cute, and surprisingly in-depth game, hits Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii and DS in September.
Reader Comments (1)
i agree. ninjas are pretty damn cool.