Mini Ninja’s, a game I picked up because I was told it was “cute”. As I’ve been struggling to find a game to enjoy recently, I decided to give it a go. I’ll admit, it’s not that bad for a bit of “stress free relax with a bit of fun” time, but it’s not the most interesting game by any chance. In all fairness though, it is aimed at a more younger audience, something older players will become immediately aware of; not because of the story or the graphics, but because of the constant hints the game gives you at the start, far beyond where it needs to.
The basic premise is several ninjas have been sent on a mission to find out what is going on with an unknown evil enemy that has appeared but they do not return. So you, the youngest ninja called Hiro, are dispatched as a last attempt to find out their fate and to try and stop the evil yourself.
For each ninja you rescue, they become a playable character with their own special skills such as the first guy with his huge hammer that bashes things that are too big for Hiro to hurt. Throughout the game though, Hiro is clearly the best of them all as he is the only character capable of casting Kuji magic that can do a variety of things from possess creatures to rain down lightning on your foes. All of this is done in a child friendly way I should add, enemies die in a big poof of smoke, no blood in sight: then after they die, a cute animal appears in their place that then runs free (enemies in this game are animals transformed by magic.)
The game is pretty linear, every level has a definite goal and often only one way to pass a particular part. However the game does offer wide open areas to allow you to attack enemies in a variety of ways, so you can attack them head on, hide in a bush or sneak up behind them – you are a ninja afterall.
As with most games like this, you do level up as you progress, defeating enemies is obviously the primary way of collecting experience but there are also extra’s such as gathering herbs and freeing animals trapped in cages. The more of this you do, the easier the game will be (not that it isn’t easy enough already); even if you decided to do the mad rush through the game though, the further levels will be tougher, but even then, you’ll be able to do it, the checkpoints will ensure you never have to repeat too much.
For anyone with young kinds, or any adults that want a fun simple game, I’d recommend giving Mini Ninjas a go.
You can purchase it at Amazon for the xbox, PS3 and Wii.
