Developed by Io Interactive
Published by Eidos Interactive
Released for Xbox 360 (9/2009)
Also on DS/iOS/Mac/PC/PS3/Wii
Mini Ninjas is a kid-friendly stealth/action/platformer title from Io Interactive, a crew best known for the Hitman series of games. The game sports some cartoony graphics that have held up well since the game was released. This is a single-player only game, featuring a campaign that should keep you busy for around 10 hours.You'll assemble a small crew and will have the ability to switch your character at will in your journey to take down the evil samurai warlord.
The graphics in Mini Ninjas have a cartoon vibe to them, but they're not cel-shaded like most games that go for this look, giving it a nice distinct look. The environments are detailed and the characters are all designed well, though you will see the same enemies very frequently. Everything looks a bit cute but not so adorable that it hurts to look at. The boss battles are well done and each feels different from the last. The sound design works well and you'll always know when an enemy is nearby, although I'm sure some will be annoyed by the gibberish talk that spews forth from the enemies. The music fits the theme of the game well, though I'm sure you'll struggle to remember any of it once you've turned the game off.
Mini Ninjas features a beefy campaign that spans twenty-two levels, with several boss fights spread throughout. Levels tend to be quite large, allowing for some exploration, and the developers did a nice job making the levels seem even bigger than they really are. There's a decent variety here too, ranging from green forest areas, grassy plains and snow capped mountains. You're on a quest to take down the samurai warlord and restore balance to the land. Apparently they've been transforming animals into their minions to assemble an army. When you take down an enemy, an animal will appear in their place, helping to minimize the violence and keep an "E" for everyone rating. This is actually a pretty cool effect and definitely reminded me of the original Sonic the Hedgehog game.
As you work your way through the campaign you'll rescue additional ninjas and once you've found them all you'll be able to switch between five separate characters on the fly. Each character works better against certain enemies and to maximize efficiency you'll want to switch them up quite frequently. Once you get the archer who can fire an unlimited amount of arrows the game gets a bit easy, so if you wish to keep the challenge up you may want to minimize using that character. Other than the over-powered archer the characters are balanced pretty well and are fun to use.
Mini Ninjas boasts some unique features, one of them being the ability to possess animals. Larger animals like bears and hogs can be used to attack enemies. Also while in animal form collectibles will be marked in your proximity by purple clouds of smoke. You'll also find a fishing rod which you can use at certain water spots to catch some fish and stock sushi in your inventory. Some of the special abilities are more useful than others, with some like the sunlight power being very underutilized. The sunlight power is used to vanquish the ghosts, which if I recall correctly I only saw on two different levels throughout the entire game. Sunlight spell not included, most of the other spells are fun to mess with and you'll find many of them as you progress through the campaign.
While stealth is an aspect of the game and sneaking up on enemies will result in a one-hit kill, the majority of your enemy encounters will involve direct fighting. I had a tough time sneaking up and killing more than an enemy or two before being detected and having to fight everybody else. Later in the game you will get a camouflage spell that will help you sneak up on enemies, but it's still just as difficult to get successive stealth kills. Luckily the fighting in Mini Ninjas isn't too bad, since you'll be doing a lot of it. You have a standard and heavy attack, and when enemies block (which they frequently do) you'll have to use a heavy attack to stagger them and get some easy shots in. Depending on which ninja you're using you'll attack with a different weapon, including katana swords, spears and hammers. Within your inventory you'll be able to hold additional items to use in battle, such as bombs, caltrops and shurikens. Fighting is basic and works well for the most part, with the biggest problem being the "hatted samurai" that show up later in the game and have teleporting abilities. These guys caused me many problems until I figured out that I needed to use the bow & arrow to easily attack them. Other than these guys I didn't have much of an issue with the combat, just try to make sure you don't let the enemies gang up on you.
There is a fair share of platforming in Mini Ninjas and for the most part there's nothing too frustrating. I did run into a few spots where the camera would turn as I walked, causing me to walk right off the edge, but these sections are few and far between and didn't ruin the overall experience. Being a ninja, you have a wall jump that you'll have to utilize every now and then. Your character swims extremely slow, but luckily you can use your hat as a boat in order to traverse the water much quicker.
As with most modern games, there is a progression system in Mini Ninjas. Defeated enemies will drop little balls which will grant the player XP when picked up. As you level up you'll gain bonus perks such as more health and spirit. The spirit meter is depleted when doing special/magic attacks and sprinting. There are also quite few collectibles to seek out if you're the completionist type. There are 100 "Jizo statues" scattered throughout the campaign in addition to caged animals that can be freed (195 of these in total!). Some of the statues are hidden well and if you're not on the lookout for them can be easy to miss. The collectibles help provide a little replay value if you're the type who likes to get everything.
Mini Ninjas is a solid game and a bit more polished than your average "all-ages" game. I'm not sure how popular ninjas are with today's youth, but I know if I would've had this game in my youth I would've loved it. Even as a 30+ year-old I enjoyed having a run through the rather long campaign. If you find it cheap and have a love for anything ninja related, give Mini Ninjas a shot and you just might enjoy yourself. I was a bit surprised how enjoyable a family-friendly ninja game could be!
Final Verdict: Mini Ninjas is a fun, family-friendly action-platformer with a single-player campaign of decent length. Recommended for those who love some ninja action!
Purchase Links:
Buy Mini Ninjas (Digital) - Xbox Marketplace
Buy Mini Ninjas (Disc) - eBay
Related Links:
Mini Ninjas - Official Site
Io Interactive - Official Site
Mini Ninjas - Xbox Store
Mini Ninjas - GameFAQs
Mini Ninjas Achievement Guide - XboxAchievements.com
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