Review: Mini Ninjas

It’s hard not to expect something from a developer who specializes in specific genres and similar titles. IO Interactive, the studio behind the popular shooter titles Hitman and Kane and Lynch, threw the world a curveball when they announced Mini Ninjas, their first foray into the action genre that surprisingly garnered an E10+ rating from the ESRB. Mini Ninjas‘ feudal Japanese backdrop and simple, cartoon-style visuals show that the developer can move on to a different direction, but can IO Interactive successfully pull it off? In word, yes.
Gamers starting up Mini Ninjas are greeted with an attractively-animated introduction detailing the use of ancient Kuji magic around the countryside by a nefarious ne’er-do-well. The Evil Samurai Warlord (that is his name) had oppressed the land with the magic long ago, but had been defeated and banished forever. As one might expect, forever doesn’t necessarily mean forever, and as terrible storms started appearing far to the northeast the Ninja Master became concerned. He sent out some of his pupils to scout the area and return with information. When the first didn’t return, he sent out another, and yet another. People around the villages began to speak of seeing samurai bearing a strange emblem herding off caged animals towards the mountains where the Evil Samurai Warlord’s previously defunct castle stands. When the fourth of the Ninja Master’s pupils did not return, he turned towards his last two ninjas, Hiro and Futo.

Players are then placed into the socks and sandals of Hiro, the primary ninja featured throughout the title. Hiro (as well as the each of the rest of the later-unlockable ninjas) has a primary attack and a power attack, can block, crouch, sprint, jump, and use a special ability. Unlike the rest of the ninja crew, Hiro is able to use Kuji magic, utilizing a set amount of Ki energy to use destructive magic or specialty magic, including one spell that allows him to enter the spirit realm to possess and control animals.

The primary objectives in the game are quite simple, to A.) find and rescue the missing ninjas, and B.) put a stop to whatever force is causing chaos across the land. To do so, the eponymous heroes have to defeat the Samurai minions and free caged animals. Several options are available for conquering opponents, the most-obvious and most-used being the different weapons that each ninja wields. The approach, however, can be drastically different. Players can crouch in tall grass to become invisible, and use this newfound stealth to perform one-hit stealth kills. Players can bypass enemies by staying invisible or by using Hiro’s spirit form to possess harmless creatures (like frogs) and simple mosey by the opposition. Lastly, players can push through the enemy ranks like a true warrior would do, earning plenty of experience in the process.

The caged animals are a strange central addition to the game. The animals, as it turns out, are being transformed into soulless fiends by the Evil Samurai Warlord’s Kuji magic. Each defeated enemy drops experience, health, or unstable Ki energy (used for special abilities), and a cute little critter that promptly runs away. Freeing caged animals, like defeating enemies, drops experience for the player to gather. Later in the game, though, the player will come across an enemy that can turn animals in the area into the corresponding enemy type. Weaker animals, like rabbits and foxes, are the basic foe littered about every area; however, monkeys turn into a fierce quick-moving Samurai capable of teleporting, bears turn into the gigantic Oni-type Samurai (Big Ones) that can only be defeated by Futo, and various other animals turn into the stronger, more capable Red Samurai that are generally harder to defeat.

Because the various approaches and enemy types, what could have been a simple button-masher is turned into something of a thinking player’s brawler. Archers are easily dispatched, but can just as easily damage a player not expecting to be caught in a volley. Big Ones can only be attacked by Futo. Naginata-wielding “Spearmen” must be attacked from behind or by distance/AOE magic. Because of these stipulations, the player must consider who to attack first and with what available ninja. Surprisingly enough, each ninja’s weapon plays an important role against the enemy being faced. Kunoichi’s naginata is best against the spearmen because of its range, Tora’s power attack can stun any defending samurai in his wake, and Shun is fantastic as a ranged fighter but quickly becomes useless as the opposition comes in close. Unfortunately, almost the entire game can be conquered with Hiro and Futo alone. The options given for attack are of course available, they just never quite seem necessary.

The only real let-downs so far as combat is concerned are with the boss battles. Each boss aside from the final one is dispatched with a sequence of button presses, also known as quick-time events. Each of these has to be approached a specific way, and then player has to input the correct buttons at the correct times. Rinse and repeat twice, and the boss is finished. Save for the final boss, no spells or attacks are necessary to defeat the lumbering Captains of the Evil Samurai Warlord’s army.

Although I would not describe Mini Ninjas as an open-world type game, there is more than enough to do within the title to keep fans of the realm happy. Each area is littered with various ingredients like mushrooms and flowers. Temples operated by the bird-like Tengu can be found, and from the Tengu players can buy recipes for items like health potions, ginseng brews to restore Ki, and even defense items like the “Flask of Arrow Shield,” a strange item that upon consumption will ward off arrows. Players can fish to create Sushi (another healing item), and collectible Jizo statues are hidden in nooks and crannies, quite often in areas far from the action.

The game’s graphics are sure to be a main appeal for a large percentage of the audience. Simply put, the visuals are gorgeous. Hand-painted backgrounds show distant mountains covered in snow, white flower petals drop from a bent tree on a cliff into the flowing river below, fields of dandelions are traversed by clouds of floating seeds, and quaint Japanese villages lie peaceful in their abandonment. Though far from the high-resolution textures and intense polygon counts of modern action games, Mini Ninjas pulls off a graphical charm that is almost totally unrivaled by anything on the market.

Setting up a similar atmosphere is the music of the game. Anyone who played the early-release demo might have been concerned over the use of what seemed to be only percussion instruments. The final release has a very well-composed and extremely well-orchestrated soundtrack that stays true to the Japanese-based style. Though not particularly memorable, each piece of music lends itself to the scene being shown perfectly.

Although the romp through the game doesn’t take long (I would estimate my play through at about 12 hours), there is plenty to go back and discover. Players may pass up several of the shrines where new spells are learned, and the trophies/achievements can be unlocked by freeing all caged animals, finding all Jizo statues, and performing specific actions within different parts of the game. Luckily, each chapter that has been played can be returned to at any time to fulfill these requirements.

What holds Mini Ninjas back is what IO Interactive wanted to do differently. Current-generation console players expect more from a full-retail release, including online multiplayer, co-operative play, stat tracking, et cetera. Mini Ninjas delivers none of these. Instead, it gives a very solid, very kid-friendly, and a very aesthetically-pleasing single-player experience. The simple plot and graphics give the game a lazy Sunday kind of appeal, and the multitude of available collectibles and varied combat options are just enough to keep many players hooked. Anyone who enjoys titles that are less of modern gaming complexities and more like throwbacks to simpler games will find plenty to love in Mini Ninjas.