We recently got to try out Eidos and IO Interactive’s quirky little fighter Mini Ninjas, set to release next month, and while the game itself is catered towards a younger audience, there are plenty of interesting concepts and characters to make any member of the family enjoy what the game has to offer.

From the start you will almost instantly notice a design similar to that of last year’s animated film, Kung Fu Panda.  The characters resemble the same shape, the game is set in Japan and there are plenty of furry animals scattering about.  But while Kung Fu Panda starred animals that could perform martial arts, Mini Ninjas has you in control of a team of ninjas…mini ones.  The main ninja is a young boy named Hiro who soon finds out that his homeland has been overrun by evil Samurai warriors.   In order to regain control back and save the forest, Hiro and his friends must defeat the Samurai once and for all.

The basic concept of Mini Ninjas is fending off enemies, exploring the lands to complete objectives and venturing on to the next area to continue the story.  Fighting enemies is as simple as smashing the attack button to use your desired weapon.  Utilizing jump attacks and long-ranged weapons, such as shurikens, cherry bombs and more, can also add to the strategy when going in to every battle.  In the small portion of the game we played, we also got a chance to control two other ninjas, Futo, who wields a giant hammer, and Suzume, who uses a dart gun.  You can swap back and forth between these characters at any time so you never have to worry about drudging through the game with only one selected character using only a handful of skills.

Hiro also has a unique ability to control animals that wander the lands, and doing so allow him to fly over gaps, swim faster in the water or even attack enemies.  There was one portion that saw us controlling a chicken to flap over a broken bridge and then consume a panda to barrel through a horde of enemies.  What makes this game even more charming (and kid friendly) is the fact that enemies simply do not die, they transform back into furry animals that scamper off into the forest once free.  Reminiscent of the way Sonic’s enemies transformed back into furry critters once defeated, Mini Ninjas has the same style of charming fun once you defeat enemies.

Mini Ninjas also has various moments that help break up the action, such as white water rafting down the river (using your hat as a boat), fishing for sushi, or collection ingredients to make potions that can be used to boost your stats or attack enemies.  From the twenty minutes or so that we played, there was already a wide assortment of various tasks and battles to engage in, so you never have to worry about running around looking for something to do.  With all of the adult oriented games out in the market right now, it is great to see a new title give players plenty of action and depth while adhering to the younger-aged crowd.  Mini Ninjas definitely seems to have the right amount of charm, feel and style to make anyone a fan.

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About This Author: Josh Schwartzman

Been into gaming for as long as I can remember and have enjoyed every minute of it. I enjoy playing with everyone and anyone online and I am an avid PS3 and Xbox 360 player.

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