Mini Ninjas Review (WII)

Ninja Gaiden Jr

Mini Ninjas, somehow the title says it all, it`s about ninjas (which is always cool, right?) and they are, well, mini. Graphically this game reminds me a lot of the Lego (insert Star Wars/ Batman or Indy!) games. And plays like a kids version of Ninja Gaiden, so all good stuff then. Now just because this review happens to be of a Wii game, doesn’t mean its one of them (made for Wii only crap 20 quid games that seem to adorn the bargain bins the length and breadth of the country.). Nope, I must admit, my first contact with this game was playing the demo on the Xbox- it was also available on the PSN(but my PS3 hard drive was kinda full lol).

somehow the title says it all, it`s about ninjas (which is always cool, right?) and they are, well, mini

Since this game is from the wonderful IO Interactive people (what do you mean you have never heard of them…course you have- Try the excellent Hitman series for size!), there is a well implemented sneaking mechanic in here where you can sneak in long grass and run across rooftops undetected, like a proper (mini) Ninja. Hang on a minute, I think I’m getting ahead of myself here, I’m sure you kids want to know the back story, and stuff.

Right, well, you get to play as Hiro, one of the last 2 remaining Ninja in the temple the other being your best buddy (and not so mini-not so much who ate all the pies, but who ate all the sushi!) Futo. Futo becomes playable later in the game, and wields a pretty impressive hammer- ideal for the later massive bosses that crop up. So as is usual in this kinda game, all the other Ninjas have been despatched out to discover what is happening in the kingdom, and guess what…yep, none have returned.

Luckily Hiro is the only other Ninja, in about a million years, who seems to have got a grasp on special ninja magic, called Kuji magic, which comes in very handy in a tight spot. As the game progresses you have to rescue your fellow ninjas, from the evil samurai, who are actually forest animal charmed by evil magic, and why not. Once you free your comrades, they become playable characters, each with their own attributes. There are also lots of pick ups that contain the usual health, and recipe ingredients that accompany these kind of platform/ action adventure games.

At times I found this game reminiscent of the 3d Zelda games, as the developers obviously took the adventures of Link as a yardstick (you can even do a spot if fishing if you so wish!), which is not a bad thing. Now on the Wii, the graphics are fine and dandy, nothing special, but fine. The whole Japanese ambiance makes the story fun and seems authentic, and the background music is very impressive. You also have an excellent hat, a bit like Samurai Jack, that can be used to deflect arrows, and even double as a handy boat.

There are a few minus points I’m afraid. The developer have tried to keep things fresh, and mix things up, but it does get repetitive after awhile. Also like most third person games, the camera can get in the way at times, I know you can shift it manually, but by the time you have done that, you have lost some energy, which is rather annoying. Also, this is another game that is not aimed at the hardcore gamers out there. The difficulty level is not high, and seasoned platformers will wiz through this in a lazy weekend..

So, there you have it, Mini Ninjas. I does what it says on the tin…A game about ninjas, for mini people. Fun and well scripted, if a little repetitive and short.