Mini Ninjas, due to release on PC, PS3, Xbox 360, DS, and Wii this week, is a charming action game that puts you in control of a cadre of adorable ninjas as they seek to restore harmony to the world. I took advantage of the demo available on Steam to test drive the game and play through the single level that is available.


Graphically, Mini Ninjas is a game that you are going to either love or hate. If you enjoy highly stylized and cartoon-inspired graphics, then the game is a visual feast. The levels are rendered in a gorgeously playful style, and the world is brought to life with ample amounts of movement and ambient sound (swaying grass, rustling bamboo thickets, chirping birds, etc). The character models are Asian-inspired; while not quite drawn in the classic super-deformed anime style, they are not terribly far off either. On the other hand, players who prefer their games to be hyper-realistic may find it impossible to get past the first few screens - real world gritty, Mini Ninjas is not.

If the demo level is anything to go by, the game will be broken down into large semi-linear levels. While there is definitely a path that players are strongly encouraged to follow, there are enough off-shooting branches to explore and secrets to discover that it pays to stray from the obvious path.


The game play in Mini Ninjas is beat 'em up-style action. Expect to be assailed at every turn by groups of enemy ninjas hellbent on ending your adorable little life. Depending on the ninja that you choose to control (6 total choices, swappable at any time) you will fight your foes off using a selection of Japanese melee and ranged weapons as well as some potent ninja magic. Attacking consists of three main buttons: attack, shield break, and jump. At first you will be starting fights off with a jumping attack, and then spamming regular attacks until an enemy is smart enough to block, at which point a well-timed shield block should be employed. As you progress through the game you will acquire more and more items (shuriken, bombs) and magic (fireball, lightning) to add to the mix.

Layered on top of the pure combat game is a treasure hunt that should please achievement-driven players. Each level has a number of hidden items to acquire, a list of which can be obtained from the pause screen. This scavenger hunt will see the player scouring the map for plant life, scrolls, urns, and other artifacts - some of these items reward you with in game power ups, while others are merely cosmetic.


One aspect of the game that could either be a brilliant addition or a cheap gimmick is an ability that allows the player to possess any animal that they come across. In the demo this was used on two occasions. Firstly, the player had to possess a fox in order to sneak by a particularly tough group of enemies - while victory by combat was possible, stealth was a viable alternative. The second instance allowed the player to take control of a boar and attack a group of archers. The boar was not spotted nearly as quickly as the player in ninja form, and was able to dispatch the archers very quickly. It remains to be seen how well this feature is used throughout the rest of the game.

All in all I had a wonderful time with the Mini Ninjas demo. Although I died twice, I made it through the single demonstration level without too much difficulty and more importantly I was grinning from ear to ear almost the entire time that I was playing. The game has a wonderfully playful charm that reminds me why I love gaming so much - there is no substitute for pure silly fun.

Steam download: link
Demo parameters: Single level
Cost: $29.99 (PC, DS), $40 (Wii), $50 (Xbox 360, PS3)