Mini Ninjas (Wii) - Review by Chris

Introduction

Ninja games are an all too common site in the games industry. Yet, the privilege, if you can call it that, has normally fallen to Japanese developers, such as Team Ninja with the Ninja Gaiden series, but there have been the odd occasions when those in the West have tried their hand in making ninja based games. This is one of those instances with developer Io Interactive, famed for their work on the Hitman series, teaming up with Eidos Interactive to provide gamers with an action adventure title that incorporates the many characteristic traits that we think of when we hear the word 'ninja', such as stealth and fast paced action. But, will this game sneak out from the shadows and knock you out with its greatness or is it best left in those shadowy depths?

Gameplay

In Mini Ninjas, the story goes that an evil samurai warlord, who has long since been sealed away, has emerged in the world once again and with his use of Kuji magic to turn the innocent creatures of the land into his horde of samurai minions, he hopes to recapture his former glory and plunge the world into darkness. Sensing this disturbance, the leader of a rag-tag collection of ninjas begins to send out members of his team to learn what is happening in the world but as the seasons pass, the ninjas don't return. And so it has come down to the last two ninjas, Hiro and Futo, to go out into the world and seek out their lost brethren as well as to stop the samurai warlord. This is all given to you at the very beginning of the game and very little is given to you throughout the rest of it. It's simple but then it easily slots into place amongst the various other ninja games and their stories and while it's nothing new, it's still played out well over what some might think of as a somewhat short experience.

From the offset, you'll have access to the two main characters Hiro and Futo and with a press of the button, you can switch between them as you please. As you progress through the game, however, you'll add various compatriots to your team, each with their own distinct styles of fighting and special attacks and it is this layering of the characters that one will have to get to grips with if you are to progress as fully as you would hope, although the game is very clear in how to progress and what characters should be used to do it. The game is set over a series of levels which segment your travels to defeat the samurai warlord and while they are all linear in how you progress from the start to the finish, each has been designed to offer up much more than simply fighting your way from A to B. Each level is massive in scale and offers up lots of items for you to collect and many of these will take you off of the beaten track and have you exploring every nook and cranny to search them out. Some of these items don't do much for the game or your characters but others, such as getting Kuji scrolls from shrines, will gift Hiro with new magical powers which he can put to use on the ever increasing variety of enemies, which grow in numbers and strength as the game goes on. You'll start off fighting simple samurai soldiers but soon be confronted with archers, spearmen, conjurers and giant club wielding monsters that dwarf all of your characters. Making use of standard attacks as well as guard breakers, these opponents don't really put up a whole lot of challenge and even when the difficulty increases, you're ever increasing level, which rises due to experience orbs you gain from defeating enemies, will mean that you're never far behind in terms of skill and can still easily dispatch them. When things do get hectic, however, you can use one of the many items in the game, such as shuriken or cherry bombs, or make use of the special attacks of the various characters, which highlight a certain number of enemies and taken them out in one hit. You could say that the action is simple and mindless but it's effective and thoroughly enjoyable, as is the entirety of the game.

Stealth is a staple of many ninja games prior to this one, yet while it is incorporated here, it doesn't hold a huge part in the gameplay and it's not completely necessary to use it to progress. Areas where the game tasks you with infiltrating castles or certain areas can be done using stealth but there is no penalty for not using it and with the action sometimes oddly placed through the games, you'll probably opt to fight your way in.

Controls

The game pairs some motion gestures with button presses but luckily, the developers haven't gone overboard with the motion. Using both the Wii-mote and Nunchuk, the overall control scheme is simple enough to get used to after a small break in period, with one button for jumping, one for attacking and a flick of the Wii-mote doing a guard break. But outside of the basics, the developers have clearly had some trouble getting everything mapped to the Wii-mote and Nunchuk. Character and weapon swapping has been mapped to the d-pad and this brings up a choice wheels that isn't as accurate as it should be or needs to be especially in the midst of a fight. Camera issues dog the game, with it rarely being able to keep up with the gameplay, and the controls for changing the camera angles are so heavy handed that it seems to take an age for it to move where you want it.

Graphics

Io Interactive can be applauded for bringing in a unique visual style that really looks fantastic. Everything is rendered in a beautiful cel-shaded style that runs smoothly for the most part, although there are the occasional frame rate issues. Character models are highly detailed and animated perfectly, looking every bit the part. Environments are large in scale with the design being of a notably high quality and these offer up many visual splendours to enjoy. There are some issues, though, such as the popping in of graphics, a general blurriness to some of the various locations and their textures and the game oddly suffers from some brightness issues, with it being too dark in some areas to even see where you're going and there is no brightness changer so finding your way through some of the environments while exploring can be a little bit of trial and error.

Sound

Accompanying the fantastic visual style is a soundtrack that really moves the game. Melancholy and soothing scores sweep through the world as you travel across the landscapes and really make it a pleasure to play just to hear the music. The voice work for the game is presented in both English and Japanese voices, depending on which characters it is you are talking to and it's done well but doesn't quite hit the same notes of the music.

Final comments

While we may be used to seeing many sequels this generation, there have been many new titles that have been fantastic and Mini Ninjas falls into this category. The end result of Io Interactive's hard work is a charmingly beautiful and fun action adventure game that while short and having little in the way of replayability once everything is over and done with, is a great ride from start to finish that never outstays its welcome. It may be geared more towards the younger gamers but it has enough depth to it to provide an excellent experience for experienced gamers also.

Pro: Fantastic visual and audio design, fun and enjoyable gameplay resulting in a fulfilling experience
Con: Some control issues drag the game down, some graphical flaws, is a little on the short side
Final score: 8.1

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