With perfect timing on a rainy day at the end of the school holidays, I was contacted to ask if I'd like to review a new child-friendly game on the iPhone & iPad called Mini Ninjas. I'd never heard of it but the email promised a game that is ideal for children, full of cute characters and beautiful scenery with the option of playing as different animals, so it sounded perfect.
You start off incarnating a Mini Ninja called Hiro who runs along on a laterally-scrolling screen, jumping over obstacles, collecting coins and special ingredients and defeating enemies but there's no blood and guts. The creators explain : "Mini Ninjas is the ultimate Ninja game. Based on authentic ninja values, this beautiful, fast paced, fun adventure game takes you on an epic and exciting journey, free from gruesome violence and high on Ninja fun."
Juliette has been playing on it quite a bit and she's been having great fun, but she hasn't got very far yet. At times, you can go inside a protective bubble so you can run through obstacles and enemies, but otherwise, it's all a bit fast and furious, which means it's just as exciting for grown-ups as kids.
• As Hiro use iconic Ninja moves with wall runs and master the powerful Kuji Magic
• As Suzume use your magic flute to attract collectibles or to attack enemies
• As Kunoichi use your staff to perform massive attacking jumps
• As Futo use your massive hammer to destroy rocks everything around you
But there is also a new feature - you can now also incarnate the animals that you free and use their special abilities to provide new ways to attack the Samurai. We haven't discovered this aspect yet, but the game description says : "Three animal power-ups are available in the in-game Dojo shop, each with their own unique abilities to help overcome obstacles and defeat enemies:
The Panda – Powerful and wise, the Panda possesses strength like no other. With the Panda on your side enemies pose no threat: the Panda is invincible to any foe, able to knock any aside with ease!
The Fox – Agile and swift, the Fox’s dexterity is unmatched. When speeding through levels the Fox is able to avoid enemies completely with his double jump, pouncing out of danger and grabbing the hardest to reach rewards!
The Crane – Graceful but deadly, the Crane offers devastating aerial abilities to vanquish foes. No longer will flying enemies catch players out: the Crane is able to leap and attack even the highest baddies from above!"
You also collect coins and ingredients along the way to create Kuji Magic spells that trigger some spectacular attacks and power ups, or you can customise your Mini Ninja with cool new outfits, disguises and weapons.
We've barely scratched the surface of what the game offers but it's already quite addicitve, for players of all ages. In the future the company behind the game, Square Enix, are also planning to create a cartoon of Mini Ninjas so I can see this becoming highly popular, along the lines of Angry Birds, because it has the same universal appeal.
star rating : 4.5/5
RRP : 69p
for more information : http://eu.square-enix.com/en/games/mini-ninjas-mobile
or follow them on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mini-Ninjas/69543228967?fref=ts
Disclosure : We received a code for the app in order to write an honest review.
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This sounds like great fun, my children would love it. Thanks for the review.
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