When I was browsing my local gamestore, I noticed something quite odd. It was a game for $11, which is quite cheap for
a game. The game, I-Ninja, had been under my radar for a while, but I never gave it a try. With the $11 price tag, I decided
to give it a try. Was it as good as the price or a hidden gem?
I-Ninja is the story of....well....Ninja, who after discovering a rage stone, a powerfull stone which has special properties,for
the first time, accidentally kills his master. With his master dead, Ninja goes on a quest to find all of the rage stones.
However, the mighty O-Dor and his minions stand in the way of the Ninja's quest.
I-Ninja's story is quite small with only about a half a dozen cut scenes to tell it. With that being said, the story
in the game underwhelms the player. However, the game succeeds in making the humor amusing, instead of just annoying.
The game sends you on a linear quest. You'll have to complete missions within the certain area that your character is
in. If you complete these missions, you'll receive grades, which if you collect enough, will give you more access to a boss
fight.
The missions themselves are quite diverse. Sometimes you'll have to use stealth, while other times it is just straight-foward
platforming goodness or even rolling down a maze, while holding on to a robotic eye. However, the missions can get repetitive.
With missions that require you to kill a certain amount of enemies or collect a certain amount of red coins, this game can
get old fast. This is due to the fact that the game doesn't allow mistakes.
When fighting the enemies, who aren't as diverse and intelligent as I prefer, there is a decent fighting engine.
Moves include uppercuts, foward and backward attacks. With the good control system, the combat is done very well. My only
complaint on this part of the game is that there could have been more moves to use.
The graphics, are colorful, though lack in graphical power. At times, the graphics engine will slow down, which
leaves a bad taste in the mouth. There could have been more done to the graphics and leaves a feeling of disappointment.
Voice overs and the in-game music are at least decent. They don't add much to the game, but yet, don't take away anyting.
The same can be said for the sound effects.
Overall, I-Ninja is a great platformer. The combat, variety and attitude of this game make it stand out. However, with
repetitive gameplay, and mediocre graphics and sound keep it from reaching it's full potential. This game receives 3.5* out
of 5*
