E3 ‘09: Mini Ninjas Impressions

Written by DW | June 7, 2009

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Mini Ninjas, developed by Eidos Interactive, is game developed with kids in mind. Speaking with one of the creators of the game, he points out the motivating factor for this game was the birth of his, and his colleagues, kids. Seems that the majority of the staff were having kids around the same time and wanted to make a game that they could play with their kids. The game though geared towards a younger age is actually deep enough to be enjoyed by adults.

That adult appeal comes from exploration, the super move combats mechanics, and achievements. The main object of the game is to save the forest animals from an evil Ninjitsu Master. Mini Ninjas fits into the Action Game genre but also borrows from RPGs as well take its inventory system into consideration. There are rare flowers that you can collect, combine, and finally create more items from hidden throughout each level and within enemies. Some combination will assist in rebuilding your health, Ki (energy), or used for general purposes. Your Ki can be used to cast magic spells, like lighting attacks as wells.

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In this demo, two of the other characters which you need to un-luck were already available, the much larger ninja Futo, and one Kunoichi (female ninja) . The button commands for the characters are the same but each have unique special moves that fit specific situations; although you could go through the game with one character with some effort I bet. One of the Kunoichi special moves involves using a flute to hypnotize her enemies leaving them open for damage. Futo, the larger character has a special roll attack that’s all about damage. The main character has a more stylistic special attack that allows you to lock to multiple enemies for a special combo move that takes out several enemies in one blow.

Throughout the demo there were several hidden items, like statues, which if you collect all will give you and achievement or trophy; some of which may only accessible if you use a particular character. From a platforming standpoint, you will swim, row boats, tight rope walk across roofs and navigate the landscape to get to hidden spots. You can also get energy by shaking trees, or bushes that have beared fruit. This can come in handy at times, you will find yourself needing the extra energy handy when large crowds are around. Constant battle with more foes though will allow you to level up faster.

If I hadn’t leveled up my character, I probably would have died on the larger than life mini-bosses. Defeating the end stage bosses involves will involve the use of Quick Time Events and evasion techniques. In the case of the boss I thought, the QTE involved using a giant samurai’s weight against him after evading his giant sword. The battle took place at the top of a castle where once you cause him to fall, it would break floor under him, sending him crashing down to the next floor. This event needed to be replicated 3 times but the the QTE changes for each.

The game can be cleared under twelve (12) hours if you avoid searching for all the items but for those of us who want trophies, it may take a little longer as some of the statues are hidden very well. Overall, this would be a great game for both adults and kids. It may not be hardcore for extreme gamers but its challenging enough to keep most gamers occupied. It is definetly recommended for the younger gaming audience though.