I'm a little late to the game (so to speak), but I've recently just finished playing IO Interactive's latest IP, MINI NINJAS. It took me a long time to realize that a demo isn't just a bit taken directly from the game and given to you to play, they are tailor-made to show off some of the best qualities of the game to get you hooked enough to purchase it.
I remember playing the demo for Mini Ninjas two or three times when it first became available and enjoying it immensely, but I'm so glad I finally got the complete game because it was more fun and creative than the demo can display. Although it may initially appear to be targeted towards kids and girls due to its cutesy character renditions and simplified environments, I think it's got enough to satisfy gamers of any gender who appreciate video games as art. And believe me, video games are art- but that's a whole other argument and post.
There are three main characters in the story but the main main character is Hiro, a young ninja who is sent out to find his fellow ninja trainees who have been lost and captured by the minions of the Evil Samurai Warlord. Who came back from the dead. He's got some crazy magical abilities that can transform animals into his samurai soldiers and even uproot an entire pagoda on stilty legs.
Tora, he thinks he's a tiger. Really.
As Hiro, you've got some special magic of your own, known as Kuji magic which is ancient and rarely taught since there have been so few people who are capable of learning it. It's very convenient that Hiro turns out to be one of these people and you learn all kinds of interesting tricks and spells throughout the game. My favourite, naturally, is the spirit form spell which allows you to inhabit the bodies of animals. I mean, come on, how awesome is it to just suddenly become a bear and maul your enemies?? Very, is the answer.
Some smaller, less ferocious animals don't have attacks but they can still be fun to just run around in, using their heightened senses to seek out the plants and fungi that you need to make potions with, or just watching them do little things like thump your foot if you're a bunny, do a little jig if you're the raccoon, etc. I have quite a few pictures I took with my cellphone of the raccoon, especially, since I'm a fan of the little bandits. I also managed to take some decent pictures of some of the environment and surroundings you find yourself in, because the scenery in this game is not only amazing but also very beautiful. I love all the environmental effects they've put into the game, it just adds another level to it that makes it even more immersible.
The controls are pretty easy to get a handle on and they make use of every button on the controller, which to me is a plus because it can really get boring when you're just using two buttons to do everything in a game. My only complaint is that when you go into stealth mode, you are constantly holding down the left trigger. After a while it can seriously start to cramp your fingers and you'll find yourself trying to use a combination of different fingers on your left hand to hold it down just to relieve the stress from your index finger. This is similar to the problem that I had with Bionic Commando, which I don't think I have written about yet. Luckily, you don't constantly need to be in stealth mode so it's not a huge problem- which is more than I can say about Bionic Commando.
Voice acting isn't as cheesy as you might expect and in fact, I am glad they gave all the speaking characters, like the Tengu, actual Japanese accents instead of Americanized ones. If they had I think it would have taken away the core element of the game. Of course, this is someone who almost always toggles subtitles on no matter what game and prefers to have the original Japanese voice-overs for Japanese games. There are very few English subbed games that have good voice work, so you can't really blame me. The same goes for anime, really.
The second and last complaint I have about the game is one of the bosses who is based on the element of wind. I don't really think I need to say much more than that, but here's another hint: 'breaking' wind is his greatest power and weapon. I really could have done without that, as it was pretty cringe-worthy in both the gross factor and the cheesiness of such a juvenile joke.
In conclusion, this game is definitely worth buying- it has something for everyone, even the achievement hunters and completionists (guilty!). I think something that could have added were time trials or something of the sort for completing a level within a certain amount of time, as I think everyone likes a little challenge. But maybe they will save it for the sequel.
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