Mini Ninjas marks a change of pace for Danish games developer IO Interactive. Best known for the stealth mayhem of the Hitman series, as well as the foul-mouthed, blood-soaked action thriller Kane & Lynch, the shift to tranquil cartoon forests and cute bobble-headed characters for their latest release is rather surprising.
It’s also rather refreshing, since Mini Ninjas looks to be shaping up into a rich and rewarding adventure game, perfect for young boys reared on a diet of Cartoon Network and Jetix. Indeed, according to their website, the game came about because so many of the development team had become parents and wanted to work on a game they could play with their families.
At first glance, the game looks like a typical mash-the-buttons combat game. You guide Hiro, a young ninja, through lush scenery and demolish legions of samurai enemy in bloodless slapstick fights.
Mini Ninjas: a deceptively deep little game.
Play a little longer, however, and pay attention to the hints that pop up as you progress, and a charming and varied adventure starts to unfold. You can pick flowers to mix potions. Turn your hat into a boat and you can brave river rapids and even go fishing for sushi. You can even transform into any animal you see. While the path ahead seems very linear, there are loads of little diversions to be found with a little exploration. Just as Hitman offered lots of ways to assassinate targets in grisly ways, so IO seem to have stuffed Mini Ninjas with oodles of ways to approach its more gentle challenges.
The demo barely seems to scratch the surface of what Mini Ninjas will offer, but based on what we do get to see, it’s been constructed in such a way that younger players won’t be overwhelmed by the choices the gameworld offers. With new Zelda games now few and far between, this could well fill that whimsical fantasy gap and provide a rewarding game for parents and kids to play together.
Dillon’s been fascinated by this game ever since we saw a pre-order box in a shop, and the enthusiasm he’s shown for digging out all the different bits of the demo, and discussing the different characters, suggests that IO are as adept at crafting games for kids as they are for adults.
The demo for Mini Ninjas is out now on Xbox 360’s Games Marketplace and the PlayStation Store. The full game reaches UK shelves on 11th September for Wii, 360, PS3 and PC.
And, ooh look, you can pre-order Mini Ninjas now at Amazon.co.uk
