Looking around E3, I would never have guessed that a game like Mini Ninjas would really catch my attention. Janessa, Jess, and I had a meeting with Eidos, and while the scenery was something to look at, the game seemed far too childish for my tastes, and I thought to myself, "Great, another kiddy game for the Wii. Big surprise." I was indeed surprised.
I'm definitely a fan of games that look cute, but many games go past the 'cute' stage and into the 'this is a kiddy game and I'm not going to enjoy it because I'm too cool to be seen playing crap like this' stage. I was under the impression that Mini Ninjas would be the same story. However, when I was introduced, I realized that this game went far beyond its cute looks.
In Mini Ninjas, the emperor is threatened by the enemies who have turned many wild animals into minions and disguised them as samurai. The emperor sends out all of his ninjas, one by one (for whatever reason) and is shocked to find that none of them return. Hiro, the main character, and his best friend, Futo are sent out. Not only are they still students, but they are the emperor's last hope.
Now, as I stated earlier, the gameplay has a cartoon-ish art style, but there are points where it has an elegant Japanese style, somewhat like Okami. I was surprised to see the two mixed, but it flowed very well. Another thing that added to the cheery nature of the game was the fact that there was absolutely no killing involved. When you attack a samurai and defeat him, a puff of smoke appears and all that is left is its animal counterpart. So as you go throughout the game, you are saving the animals while also following the emperor's orders. There are multiple innovative ways to attack, hide, and use your ninja skills to create a sneak attack. I thought that there were some very clever ideas that went behind the making of the game.
The thing that I love most about Mini Ninjas is what sets it apart from a childish game. I was very impressed with the storyline as it progressed and how it had surprising depth. I wasn't expecting that at all, and I give many brownie points to Eidos for pulling that off. When I mentioned it to our guide, he said that they had received multiple compliments on that. While the other girls and I only really got a look at the Wii version, Mini Ninjas is also available on the Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, PS3, and PC (Microsoft Windows). Apparently the game differs a bit depending on the system, but the core of the game still applies. Mini Ninjas comes out in September 2009 (My birthday! Hint, hint, nudge, nudge.) Be sure to check it out!
While I was at E3 I had the chance to demo a wonderful little upcoming game called Mini Ninjas being produced by Eidos. Before our meeting I had dabbled around with the demo in passing, but never had a chance to truly experience what it had to offer. So you can only imagine how excited I was to get my hands on with an Eidos representative. I had heard of Mini Ninjas before, so I knew a bit of background information, but the game still managed to surprise me with the demo. I was expecting something very Crash Bandicoot-ish considering the animation style and the use of magic and things, but I was met with a game that was still “cutesy” to a certain extent but very playable and without gag-inducing cuteness levels.
Of course the fact that I am a ninja in the flesh only added to my interest in the game, thus my natural talent in the demo. But joking aside, I really enjoyed what the game had to offer as far as storyline and gameplay. I am usually really hesitant with cartoony/cell shaded games but this one did not fail to hold my interest. The way that small details in this game were incorporated to fit the storyline and to cater to audiences was very innovative, I really liked the way [the smallest ninja] uses his rice hat as both a boat and a stealth object. The fighting style was easy to learn and it didn’t feel too repetitive. I only had the chance to play the demo they had on the wii, so I would have loved to try it on the other systems, but overall I think it looks like a very promising title, and I look forward to picking it up in September.
