He is small, he has an oversized head and he is one angry ninja. I-ninja is the latest platform game from Namco, and it’s destined to become a classic. It’s a fast action platform game that is so original and innovative that Italian plumbers and speedy hedgehogs alike should run for cover. There is a new sprite in town.
I-ninja is the story of Ninja, who while rescuing his master ‘Sensei’ mistakenly collects a ‘rage stone’ and in an uncontrollable fit of pique, decapitates Sensei. All is not lost however.
Sensei is able to appear to Ninja in a manner not unlike that of Obi-Wan-Kenobi in the original Star Wars films.
Ninja learns from Sensei that the evil Master O’Dor has sadistic plans involving rage stones and his army of ninja robots, The Ranx. Ninja of course is the only one who can collect the rage stones before the nefarious O’Dor, and so the game begins.
The game play is wide and varied. Although essentially a platform game, there is a varied mix of fighting and mini-games that will constantly entertain you. In some levels, Ninja will flatten himself against a ball and roll it through challenging obstacle courses in the style of Marble Madness or Super Monkey Ball. In another level, Ninja will control a giant robot in a boxing match against another giant robot.
While storming though the more traditional platform levels, Ninja has an arsenal of weapons and power-ups at his disposal. His trusty sword is always at hand and there are combo moves to be learned in order to master swordsmanship. When faced with a wide gap, Ninja can always use his sword like a helicopter rotor to cross the distance. His throwing stars or Shuriken will ricochet through attacking Ranx, causing maximum damage. His blowpipe, that fires exploding darts, is very handy for sniping at the enemy from a distance.
Ninja has huge anger management issues; as he chops and hacks his way through the Ranx, his anger meter fills. When full, he can unleash his Ninja Beserker and do even greater damage to his enemies at high speed for a short period of time. There are no health power-ups in this game, but Ninja also has a revive meter that, when full, allows our hero to replenish lost health.
Ninja has some very special skills; he can run along walls, he can use his grapple hook to swing through some sections of the game and he can even grind along rails without the use of any kind of board. In one level, Ninja must balance on top of a rolling barrel of explosives, while dodging obstacles and enemies who shoot rockets at him.
The graphics are good, but not extraordinary’. However, the game moves along at such a pace that this is never a problem. The music is fast and repetitive, but fits in so well with the gameplay that it’s not an irritant. It is the variety of action in this game that makes it so much fun. There is always something different for Ninja to do from level to level. Some levels can be frustratingly difficult when first attempted, but with a little perseverance can be completed. I found myself spending way too much time with this game simply trying to have ‘one more go’ at finishing the level.
This game is simple and addictive fun; I have never before played a platform game with quite so much variety of gameplay. Any fan of platform games will love this title; in fact, anybody who likes an engaging game that has laughs aplenty should grab this one. I look forward to the inevitable sequel already.
Spec
I-ninja
Requirements: PS2
Rating: 92%
Price: €59.99
Contact: GameStop 01-8724305
23/02/04
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