I'll be completely honest; when Erik Norris handed me a review copy of Mini Ninjas I wasn't exactly thrilled to sit down with the game. The version we received for review was on the Xbox 360. Yes, I'd seen the trailers and I sort of wrote it off as a game that wasn't for me. This thing was clearly just another kiddie romp with low production values and an extremely boring plot line.
Does the game feel like its targeted at younger audiences? Yes. But holy crap this is one title that flies in with a load of charm. I booted up the game looking to hate it and I instantly fell in love with the visuals. Mini Ninjas is a bright, simple game with a wide choice of color spread over all kinds of environments. From the insanely green grasslands to the blindingly white snow covered mountains. Every locale is unique and you'll spend the first few minutes in each level sort of awe-struck.
You can think of Mini Ninjas as a 3-D Action game with light RPG elements. The RPG factor comes from collection, leveling, spells and cooking. These elements work their way into the game in such a way that they don't become the focus. The focus for me was always exploring and fighting, I simply experienced the RPG things as they happened naturally.
Mini Ninjas is the story of a dark lord turning wilderness creatures into enemies. Yes, the same AWESOME plot as the Sonic the Hedgehog games...the good ones. Your sensei senses a disturbance in the balance of nature and sends you (Hiro) and fatty Futo (I don't mean that, Futo, I love you) out on a quest to rescue lost ninjas and defeat the evil lord. You'll challenge four bosses throughout your journey before you get to the lord himself.
