Mini Ninjas

If you're looking for a good-spirited hack and slash/exploration game or just something to have a fun time playing with a younger gamer, then be sure to give Mini Ninjas a try.

Although not leave a permanent mark on the player will surely entertain you for a few good hours.

Mini Ninjas is not an excellent game, but it's a very recommendable title for all ages.

A nice action/platform, developed for kids but quite funny even for old players who loved Crash Bandicoot and Spyro (long long time ago).

IO Interactive deserves credit for going in such a different direction from their usual shooter fare. Alas, the result is a beautiful game without a soul. Like a piece of gum, everything great about Mini Ninjas can be experienced in the first few minutes. After that, its sweetness is just a quickly fading memory.

The game means well but comes short in many ways. The simple graphics showing off peaceful backdrops combined with some relaxing music are the highlight of the experience, but the combat is too simple and boring and there’s too big of an emphasis on it. Plenty of good ideas that players don’t need to use during the game. A shame, really.

It’s perfectly pleasant and enjoyable brand of cartoon violence will probably see a good few hours of your time fly by as you swipe your way through adorable, glowing-eyed samurai enemies

There's no multiplayer or co-op, and little to see outside of the main story mode, but it's something people of any age could pick up and enjoy.

You don't have to be a child to enjoy this new game from the makers of Hitman - just very undemanding.

It's all over pretty quickly. [Oct 2009, p.110]

It's clear that Mini Ninjas is meant for a younger audience, one most likely to adore what it has to offer. [Nov 2009, p.84]

A massive let down from a once mighty developer. [Oct 2009, p.83]

Mini Ninjas is an action-adventure-rpg with simple gameplay mechanics but with a lot of objects, spells and scrolls to be found. The final product is sometimes funny, but never compelling. That makes Mini Ninjas child-oriented; adults may like the visual style, but won't be entertained by its gameplay.

Mini Ninja’s toybox is generously and imaginatively stuffed but, unfortunately, the same can’t be said of its playground.

Mini Ninjas is an extremely charming action/adventure game that should appeal to gamers of all ages and styles. The simple infectious antics of these ninja will appeal to the younger player, while the wide variety of ways to approach combat and stealth should entertain the more seasoned player.

The cutscenes are lovely, the dialogue and voice over work stereotypical but fitting, and the soundtrack is a wistful traditional Japanese score that rekindles memories of The Karate Kid. Still, Mini Ninjas will do nothing to quell the growing call from core gamers for IO's "next-gen" Hitman game.