Ninjala

 Switch
User Score
6.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 168 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 80 out of 168
  2. Mixed: 46 out of 168
  3. Negative: 42 out of 168
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  1. coolgamerlul420
    Jul 27, 2023
    9
    great combat good cartoony Arti style and it is for everey one and the online is free the only problem is that there is a lot of broken combos and they are easy
  2. Demgex
    Jul 9, 2023
    8
    If im Ukrainian i can chance to get this game and its awesome i cant wait soon meet friends, battle, collect them all and more! I hope i can soon get this.
    Even if i wonder i need teach more about it ninja gum and types gum weapons
  3. Maplemiles
    Jan 14, 2023
    0
    This game is nothing more then being a shamefull ripoff of Splatoon or as of now splatoon 3. This game only has people who want to play it who simply hate splatoon and Nintendo for invalid reasons
  4. GuiPams
    Dec 8, 2022
    8
    Amei simplesmente o jogo
    Tem gráficos engraçados num estilo mais infantil e mantém um lado competitivo nas partidas

    I simply loved the game It has fun graphics in a more childlike style and maintains a competitive side in matches
  5. Herbalmouse1305
    May 30, 2022
    5
    this game looks good
    it plays meh
    the general gameplay is just not very good, interesting concepts, pretty bad execution (specifically with the gum mechanics)
  6. AlexTrashiboi
    May 2, 2022
    3
    The first impression that I had from this game was awful. I downloaded the game on launch and a little while later I was bombarded with constant error messages and codes with little to no meaning. It would have been nice to see what exactly went wrong but the only difference each message had was the error number. Apparently the server was down on day one. I am honestly pretty disappointed.The first impression that I had from this game was awful. I downloaded the game on launch and a little while later I was bombarded with constant error messages and codes with little to no meaning. It would have been nice to see what exactly went wrong but the only difference each message had was the error number. Apparently the server was down on day one. I am honestly pretty disappointed. When I finally got to play the game the day after I found myself relying on chance a lot. The game advertises itself as a game of skill but the entire time I felt like all I was doing was failing random defense checks. The defense system feels like I'm playing a game of rock, paper, scissors. I didn't see any subtitles for the menus on the menu screen so when I first started playing I couldn't exactly tell what each option did. Otherwise the graphics look nice, there's a lot of selection for player customization and weapon customization, and even though the controls are completely unconventional, I got the hang of it pretty quick.

    TL-DR:
    It's not worth the space on your switch. It has a few redeeming qualities but not enough to classify as a passable game. Which is why I suggest waiting until they update the server, account security, and the user interface.    … Expand
  7. RebblePebble
    Mar 9, 2022
    6
    This game has its ups and downs, making it an alright game. Much has improved since 2020, but there's still plenty of questionable bugs and features that need to be fixed. I don't want to waste much time here, so have a pros and cons list:

    Pros: -Unique weapons -AMAZING soundtrack -Good supplement of events -Good collabs -Cool cosmetics and a wide range of character customization    This game has its ups and downs, making it an alright game. Much has improved since 2020, but there's still plenty of questionable bugs and features that need to be fixed. I don't want to waste much time here, so have a pros and cons list:

    Pros:
    -Unique weapons
    -AMAZING soundtrack
    -Good supplement of events
    -Good collabs
    -Cool cosmetics and a wide range of character customization

    Cons:
    -Gung-ho makes some questionable choices with what to do with the game
    -Matches take at least 2-5 minutes to get into before they start
    -Servers aren't that great
    -You'll most likely encounter 1 bug per match

    It's a decent game, I suggest picking it up if you're bored :)    … Expand
  8. flashstep111
    Mar 4, 2022
    10
    I think this game is a perfect example of a free online game made for both adults and kids alike. I'm a dad and I enjoy this game a lot. I've tried to get my kids into it, but I think they need to be a little older to understand the mechanics and gameplay, but from what I've played I think it's a solid entry into the switch online gaming sector. This game is of Nintendo quality type ofI think this game is a perfect example of a free online game made for both adults and kids alike. I'm a dad and I enjoy this game a lot. I've tried to get my kids into it, but I think they need to be a little older to understand the mechanics and gameplay, but from what I've played I think it's a solid entry into the switch online gaming sector. This game is of Nintendo quality type of game. My name is Flashstep and I approve this message.… Expand
  9. Marv012
    Dec 5, 2021
    0
    Worst game I have ever played it’s not even worth the freeness of it. It’s made me wanna end my self so badly Bc of how bad it is. Don’t ever play this stupid game or even look at it. You’ll get cancer
  10. PandaBass
    Nov 18, 2021
    6
    It's a decent shooter, and I guess you can't complain because of it's price but the gameplay is a bit too much rock paper scissors like. And it doesn't really hook you, despite having some fun you'll probably only play it twice.
  11. TheQuietGamer
    Jul 17, 2021
    6
    More than the simple Splatoon rip-off the art style would trick you into thinking it was at first glance, and not just because it replaces the squid people and ink with ninjas and bubblegum. This free-to-play multiplayer title favors melee combat over shooting, which is a style of gameplay that's always struggled in the online space. While there have been minor success stories like ForMore than the simple Splatoon rip-off the art style would trick you into thinking it was at first glance, and not just because it replaces the squid people and ink with ninjas and bubblegum. This free-to-play multiplayer title favors melee combat over shooting, which is a style of gameplay that's always struggled in the online space. While there have been minor success stories like For Honor, for the most part hack 'n slash action has never translated over to the competitive gaming scene very well at all. Not even when big series like God of War or Ninja Gaiden tried their hands at it.

    That's because it's hard to capture the same fluidity of mechanics and gameplay one would find in a single-player campaign when faced with the erratic nature of a real life opponent, and the various necessary systems proving tough to balance for similar reasons. Ninjala fares better than most, suffering more in the former category than the latter. The combat is stiff and clunky with your movements feeling somewhat slow. Your gum-based powers do a little bit to spice things up, particularly the ones that give you increased mobility, but while competent fighting is nowhere near as fast-paced or exciting as it should be. The real problem though is it's rock-paper-scissors parry system as it literally comes down to luck over skill, which is a huge no-no when it comes to multiplayer. As with anything it can still be pretty satisfying to score a knockout or win a match despite all this, but not enough so that I wasn't left wanting more from the experience overall.

    Also leaving something to be desired is the amount of content. With only 6 maps, two main modes, and limited time offerings (none of which I've participated in being any fun) to give you three options of play in total there are obviously some longevity issues. What's here is fine for quick, infrequent sessions, but the game could really use some non-cosmetic expansions. Something the developers have really been slacking on given that this has been out for a little over a year now.

    They have been good at least at updating the store with plenty of costumes and skins. I really enjoyed the character customization aspect. You have a wonderful degree of control when it comes to creating your avatar's appearance. Mix that in with the wealth of outfits available to purchase with in-game currency and you're truly able to give your ninja a distinct look.

    It's this sort of thing that would make you think Ninjala has more personality than it actually does. It's lively, energetic visuals hint at some world-building going on behind-the-scenes, which ultimately isn't actually the case. There is a story mode, but it's locked behind a paywall of $10 a pop for each chapter and to this date the devs have still only released two. That's kind of a letdown because, again, this is over a year old at this point and without things like characters or significant plot developments to latch onto the unique, eye-catching theme really just ends up being nothing more than hollow window dressing that isn't reaching its potential.

    With its non-existent price tag and a mien similar to that of other Nintendo favorites, Ninjala is certainly an attractive prospect when browsing the eShop. The game is only serviceable at best however. It could use some more attention from its creators in the form of more match types and some smoothing out of its rather rigid feeling combat. Because right now, without the support, its most appealing qualities are that you never feel the need to put down any real money on clothing or the seasonal battle pass, and that, for free, it does offer a passable (yet lacking) competitive gameplay experience.    … Expand
  12. NinjaRemmu
    May 17, 2021
    9
    -1 pt for hammer which is still unbalanced

    Only noobs post negative reviews here :p

    This game is brilliant once you learn to play
  13. AverageFool
    Apr 17, 2021
    1
    Has an everprogressing Battle Pass that requires you to put large amounts of time everyday into completing it. No thanks. Also, the combat system is flawed.
  14. Guerrero777
    Dec 24, 2020
    8
    The game is fun, but I think it is necessary to give more content to the players, add more game modes, new clothing
  15. 2015exe
    Dec 2, 2020
    0
    The was already full of problems to begin with, now I can't even block with certain weapons anymore! GARBAGE!!! WHY ADD SOMETHING JUST TO TAKE AWAY IT'S ABILITY TO BLOCK!?!?!?!?!? THERE'S NO POINT IN THAT!!!!!! THIS GAME IS CONSTANTLY SINKING TO THE LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATORS I HAVE EVER SEEN!!!!!!!!!
  16. Hellobro69
    Oct 12, 2020
    3
    I think this game had some life to it when i downloaded it late summer, but it just isn’t that interesting to play, it just is kinda button mashing and stuff, but i dont think it is worth your switch or micro sd card space. I would just delete it if you dont like it at first.
  17. St3veXd
    Sep 15, 2020
    10
    admito que cuando pruebas este juego no te deja un sabor de boca muy satisfactorio, pero si le das la oportunidad te deja algo muy entretenido que vale la pena descargar, sin importar que defecto tenga, siempre tengo fe en que los juegos de nintendo tarde o temprano tendrán su época dorada, todos y cada uno, y ninjala para mi, no es la excepción
  18. FranzCortes
    Sep 14, 2020
    10
    This game looks amazing, but the graphics looks awesome though even The ninjala customizable characters, story modes and more.
  19. JoaoColombinho
    Aug 26, 2020
    10
    this game has a gigantic potential power. The multiplayer and free-to-play options are way good for a newborn game. Multiplayer with friends is so much fun and the cosmetic prices are quite fair, comparing with other games with microtransations. Games like Ninjala just need a big audience to get a chance to shine and become bigger. League Of Legends and Fortnite didn't start as polishthis game has a gigantic potential power. The multiplayer and free-to-play options are way good for a newborn game. Multiplayer with friends is so much fun and the cosmetic prices are quite fair, comparing with other games with microtransations. Games like Ninjala just need a big audience to get a chance to shine and become bigger. League Of Legends and Fortnite didn't start as polish as they are now, so, if you don't like the game, just give time and love, so it can grow to a big game… Expand
  20. Jordan101208
    Aug 19, 2020
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Please nerf the drill it breaks so many combos that you have no room to escape. Also please create a level system. Level 1s should NOT be fighting level 50 and up. It is unfair amd creates problems.… Expand
  21. UpSideUpFlower
    Jul 30, 2020
    7
    Spammy game, oh my lord, more spam here than a east park chippie spam burger. Very bad for your health but i do like splatoon so i give this a 7.
  22. JustOnhere
    Jul 28, 2020
    3
    A fine looking free to play game, unfortunately that’s all it really is, a fine looking game. You can’t get really far without spending money for Useless in game currency, the in game campaign is locked behind a pay wall (so there’s that). Gameplay wise, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, it feels as though your inputs are ignored sometimes, don’t get me started on the PerryA fine looking free to play game, unfortunately that’s all it really is, a fine looking game. You can’t get really far without spending money for Useless in game currency, the in game campaign is locked behind a pay wall (so there’s that). Gameplay wise, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, it feels as though your inputs are ignored sometimes, don’t get me started on the Perry system, it’s god awful, even more annoying, when you get hit don’t expect to find a way out because your pretty much done at that point. When playing online in teams sometimes you can start the match with less players then the opposing team (Which seems fair) it’s a 2 Vs. 4 match, spoiler alert! You’re not going to win, no matter how hard you try.

    The game also does a poor job matching you with players online in ranked matches, which you compete for a points to increase your Rank. The awards given to players through out the game are.. border line useless, most of them amount to being cosmetic, changing the appearance of your character, or weapon, doing a flashy animation when you Win or Lose, some stickers to show off when you get a kill, and that’s about it, all that for a hefty price of 9.99 a month.

    Don’t even think about trying to earn the in game currency without paying, it’s simply not going to happen, as soon as you look at the Member Tier awards Vs. the Non-Memeber awards, you’ll see why.

    It’s a good free to play game if your not looking to get to competitive with it, but if you are, good luck. The physics are clunky, sometimes it just feels as though you don’t even have a fighting chance, a god awful Perry system, all the game really has to offer is graphics and a decent sounding soundtrack.    … Expand
  23. Fantastiks
    Jul 28, 2020
    8
    Most of the launch bugs have been fixed. The one big problem though is that the game doesn’t register hits and sometimes doesn’t register kill but plays the sound affects.
  24. gamermaker
    Jul 21, 2020
    6
    es el splatoon de chicle pero no tienes que pintar el escenario. y para el siguiente ninjala quiero sobre todo mas mapas
  25. Horizor
    Jul 21, 2020
    0
    Every match in this game is the same. Parry System is RNG styled, much dislike as it's the main system in this game. The game is pretty annoying overall, gacha system is part of this game too. Nothing more than 0.
  26. KrolMyruh
    Jun 28, 2020
    0
    At launch, this game just doesn't deliver. There seems to only ever be one map which you play on (I'm yet to get the city map), which makes the gameplay terribly repetitive due to a lack of environmental variety. The way this game handles weapon skins is also baffling. They're consumables for some reason so when you open up a loot box (yes, they have those), you might just get a reward youAt launch, this game just doesn't deliver. There seems to only ever be one map which you play on (I'm yet to get the city map), which makes the gameplay terribly repetitive due to a lack of environmental variety. The way this game handles weapon skins is also baffling. They're consumables for some reason so when you open up a loot box (yes, they have those), you might just get a reward you can only use 10 times (and yes, you can pay for loot boxes which makes this reward even more crap). The menus are also very confusing when you first start and the tutorial offer lots of information, but it doesn't take the time or effort to show you how to do all that stuff, so the new player introduction will most likely be terrible as it was for me. On a more positive note though, this game looks amazing and I really enjoy the different combos, weapon skills and variety. The rock paper scissors party system is also a lot of fun to play with. I just wish there were more environments which allowed people to battle on walls and hide more effectively. Hopefully they add more maps asap because 2 is absolutely unacceptable, even in a f2p game of this nature.… Expand
  27. Gastly67
    Jul 19, 2020
    10
    Es muy entretenido, es como un Splatoon 2, deberian meterle mas contenido al juego y sera perfecto para jugar en linea
  28. invictus69
    Jul 19, 2020
    7
    Ninjala is a sound arena combat game that presents itself in a fairly interesting and unique way especially compared to other free-to-play multiplayer focused games. It does, however, suffer from being a free to play early in its life cycle. Balancing issues, the rare bug, and an extremely shallow selection (2) of stages and combat modes means that if you don't enjoy the gameplay loopNinjala is a sound arena combat game that presents itself in a fairly interesting and unique way especially compared to other free-to-play multiplayer focused games. It does, however, suffer from being a free to play early in its life cycle. Balancing issues, the rare bug, and an extremely shallow selection (2) of stages and combat modes means that if you don't enjoy the gameplay loop immensely you're going to get very bored very quickly. The game developers are also very unsubtle in trying to squeeze out every microtransaction penny out its consumers pockets, with incredibly expensive cosmetics and extremely limited rng dependent gacha style rewards.

    An otherwise interesting and genuinely fun, if shallow game, that is hampered by the worst aspects of modern f2p gaming. Its still very early in the games life however, so maybe things are subject to change.    … Expand
  29. TheLonePlays
    Jul 19, 2020
    8
    This game is good. It has a lot of flaws though. there is only two maps right now, of which one is really small and kind of unsuited for the game. There are 12 different types of weapons, each weapon has different attacks and features. The problem with this game, especially in the early game is that people dont play it correctly. New players haven't learned its combat system yet. you haveThis game is good. It has a lot of flaws though. there is only two maps right now, of which one is really small and kind of unsuited for the game. There are 12 different types of weapons, each weapon has different attacks and features. The problem with this game, especially in the early game is that people dont play it correctly. New players haven't learned its combat system yet. you have multiple attacks.. ZR, ZL and ZR, R, Y and X. in the early game people basically only use their ZR attack. You will do the same as a beginner. When people use the same attack against each other they have to play this kind of rock-paper-scissors type game. Where it feels like basically luck if you press the right direction. This is encouraged by the map WNA academy. That map is very small, which leads to people attacking each other all the time. When you constantly attack people, you dont have time to recharge attacks and actually think about what you want to do. The point of Ninjala is to make points, make points by destroying drones and killing enemies. The gameplay almost completely changes when you play on the other map. The other map is really big and more encourages people to destroy drones and level up their weapon before attacking anyone. even if you can see other people they will be relatively far away, giving you time to think about what you can and want to do. I have played this game for 15 hours now and the more you play it and level up, especially if you play ranked mode, the more fun and skill based it becomes.

    a few things you might want to know is everything you can buy is only a cosmetic thing. no pay to win here.
    Weapon skins are called "gum" here, so they get used up after each time. if you have one... orange and black skin, you play with it, then its gone. Which is not that big of a deal because 1. they are called gum. you dont chew gum and then spit it out and rebuild it into its original state.. 2. you get loads of new gum after every match, even if you lose you get new things.

    They desperately need to add new maps to the game though, which i am confident that they will do that as we have already seen a lot of cosmetic items come out.    … Expand
  30. Smg4
    Jul 18, 2020
    10
    Its a great game with a good online server despite issues on the first day people shouldbtry playing the game before hating
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Awards & Rankings

11
#11 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 21
  3. Negative: 1 out of 21
  1. Edge Magazine
    Jul 16, 2020
    70
    There's not doubt that chasing the 'Ippon Master' bonus is where the most fun is to be had. [Issue#348, p.98]
  2. 3DJuegos
    Jul 14, 2020
    75
    One of the best arena fighters available for Switch. Vibrant battles, colorful arenas and unique weapons are its best features. A very good free to play attempt by GungHo Online Entertainment.
    Read full review
  3. Destructoid
    Jul 10, 2020
    65
    Ninjala definitely has the look of something I should be in love with. It's bright and colorful, and the world-building happening here is genuinely fun. What's not fun are the poorly implemented mechanics that can ruin the fast and fluid combat. There is a solid template for something great here, and if GungHo can iron out all its wrinkles, it might have a genuine blockbuster on its hands.
    Read full review
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