Mini Ninjas

A beautiful little game; just a shame that everything is so overly familiar.

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.

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.

A perfect game for the kids but with enough fun to keep the adults entertained as well. You will never feel too taxed or too engrossed for that matter but the cute charm of the game shines through and means there is plenty of entertainment to be had.

At first glance, a game like Mini Ninjas seems more suitable for casual gamers and children. But when you actually get a chance to play at it, you suddenly realize that you are either the former or the latter… Or both at the same time! In spite of some gameplay limits, this is just plain fun!

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.

Inoffensive, intelligent and beautifully presented, Mini Ninjas is a refreshing reminder that good game design isn't the preserve of games with guns and swears in. Take advantage of IO's altered state while you can.

At the end of the day you get a pretty good game here, as mentioned it's an adaptation on Nintendo's classic Zelda series with a ninja theme, albeit a little dumbed down, but it's fun while it lasts.

A charming game and, while not that deep, a pleasant surprise if you're just looking for engaging casual fun or are a very casual player open to some deeper gameplay. [Issue#50, p.86]

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 Ninjas offers an assortment of simple pleasures and its tooth-rottingly sweet presentation wholly endears – but it isn’t sustained, and in places falls disastrously below the watermark.

Do not underestimate Little Ninjas; it is worthy of everyone's time - a beautifully conceived product by all accounts. [Nov 2009, p.116]

Given this and a stab at serious inventiveness, Mini Ninjas might have drawn abreast with LEGO Star Wars, rather than sidling warily around the perimeter of essential purchase.

A decent attempt for a game aimed at kids, though it could have offered more of a challenge and perhaps added in some co-op play.

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.

Mini Ninjas is a likeable want to be, but it´s no more than that. It could be an awesome videogame, but IO Interactive didn’t know how to develop its good and innovative premise.

The best kids' games look great and engage the brain. Sadly Mini Ninjas isn't one of them. [Nov 2009, p.70]

What we've ended up with is a game loaded with promise that sells itself short in the execution. There's no doubt it'll entertain the kids, but it won't challenge them.

As a full-price purchase Mini Ninjas is hard to recommend to anyone other than those keen to snap up some easy Achievement Points by rushing headlong and unimpeded through its lacklustre adventure - for which a rental would be best advised.

While the vibrant visuals, easily manageable combat and light-hearted mood might enamor some, Mini Ninjas is just too repetitive, short and bereft of features to make it stand out.

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.

Mini Ninjas is an utterly cute and charming game that may not have the complexity and amount of content ‘hardcore’ gamers look for, but anyone who disparages Mini Ninjas for its simplicity is missing the point.