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11.28.2003
I-Ninja: Everyone loves a good ninja game!
Game Nikki: 4 out of 5
Ninjas possess real ultimate power. This is a fact. Ninjas have been featured in numerous amazing games since the dawn of videogames. Also fact. Unfortunately, since Sega's Shinobi on the PS2 many moons ago, gamers have not had a new shuriken-tossing title that could hold its own. Maybe developers decided it was cooler to have cops and robbers shoot up simulated towns, or maybe they have a fear of releasing something halfway decent and being shot down because the new release still doesn't live up the living legends created by Tecmo and Sega. I'm no psychologist, but what I do know is Namco's I-Ninja is a warmly welcomed treat during this ninja-less, barren wasteland. There may be some truly amazing games coming out during Fall 2003, but none so far have featured proper ninja arcade action... until now.
Some games try to be complex epics remembered for their sheer scale if nothing else, and some try to be purposefully light, fun affairs that come and go quickly, leaving a smile and little more. I-Ninja is unapologetically the latter, a warm salute to the genre that has given us Shinobi, Ninja Gaiden and so many other frustrating yet classic experiences. Starring Ninja, a short shrimp of a kung fu fighter, I-Ninja takes the player on a journey to collect the five Rage Stones, protected fiercely by the properly gargantuan bosses. Right at the start, Ninja finds one, is driven into a rage and accidentally beheads his master. Not only does Sensei have to offer his advice in ghost form from there on out, but the game also firmly establishes itself as tongue in cheek. Delivering cool one-liners while splitting robots, enemies, and robot enemies in half, Ninja sails from level to level setting things right. "The consummate warrior", as the back of the box calls him, must also learn to harness new powers and do much more than just the typical action gaming. Even as the formula of I-Ninja constantly twists and turns, the game still doesn't let up on the fun.
To complete his super-stealthy, super-cool goals, Ninja must make the best of an entire arsenal of moves. Levels are broken up into several different varieties, but the basic format is the 'action adventure' category, where Ninja must traverse a level, defeat the enemies, solve the puzzles and recapture an item for the good guys before escaping with it. During these levels, the control scheme feels eerily similar to Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and that's never a bad thing. The challenge is not always defeating every enemy from Point A to Point B, but just finding a way between the blocked off areas. To do so, wall running (jumping against walls with tread marks and pressing diagonally up at the same time), ring hopping (R1 Button), wall scaling, racing and double jumping are all made necessary. Like a certain other "Prince", Ninja's actions smoothly meld together thanks to a tight control scheme. It's an exhilarating thrill to hop from obstacle to obstacle, proving the dexterity of the fingers and reflexes, but I-Ninja forces a breakneck pace whereas Prince of Persia encourages time for contemplation before acting. Some wrong moves will cause a re-spawn back further in the level, but this game treats mistakes much kinder in general than the death-oriented Sands of Time.
But it's not just exploration, because ninjas tend to fight very often. Something about their secret Ninja Code commands them to. When consummate warrior Ninja faces down the Ranx Army, the robotic collection of humanoid robots, animal robots and super-mecha robots, he gets to pull out some sweet karate along with the typical sword. Getting ganged up on can quickly fly out of hand, but I-Ninja usually is good about letting Ninja hop in and out of trouble, conserving energy when necessary and selectively choosing enemies to annihilate before retreating back to gain the advantage. If you rush into it, however, the fighting can be quite difficult, since once an enemy decides to attack, no action on your part can stop him if you're in the middle of swinging at another character. The Circle Button allows a sweeping sword move that inflicts damage to everyone around you, but this is completely ineffective for actually killing robots. Actual destruction requires some one-on-one time, and the circular attacks are only meant to get them off guard, so Ninja can hop out of trouble before getting a bit more personal in the scope of his sword swinging.
The fighting is tough, but combined with the platform action makes for a pleasant experience. I-Ninja manages to put a dent in this classic fun, insisting on mixing up the typical action with minigames, such as a Marble Madness knockoff, and the “Kiss Me Deadly Defense System” (best movie pun I've seen in a while). Minigames are fun little distractions, but they are still distractions, and used to cover up a mediocre game, not something as fun and exciting as I-Ninja. I would much rather be hacking and slashing my through the Ranx Army than doing one of the many 'unique' activities laid out by Namco.
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Colorful, spazzy graphics reaffirm the central goal of I-Ninja: to have fun. The game looks great when it wants to, with complicated special effects like reflections, sparks and lasers firing off all over the place, but most of the style lies in a simplistic, dare we say 'kiddie' atmosphere. Yes, childish. As in huge heads, cuddly character design and warm level design. Sure, every enemy still packs a punch, but even getting sliced in half only erupts some inoffensive green goo and a slick animation. I think it's surprising the game is still given a T rating, but what can be said these days about the ESRB.
The visuals look like that because the whole style is the conflict between attitude and reality. Ninja may be two feet nothing and huggable, but his insults, barbs of wit and screams make I-Ninja look like a kid's game but certainly not sound like one. Quite the humorous marriage, and the awkward combination is further accented with the typical synthesizer-laden 'ninja game soundtrack'. You can almost hear the SNES humming in the background. Since this is done for comedic effect, the aged sound presentation is justified. Any proper old-timer will get misty-eyed at I-Ninja's loving homage to the sword-slicing games of yore.
Still, for all its loving references, tight gameplay and snappy graphics, I-Ninja runs into trouble with the replay department. Experienced gamers will make quick work of the game, although extra challenges are offered by getting better 'Grades' on each level, earning a few new shenanigans for Ninja. Even after plowing through the game and returning for the additional challenges, the time spent won't extend far beyond ten hours. Worth it, I'd say, but many can also complete this much in a rental period. If you are one of those people, go ahead and rent this fabulously fun—but by no means original—game. I-Ninja certainly brings the action and adventure, it just could have used some beefing up in order to be a must-buy.
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