- Site: Mini Ninjas
- Publisher: Feral Interactive
- Developer: IO Interactive
- Genre: Adventure
Game Media
Available for online ordering 24 hours a day, every day.
By Brad Cook
From Akira Kurosawa’s classic film “Seven Samurai” to Stan Sakai’s ongoing comic book series “Usagi Yojimbo,” ancient samurai and ninja legends experienced a rebirth during the 20th century. Mini Ninjas, however, eschews what you’ve come to expect from such stories, presenting a light-hearted tale that nevertheless hews to ancient traditions.
“It all starts when an evil samurai warlord becomes obsessed with taking over the world, as evil warlords do,” game director Jeremy Petreman explains in an interview. “His plan is to use an ancient magic called Kuji to twist innocent forest animals into mindless samurai minions. I like to say that his plan was brilliant. Flawless!
“Well, except for one little detail: the world begins to mysteriously fall apart. Floods, tornadoes, earthquakes. That type of thing. The ninjas, who swore an oath long ago to watch for such signs, are sent out by their master to discover the source of the unrest. Some of those ninjas go missing without a trace, and that’s where you step in.”
You play the role of the aptly-named Hiro, an inexperienced ninja who sets out to find the missing ninjas and defeat the evil warlord with help from fellow ninja Futo, a lumbering giant who strikes powerful blows with his hammer. As Hiro makes his way through a stylized version of feudal Japan, he becomes not only a better swordsman but also a more effective caster of Kuji spells — he is the only ninja who can use that mystical magic.
After you rescue a missing ninja, you can switch to them any time and take advantage of their special skills. Hiro can also possess nearby animals and use their unique moves, such as the warthog’s ability to ram things.
An Enchanting World
“We went to a huge amount of effort to create a compelling, enchanting world which is true to the ninja myth and fantasy, complete with a backstory that goes back several centuries,” Petreman says. “When it came to the castles and architecture, props, weapons, costumes, even the outfits of the ridiculous little samurai, we went to great lengths to maintain a sense of authenticity to all through research and design … It may seem like a silly little colorful world, but to us it’s filled with history and mythology.”
It’s also a world full of secrets to uncover and useful objects to find. Don’t let such seemingly innocuous items as mushrooms and flowers pass you by, because you can use them to create powerful potions that restore lost health and repel arrows, among other things. If you ever find yourself wondering what you should do next, try meditating: you’ll see your current objective and a compass heading that shows the best direction; you’ll also increase the rate at which you regain Ki energy, which is used to cast spells.
You’ll need to be well-rested and able to draw on all powers at your disposal as you take on the bosses sent by the evil samurai warlord to stop you. Each possesses a unique power, such as Boss Windy Pants, whose clouds of noxious gas deal serious damage. “We really tried to approach the bosses with a lot of humor,” notes level designer Ulrik Hauen-Limkilde.
While the final battle against the evil samurai warlord is a more serious affair, it still retains the happy-go-lucky feel that permeates the rest of the story. “We wanted to make a game with a wider appeal, so we could come home and play with our families,” Hauen-Limkilde says.
Panda Power. Bodacious animal attitude on display.
A Smelly Situation. Hiro fights a boss whose wife probably doesn’t enjoy sleeping with a heavy blanket.
Shun FTW. Holding off the enemy with a bow and arrows.
If you liked this game, check out:
- Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties
- Bugdom 2
- Black & White 2
- Dragon Age: Origins
- Fable
- Hordes of Orcs
- Jade Empire: Special Edition
- Kung Fu Panda The Game
- Lineage
- Neverwinter Nights 2
- Otto Matic
- Prince of Persia
- Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones
- Team Fortress 2
- Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
- Worms 3D
System Requirements:
- Mac OS X version 10.5.8 (10.6.3 recommended)
- 1.8GHz Intel Core Duo processor (2.4GHz or higher recommended)
- 1GB of RAM (3GB recommended)
- 128MB video RAM (512MB recommended; This game runs on MacBook and Mac mini computers with NVIDIA GeForce 9400M or better video cards)
- 5GB hard disk space
Game Hardware
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Small Statures, Big Powers
You begin the game in control of Hiro, but the other Mini Ninjas become available as you rescue them. Futo leaves the village with Hiro as his first companion.
Hiro: The Ninja Master found Hiro as an infant and raised him, discovering that the young boy possessed uncanny magical powers. Hiro is equally adept with his sword, and when he needs to, he can rely on other weapons that may be purchased at temples, including smoke and pepper bombs and shuriken. His special attack allows him to stop time and deliver deadly blows with precision.
Ninja Master also sends Hiro on his adventure with a multi-purpose hat that can serve as a boat, a shield, or a sledge. His companions can use it too.- Futo: This big brute wields a hammer better than anyone else in the game. His special attack is the barrel roll, in which he balls up his body and treats enemies like they’re bowling pins.
- Suzume: Swift of foot, sweet with flute, Suzume tends to prefer stealth, but when necessary, she can unleash some devastating hand-to-hand attacks. If she finds herself outnumbered, she can play a special melody with her flute and cause all around her to dance; then she simply eliminates them one by one.
- Tora: He is so infatuated with tigers that he wields a pair of homemade claws on his hands. Tora is a tireless bundle of energy whose special attack enables him to quickly cross distances and launch himself into a claw-slashing frenzy.
- Kunoichi: She is shy and reserved, but she’s not afraid to wield her spear, known as a Naginata, with deadly effects. She can spin the weapon above her head and unleash a fearsome helicopter attack.
- Shun: Always clad in camouflage, Shun is the stealthiest of all the ninjas. He never mastered hand-to-hand combat, so he relies on a bow and arrow to take out enemies from afar. Shun can tie explosives to his arrows for a more powerful delivery.
Here be Magic:
Hiro learns new spells by finding and activating Kuji shrines. Look for the Anemone flowers that grow nearby. The available spells include: fireball, meteor storm, sunrays, lightning storm, ice storm, sonic boom, slow time, camouflage, wall of wind, and tornado. Hiro can also learn to cast Detect Kuji Shrine, which summons forest spirits that point the way to the closest Kuji shrine, and Spirit Form, which lets Hiro take possession of an animal and use its unique abilities.
The potions Hiro can make include: healing, burping brew, ginseng potion (replenishes some Ki), flask of arrow shield, strange brew (bestows a random effect), flaming oil potion (increases weapon damage), flask of unstable energy (extra special attacks), and essence of the fish (turns Hiro into a Koi fish).