Ninjamurai Review
Developer Open Emotion Studio’s
Platform PSP/PS3 Mini’s
Release Date 7th June (EU) 5th July (USA)
Open Emotion Studio’s make a welcome return to the Mini’s market with the exceptional Ninjamurai.
Mini games have generally been thought of as quite basic, which makes Ninjamurai all the more impressive. The game is quite long, complex, very difficult, and has very solid gameplay with the build quality of some much larger titles.
Ninjamurai in case you are new to the game with its heritage very much in the Shinobi gene pool. It is a good old fashioned 2D side scrolling plat-former, with a modern twist.
The story is a classic tale of revenge, you play as Takezou who is the offspring of a mixed union between a ninja and a samurai, rejected by both sides and looked down on as a kind of a mongrel breed. After the evil Black Armour militia attack the Azure Monastery (where you are training) killing your Sensei, you set out to track down its leader and avenge his death. Armed with your hand to hand Ninja skills, your samurai sword and throwing knives for long range attack whilst at all times aided by your scout Yukiko.
The level design is pretty complex and each level can be approached in a number of different ways, for those with nimble thumbs you can speed your way through each mission, but for those like me with slower dexterity you can take your time and choose to think about your route. A few sections will have you guessing about just what to do next and there are a few leaps of faith required in places.
Pitfalls make a welcome return (this is where you character falls down a bottomless pit for those too young to remember) and while I did furiously curse them on more than one occasion (they really do fill me with that same nervous angst I suffered from in my childhood) they offer a sense of accomplishment when you do finally clear that troublesome section.
Combat is a huge part within the game and there are a number of different options available and not just with the weapons. You can choose two different attacking styles, one is a very brutal attack mode. This wields more destruction but limits your jumping capabilities. To use this mode you must built up enough Chakra to be able to carry out the moves. The Chakra is displayed as a power bar under the health bar, it is increased with each successful attack but also wastes away each time you use a special skill.
The default mode gives you much more speed and the ability to complete a double jump, while this mode isn’t as effective in battles it is required when jumping some of those wider expanses. There really are enough different attacking options for you to be able to develop your own style and to use different approaches in different situations. Which is quite rare in side scrolling beat ‘em up’s in this market.
The artwork is one of the main selling points, each of the levels and their backgrounds along with the characters have all been hand painted. The animation within the game is excellent I particularly enjoyed the characters running and slicing through the enemies with your sword. The back grounds even include some hidden content from previous Open Emotion games, see if you can spot any and let us know if you do. The music as with Mad Blockers Alpha is perfectly realised and apart from being nice little ear worms the tracks really do set the mood, particularly in one of the more obscure levels near the end of the game.
Overall : I’m continually impressed by Open Emotion Studio’s work, they are pushing the limits of what a Mini’s game can offer. Ninjamurai looks good, plays great and is genuinely an excellent game, really well put together and even offers plenty of replay value with the hidden items, unlock-able content and the time trials.
Do yourself a favour and pick this up straight away. I am eagerly awaiting their next venture and for when they break into the PSN market which can’t be too far away.
Score 9/10
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