Ninjala Review: Packs a Pint-Sized Punch

[Nergal]

 

 

The video game market is saturated with battle royales. Ever since Fortnite hit the scene, with its daily and seasonal challenges, fast, tween-friendly gameplay, and highly addictive customization options, every studio has searched for their answer to the game's success. Many have adopted the model of free-to-play action with hilarious and unique skins and emotes taunted behind a transparent paywall. But many of the more serious titles don't have the elasticity of narrative and characters that comes with the vague and cartoonish backstory of Fortnite. It's PG styling has little competition in the free-to-play space... until perhaps now. Ninjala feels like a DreamWorks show waiting to happen, a strange and delightful combination of fighting game and classic death match packed into something younger Fortnite fans will love.

A Nintendo Switch exclusive, GungHo's Ninjala may skew younger than Fortnite's core base, if only by a few years. Its world is filled with tweens, ninjas-in-training that fight for no apparent reason, other than to hone their skills. The game's quick tutorial and initial character customization provides little context, but a brief perusal on the game's website highlights the history of their world.

It's unsurprisingly simple: the descendants of ancient ninja clans seek to preserve their heritage by searching for the next generation of mighty warriors. They've formed the World Ninja Association (WNA) and are holding competitions where you (the player) will fight to show your skill. To add a little 'pop' to the story, there's also the invention of ninja-gum, an art that summons forth the "strength of the Shinobi."


This gum may sound odd - and it certainly is - but its a core tenet of the gameplay and is also the most obvious explanation as to why these ninjas aren't fighting with swords or stars. Instead, their gum takes a different form, depending on the player's loadout. There's a gum weapon shaped like a large corn-on-the-cob, and a yo-yo type weapon made to look like a sprinkled donut, among others. Loadouts also come with different abilities, all crucial to coming out on top in a battle royale.