Mini Ninjas

When you think of Ninjas in games these days, you either get an image of excessive violence or stealth-based gameplay. But Mini Ninjas takes one of the most loved character types and makes a game that's rich in Japanese culture and art-style, without the blood or stealth.

The game takes place in ancient Japan where an evil Samurai warlord has returned and is now using dark Kuji magic to morph innocent jungle animals into Samurai henchmen, causing a disturbance in the 'force'. This disturbance is detected by a ninja master, so he sends his best trained students one after the other, only not to have any of them return again. In the end he sends his two most unlikely heroes - Hiro and Futo to rescue their ninja brothers and defeat the enemy while at it.

The story may seem quite run of the mill good vs. evil, but it plays out pretty well in setting the right scene in the game. Considering that the game is primarily aimed at kids, the setting seems just right to be entertaining as well as intriguing.

You primarily control Hiro, the most well balanced ninja in the game, but you can also switch to other ninjas at any time through a simple control maneuver. Of course in the beginning the only other ninja at your disposal is Futo, but as you progress, you rescue many other ninjas who will join your party for the rest of the game.

Every ninja you acquire has his own strengths and weaknesses. Futo is big and strong, but slow, Shun is an archer so he can take out enemies from a distance, Suzume charms enemies with her flute before taking them out, and so on. You can add a lot of strategy in your gameplay with the right character selection.