Ninjatown
Score: 95% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: Southpeak Interactive Developer: Venan Entertainment Media: Cartridge/1 Players: 1 - 2 (Single and Multi Card) Genre: Strategy
Graphics & Sound: Ninjatown is a great strategy game that takes what could be a really complicated system, simplifies it and puts a comedic face on it. One of the most prominent features of Ninjatown is the game's visual style. This bubbly, rounded world is full of creatures and characters that look just like the stuffed toys they are inspired by. While there are both a lot of different types of ninja and devils, for the most part, they all look the same (as in most ninjas look like each other and most devils look like each other, not ninjas look like devils). The best way to tell the difference between the various ninjas is by the color of their robes. The basic units wear black, while the more powerful ones wear tan, the ranged fighters where green, etc. Devils also tend to look the same; most are red, while some appear a bit fatter than others, but there are also a few types of other enemies like the green snake creatures or the devils with flame throwers. While at first glance they all appear the same, there are enough details in each character type to let you know what to expect right away. Sound also takes on a very happy-go-lucky feel that just fits with the plushy characters. While not as noticeable as the visual style, the background music definitely adds to the game's overall feel, and when the volume is turned down, something is definitely missing. Outside of the music, the various hitting and smashing sound effects when the devils invade also go a long way to make the game work.
Gameplay: Ninjatown's gameplay fits nicely into the Tower Defense genre. A horde of enemies will work its way into the town and try and make it through. Your job is to place various types of ninja along the roads in order to stop them from making it all the way through. Of course, the strategy comes in with having to pay for different types of Ninja Huts, upgrading those huts and healing your defense. You start the game off only being able to use two types of ninjas. Wee Ninjas (dressed in black) and Anti-Ninjas (in tan). Wee Ninjas are good general fighters, but don't land the biggest hits or take the most damage. Anti-Ninjas, on the other hand, are all about combat and they hit hard. Eventually you gain the ability to build Sniper Ninja Huts that allow for ranged attacks, Lava Ninja which hurl fireballs, Business Ninja (who move super fast because of all the caffeine) and others with various abilities. One of the most powerful ninja is your character. You control and direct the town's population through Ol' Master Ninja. He is the one experienced with fighting Mr. Demon and his waves of Wee Devils. As you progress through the levels, not only do you gain access to more types of ninja, but Ol' Master Ninja gains a few abilities as well. These powers including blowing enemies around the screen, zapping them, speeding up the healing process of your forces and slowing down the enemy forces. Each power takes energy which is filled by defeating enemy invaders. Defeating enemies also grants you the money necessary to buy or upgrade your various huts and ninja fighters as well, so not only is your goal to simply keep the bad guys from walking through the town, but doing so will help better your forces for the next wave. The game also offers a multiplayer option. While the gameplay itself is the same, you will be competing against another Ol' Master Ninja to see who can clear out the waves of devils the fastest. It's in multiplayer where a few additional abilities appear. These are things like leeching life from the other player, or stealing their Ninja Star Cookies (the money in the game). You can also drain some of the Ol' Master Ninja power or destroy a random hut in the other player's village.
Difficulty: Ninjatown is not all that easy of a game; of course I always find this style a challenge. If you start off building too many huts early on, then you may find yourself with very little money when you need to build a new type of Ninja Hut. But of course, if you don't build a strong enough defense early on, then you won't last through those later waves. This of course is the whole point of the game. The challenge of it is to find that balance of spending money to improve your forces and keeping a reserve so you can build one for specific needs later on. I found that being really conservative early on seems to help me in these types of games, but even then it's a fine line to walk. My first few attempts at Ninjatown left me losing all of my lives before I even left the first village (I made it through maybe four waves). Once you start to gain a few of Ol' Master Ninja's powers and get an understanding of the best way to use them, then the game gets a bit easier, but it is always a challenge. Yet, I never got frustrated at the game, I found myself constantly going back in the hopes that I could make it just a little farther the next time. So while the game is tough, it isn't discouragingly so.
Game Mechanics: There are two aspects of Ninjatown that really make the game simple to pick up and play. One is the effective layout; the other is the intuitive controls. The touchscreen is where all the action takes place. Here is your detailed view of the village. Using the stylus, you can move around the village to see the roads and huts you have in place (as well as the ninjas and devils as they move about). On the touchscreen, you will also use a very simple Menu system to select a lot, decide what type of Ninja Hut you want to build and start construction. In this same manner, you can select an existing hut and decide to either tear it down or upgrade it. The Menu uses icons with very obvious meanings only - so no quick reading. There is the green check mark, red X and tasks like the different types of ninjas you can use or icons for telling your ninja to sleep. Again, this really lets a player simply pick the game up and start playing with it. The top screen is split vertically in two. On the right side is Ol' Master Ninja in his hot air balloon watching the battle. Most of the time he doesn't really do anything, but when you use one of his powers, the game plays a nice animation for the effect. The left half is a bird's-eye view of the entire village with icons representing the enemy's progress through the town. This side also displays the number of lives you have left, Ninja Star Cookies you have and any information about the current and soon-to-come waves of enemies. While I like the DS, I have found very few games that truly make me happy to own one. There is a lot out there, and most of it, let's face it, isn't wonderful. Ninjatown, on the other hand, is a solid game that is a must buy, especially for anyone who is already familiar with the Tower Defense genre and enjoys the challenge that comes with it. The game's lighthearted and bubbly feel does a great job hiding its complex nature, and is definitely something worth appreciating.
-J.R. Nip, GameVortex Communications AKA Chris Meyer
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