Ninjas. They’ve been a staple of video game adventures for decades now, but games featuring them almost always happen in feudal times. Makes sense, I suppose, since it’s easier to set up a shadow warrior’s superhuman powers of stealth in a world without electric lighting. Or cameras. Or alarm systems.
Developed by indie studio Ink Vial, Ninja Hoodie goes in the opposite direction and lets players control a modern-day ninja who doesn’t bother with any of that sneaking around stuff. Hoodie, as he’s called, must search for his kidnapped sensei in a contemporary city landscape filled with various classes of ninja robot. Like, I said: modern.
You play from a tight, third-person over-the-shoulder perspective with movement automatically advancing as you mow down waves of enemies with an endless supply of throwing stars. The action’s all in the mix of aiming, shooting and deflecting and you can get a nice rhythm going once you figure out the timing of enemy attack patterns.
The hook with Ninja Hoodie is that it never feels too static, even though it is an on-rails shooting gallery. You never know where enemies will pop up from and successful progression is as much as about reaction time as it is anticipation. You don’t get the thrill of creeping up on a bad guy in Ninja Hoodie but throwing shurikens with reckless abandon proves to be its own reward.
Nija Hoodie [iTunes]
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