The platform genre is one that is undergoing a little bit of a renaissance of late on the old PS2, with the likes of Jak II: Renegade, Ratchet and Clank II and a fair few other sequels coming along to save the bacon of the gamer that demands that precision jumping action. I-Ninja’s developers Argonaut are a company that have been having a bit of a tumultuous time recently, so I was hoping that their idea of fun was the same as mine for more than one reason.
As it happens, Argonaut have hit the nail on the head in the majority of respects with I-Ninja. The central character – the bizarrely named Ninja - is attitude personified, but still he contains an undeniably cute side that will keep him close to the heart of many a gamer in years to come. His moves are basic when compared to something such as the great Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, but in light of this limitation, the development team has managed to cram a lot more into the game to grab your attention. Indeed, heavy-headed nods to Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!, Super Monkey Ball, Sonic The Hedgehog, Brunswick Bowling, Enter The Matrix and Marble Madness can be seen in the first world alone, all suitably dressed up to the nines and given the 128-bit treatment.
These mini-game diversions, added to the required platform pieces (collecting coins, defeating pockets of enemies and – duh! – platforms) make for a pretty complete game. The storylines are just about engaging enough to keep you interested, and most of the time, the humour hits the nail right on the head. So what’s missing’ Well, for a start you’ll find that Ninja’s lack of defensive options – other than “run for the hills” – is a might annoying, especially when you realise that there are no health pickups to be found. The levels are short enough as to not be painfully difficult, but when you run into the first group of four enemies on a level, take maybe two hits from the lead man, polish them off with a couple of spin moves and look up to find your health gauge sitting on the 10% mark, things can get a bit daunting.
There’s nothing wrong with a hearty challenge though, but some will find it to be a little bit too much. Wimps. Graphically and sonically, I-Ninja stands up and makes itself counted with crisp, well defined textures, some excellent animation and a soundtrack that encapsulates the classic plinky-plunky 16-bit tunes and nurtures them up to being noughties cool. Sometimes the voice acting (particularly on the part of Ninja himself) can grate, but this is a minor thing.
As a fan of the genre, I can’t stop myself from recommending I-Ninja to all. As a discerning gamer, the same applies. I-Ninja is a top-notch title, although at times that lack of defence can make it all feel a little too gung-ho. Doubtless we’ll see a sequel, and I for one will be looking forward to it.
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