Review: Ninjatown
| Written by: Etali |
| Date: 2008-12-16 |
Ninjatown is a tower defence game for the Nintendo DS. You've probably played browser-based tower defence games on the PC before. If not, the principle behind them is fairly simple you play on a small map, with a road leading from one end to the other. You have limited resources with which to build defensive structures, and you have to prevent the enemies from reaching the other side of the map. Ninjatown takes this concept, and makes the transition to the DS very smoothly. It's set in a world with characters designed by former EGM Editor Shawn Smith, the artist behind the 'Shawnimals' line of toys, which, I have to admit, I hadn't heard of until Leipzig GC, when we got our hands on Ninjatown for the first time. The toys are incredibly cute and funny, though, and the humour makes the transition to the game very well. The game is set in 'Ninjatown' a peaceful place populated by ninjas. Well, it was peaceful, until a volcano erupted, and the town was invaded by Mr Demon, who is after the recipe for Ninja Cookies. In Ninjatown, you play as Ol' Master Ninja, controlling where ninja huts are built, and directing various kinds of ninja as they beat off waves of enemies. There are lots of different Ninja types, including anti-ninjas that can do powerful melee attacks, fast, caffeine-hyped up business ninjas, and irresistible baby ninjas that produce smelly ninja droppings.  Just like in a standard tower defence game, you can upgrade buildings to make units more powerful, and you can also build modifier buildings that will enhance adjacent huts. The currency used in the game is ninja star cookies, and you earn cookies by defeating enemies. The waves start out fairly simple, just a couple of enemies trundling down, but as play goes on you will encounter a variety of enemy types, and will need to select your buildings carefully. Some ninjas can freeze enemies to slow them down. Others are strong against flying enemies, but week against ones on the ground. You will need to quickly look at what the enemy may send your way, and build accordingly, and choose optimal rally points to ensure good, quick coverage. The game controls are beautifully simple. Everything important can be done with the stylus. The bottom screen shows the area you are currently looking at, and allows you to place huts, direct ninjas, etc, and the top screen shows a map of the area to give you an idea of what nasties are coming. The microphone is used shouting into the mic when certain powers are active will trigger them. You can shout anything you want, so there shouldnt be too much risk of embarrassment when playing in a public place. You may find yourself laughing out loud, however, as there are plenty of pop culture references in the cutscenes. The difficulty level is fairly well positioned. If you just want to blast through the game, an experienced strategy player could complete it very quickly, but a perfectionist will find getting an A rank on all levels very challenging. Beginner players can still enjoy the story, however, as there is a very forgiving 'easy' mode that will let you get through a tough level without too much trouble. Ninjatown supports DS download play, with only one cartridge needed. It takes a while for the game to load on the second DS, but play is a lot of fun, and there are a lot of maps you can play on. Overall, I was very impressed with Ninjatown. A level doesn't take very long ten minutes or so, making it perfect for a bus journey, and the controls are very intuitive. The game makes good use of the layout and capabilities of the DS, and has a nice mixture of humour and strategic gameplay. Add in some amusing unit types, and a fun back story, and you have the makings of a classic DS game.... |
