Review: Paper Ninja - Scissors Wont Cut It!

Overview

Paper Ninja is a fun Ninja themed slasher by Real Inverse where you must cut down ninjas to survive. It mixes fast paced finger swiping gameplay with some interesting ideas of its own to create an addictive game that requires quick thinking as well as fast reflexes.

Features

Paper Ninja features threes modes of play: First Night is the basic game, Paper Dance is a much harder version and Ninja Salad is a very different style of play. It also includes Openfeint for online achievements and Facebook integration to post your achievements on your wall, for all your gloating needs.

The Good

Paper Ninja has  some good ideas that really set it apart from other similarly styled games. Each warrior holds a weapon that covers one side of the sheet of paper they are on. If you slice them starting from this direction, you will be blocked by their weapon and stunned for a few seconds, during which you are unable to attack.

You start the game with ten powerups that allow you to knock a ninja's weapon away, leaving it open to being sliced from that side, although you are still stunned from doing so. This weapon mechanic really adds to the gameplay, as you have to quickly think of the best way to take out groups of ninjas with one cut without hitting any weapons and when you have several flying at you at once this is  a lot harder than it sounds.. Not content with already having a fun game, Real Inverse mixes it up with Ninja Salad. In this mode targets are tossed up onto the screen, as are other random objects like knives or pots. The aim is to slash the ninjas before they fall off the screen and to avoid hitting the objects, as hitting them causes your slashes to have no effect for a second. Each time you hit every target tossed up, the game adds one more, so if you play perfectly you can rack up higher combos and higher scores. The game is timed for one minute, so its perfect to fill a few seconds with and it is very different from the main game. Graphics are snappy, featuring a nice cartoony art style and well drawn backdrops. Slashing effects are fine and the game has a nice Japanese vibe. Soundwise, Paper Ninja is well done. Fast paced music lends the game a frenetic feel and it features nice, loud sound effects that change if you slash harder or softer. Real Inverse are also planning a major update to the game, including new power up abilities and more achievements to unlock, so you can count on this already great game getting even better.

The Bad

Paper Ninja could be improved. Different weapons could be introduced  similar to Fruit Ninja's different blades. An online high score list would also be a nice addition. Fingers crossed the planned update adds these things.

The Verdict

In short, Paper Ninja is a fun, addictive game, perfectly suited for quick bursts when you have some free time. Its price of $0.99 is very reasonable for the amount of game on offer. Highly recommended!

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