Jade Ninja Combines Fruit Ninja, Jetpack Joyride

Jade Ninja ($0.99) by Monkey Potion has you slashing your way through ninjas and other bad guys in this (somewhat) endless runner.

This game is a combination of the slashing gameplay found in Fruit Ninja and the endless runner feel of Jetpack Joyride.

Your character will run toward the right edge of the screen as the enemies advance from the left. Swipe the screen to destroy them. This is a little counterintuitive, considering your character has melee weapons available, yet can kill guys on the opposite end of the screen.

Different weapons are available to fill the bill for the kill. Swipe the bottom left corner to cycle through them. A katana blade serves as the default, while a broad cleaver-like sword serves to cut through armored enemies. Finally, a spear can be used for enemies in clusters.

Each weapon uses different amounts of energy to use. You’ll want to be careful about energy consumption because you’re a sitting duck once you run out.

Just like the bombs in Fruit Ninja, slashing innocent bystanders that run past you will result in the game ending. Watch out for your character showing a red exclamation mark, which signals that a bystander is approaching.

The most vexing part of this game is that you can’t move on to the next level until you achieve all three stars. Forget about “Okay, I got one star. I’ll move on and come back to this one later.” Playing the same level multiple times to achieve perfection is a quick turn-off when it comes to player engagement.

Another irksome aspect of this game is the presence of the offer to buy more coins, despite the fact that this is a paid app for $0.99. While this certainly isn’t the first game to do this, it makes me wishing that the developer either goes fully paid or fully free.

While the game is fun to play, the need to revisit the same level multiple times takes a notch out of the enjoyment.

This app is available for the iPhone.

Do you have the patience of a true ninja? Sprint over to the App Store to find out.