Ninjin: Clash of Carrots succeeds in mimicking those side scrolling beat-em-ups of yesteryear. With an anime-inspired art style, a fantastic chiptune soundtrack, and addicting gameplay, it’s hard to put down. The story is simple, with a focus on comedy, that gets out of the way for the gameplay, and aside from a few stages that feel a bit repetitive, its some of the most fun I’ve had in a side-scroller in some time.
As stated above, the story is pretty simple;you’re a Ninjin rabbit (good play on words), and your town gets its carrots (currency in-game) stolen by the main baddy, Shogun Moe. His army bags the carrots and heads for the hills, and it’s your job to stop them by slashing, dashing, shooting, and dodging waves of creative, and varied enemies. Each level is broken down into stages which get increasingly more difficult, introducing new characters and enemies, until a boss battle. After each level you spend the carrots you’ve collected on new gear, (fancy swords and throwing stars) special abilities, (extra life, stamina, and shields) and cosmetics (masks and skins).
That’s pretty much it, it’s got a simple premise which makes for addicting gameplay. I caught myself playing one too many hours late at night several times. It’s hard to put down when you get into a flow and the game has a fair number of levels to get lost in. There were a few times, however where the levels and stages, seemed to blur together, (aside from the unique boss battles) but with such a simple premise it’s easy to understand why, just be aware going in, the game gets hard. Its is about fast, and challenging gameplay, (emphasis on the challenge in later levels) that increases as you go, and repetition, seems to be part of that challenge. For example, you have a limited life bar, with few opportunities for regeneration, so managing a constant slough of enemies and staying alive becomes just as big a task as timing attacks.
Finally, I have to touch on the style of this game, it’s fantastic. The design on characters and levels is really well done, and very detailed considering the 8-bit inspiration, yet it feels crisp and clean. Movements are fluid and the music matches the art style perfectly. Characters are cute and half their personality comes from their animation (and small but funny bits of dialogue). The hub world also has had a lot of attention given to it, and it’s all a blast to take in.
Overall, Ninjin: Clash of Carrots is a fantastic little game to pick up and play. With easy to learn and addicting gameplay, a fantastic art style, great customization, and enjoyable music to boot, it’s a great way to kill a couple hours. Its relatively short but sweet, (aside from some frustrating end levels) and some of the stages do blur together, but I’d recommend this to anyone looking for some simple fun. Just know that it will lull you into a false sense of security before whipping you by the end.
- Great customization
- Fantastic art style
- Simple to learn, hard to beat
- Funny Dialogue
