Cutesy, bobblehead-like enemies toss explosive barrels, fling arrows, and swing swords at the brave ninja standing in their way — you. Luckily, you have a variety of ways to fight back…if you can get Kinect to recognize your movements.
As Hiro, the black-clad hero from 2009 action-platformer Mini Ninjas (OXM rating: 7.0), you’ll kick, slash, shoot (with arrows and shurikens), and magic-blast wizards, samurai, and zombie ninja across three worlds. Each world is broken up into 10 stages laid out in a grid-like format, three rows deep and five rows across, which lets you shuffle from side to side to line up shots and slashes depending on distance: arrows hit the back row, throwing stars hit the middle, and swords and kicks damage enemies up-close.
Unfortunately, Kinect problems abound: the fussy, imprecise motion-reading is frustrating (especially when you’re blocking and deflecting attacks), and some of your physical actions require exaggerated movements. It’s a shame, given the enjoyable RPG-lite leveling system and the nicely varied motion prompts, but this adventure requires too much patience and floor space.
Each world ends in a boss fight. Die, crow creature!PUBLISHER: Square Enix • DEVELOPER: Sidekick • ESRB: Everyone 10+ • MULTIPLAYER: None • ACHIEVEMENTS: Cumulative and thorough • COST: 800 Microsoft Points ($10) • RELEASE DATE: June 29, 2012
+ Cute, simple motion-based gaming with RPG leveling; colorful presentation.
– Getting Kinect to recognize when you’re blocking/deflecting attacks often involves more luck than skill.
– With your handful of attacks, stages become repetitive; thin on extras.
? Why do your opponents have to be so darn cute? Even the zombies!
