Mike Bantick
Tuesday, 08 September 2009 07:51
Entertainment
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More often than not there will be an environmental puzzle to be negotiated, with Ken wall-running, using his sword or one of several environmentally powered shuriken to progress further.
Using Ken’s limited Ninja Vision is vital to spot clues to the path ahead, or, during later stages, even locating hidden enemies. Ninja Vision turns the world of Ninja Blade visually into a kind of heat signature effect, highlighting wall running opportunities and weakened walls as well as providing a time slow-down to despatch enemies.
Wall running and leaps can provide the most frustrating moments in Ninja Blade. One memorable moment, Ken is sprinting towards camera as a ludicrously large worm crashes through the Tokyo skyline behind him. For a guy who just previously jumped from an aircraft sans-parachute, the amount of times a simple ill-timed jump saw him plummet a relatively meagre thirty metres or so to the ‘Load from Checkpoint’ button was infuriating.
Speaking of ludicrously large worms, the next game mechanic Ninja Blades throws at players are the boss fights, generally involving oversized household pests. Along the way Ken will battle massive versions of snails, beetles, worms, ticks, flies and cockroaches. Throw in a good supply of giant crustaceans, plague deamons and other suitable tentacle laden or pus-dripping creatures and pretty much this is an exterminator’s nightmare come to video-game life.
There is some strategy here, with ensuring Ken is equipped with the correct sword for the job; the all purpose Katana, the Twin Falcon Knives for numerous small opponents or the Stonerender to get stuck into those pesky armoured beasties.
The awkward controls for the ranged Shurikens, that come in fire, typhoon and Lightning options, holds it back from being used too often in combat, and more so in the progression puzzles. It is however an essential part of Ken’s arsenal, and mastering the different flavours, button and aiming requirements will keep Ken alive longer.
So, Ninja Ken dances around the screen, slaying ‘carriers’, upgrading his weapons, collecting objects (including a clown suit) and beating up on poor beasts, minding their own gigantic business. And apart from the odd inexplicable non-ninja like falls, it all goes pretty smoothly and easily. Much of this ease is due to the no-fail quick time event system.
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