Complex gameplay in a cutesy package

"Ninjatown" lets you take "Desktop Tower Defense" wherever you go.

By Chase Koeneke
Nov. 18, 2008

Ninjas are cool. Understatement of the year, for sure. Who didn't want to be a ninja as a kid? Hell, who still doesn't want to be one now? Unfortunately, MU doesn't have any classes on the subject. The closest any of us will ever get to becoming a ninja is playing one in a video game. Enter "Ninjatown."

The first thing one will notice playing "Ninjatown" is its sickly sweet, Hello Kitty, sugar, spice, everything nice, rainbow barfing graphics. This will definitely be a turn off for a lot of people, which is sad because underneath its cutesy appearance beats the heart of an awesome (and tough) strategy game.

If you've played web games like "Desktop Tower Defense," you'll quickly understand the goal of "Ninjatown": Build units to halt the enemies trying to get to the other side of the level. You have a variety of different buildings to construct, each with their own unique ninja units. Build a black house, and it will spawn the basic "wee ninja," an all-around unit. Build an orange house, and the result will be the "anti-ninja," which boasts big power but is much slower. Green equals slingshot-wielding sniper ninjas who can attack flying enemies and white will give you ninjas trained at the ice cream shop, complete with enemy-slowing snowballs. Every single one of these units will be absolutely vital to your victory against Mr. Demon and his variety of candy-look-a-like devils.

The story is forgettable, but still fun. Mr. Demon has come to Ninjatown to steal the recipe for Ninjatown's chief export, ninja cookies. Taking control of master strategist, Ol' Master Ninja, it's your job to introduce Mr. Demon to Ninjatown's other export, pain. You aren't alone though, as characters like the mayor of Ninjatown will give you helpful advice like "Stop the devils!" and the Ninja Consultant will tell you important facts about the force you are fighting such as "There are... many of them, sir." This bit of humor would be lost in a normal strategy game, but is right at home in "Ninjatown."

While there is a lot of fun to be had here, this is definitely not the type of game you spend hours playing. While the unit types are varied, the gameplay is not. Like "Desktop Tower Defense," it's best to play a couple rounds and then take a break for a while. Players are also limited on the amount of buildings they can have up at any one time.

While this adds another layer of strategy, it limits the possible victorious permutations, which makes the game feel more like trial-and-error until you find the right combination of ninjas. One small issue lies in the "special moves" you can pull off. To push enemies back, you blow into the DS's microphone, and to scare enemies into shock, you must yell into your DS. Playing in public, it's a tough choice between looking like an idiot blowing on you handheld or having a more difficult experience.

"Ninjatown" is a little conflicted: On one hand, its graphics scream kiddy game, but on the other, its complex gameplay begs for an older audience. In any case, "Ninjatown" is a great addition to anyone's DS library. Don't let its graphics deter you - you'll be missing a great game.

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Complex gameplay in a cutesy package

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