Sometimes when you are gaming, you just need a little help from your friends. Games are better when they are shared with family and friends, either in couch co-op or online multiplayer. Pocket Trap just created a new hack and slash game that can be played solo or with a friend. Ninjin – Clash of Carrots turns you into a ninja rabbit or fox fighting for your right to vegetables.
The evil shogun has stolen all the carrots in the land, and it is up to you to get them back for your village. Battling through 5 different worlds against scores of enemies, your skills will be put to the test. Each level will see you slashing through waves of enemies, each with different attacks. Between normal foes and bosses, your quest will not be an easy one.
Gameplay is pretty consistent throughout the title. You run horizontally through the stage killing everything that comes your way. You start out with a basic sword and throwable shuriken but can find and buy more as you proceed. For the most part, you can only attack to your right – the direction you are running – but you are able to do short dash attacks to the left to clear out any enemies that try to sneak up on you.
The core of the game is the weapons that you use. There are 101 different swords for you to collect, each with unique abilities. Besides attack power, some are imbued with elemental powers, cost you stamina to use, or have extended attack range. There are also 40 projectiles, 28 artifacts that boost your character, and 31 fashion accessories to deck out your ninja. To gather all items, you will have to play through the entire campaign, plus make your way through 50 waves of endless enemies.
The graphics in the game are good. There is a wide variety of enemies that are each distinct in their rendering. One issue that I did find was in the online multiplayer. I played online with my son and our gaming setups are about 15 feet apart. The game doesn’t always render the 2nd player in the proper position of your screen. Many times, when we were playing he would be fighting along the bottom of the screen but his character on my TV was near the top bumping into mine as I tried to clear out the enemies up there. This can be more than a minor annoyance when the other player starts bumping you into enemies and you lose health. During some of the boss fights this gets more than a bit inconvenient. The soundtrack does keep up with the frantic game play on the screen.
Whether you are playing with a friend, or solo there is more than enough mayhem to keep you busy for quite a while. With the large number of weapons to be collected, you will have hours of entertainment. Ninjin – Clash of Carrots is out. now on XB1, PS4, Steam, and Nintendo Switch with a price tag of about $15.
