At first glance, Dogbyte Games’ 8-bit Ninja is likely to draw comparisons with Halfbrick Studios’ wildly popular Fruit Ninja,even just on the grounds that both feature fruit and well… ninjas.
Similarities aside, 8-bit Ninja could best be described as a reversed version of the Halfbrick game. As we all know, Fruit Ninja lets you gleefully slash up all manner of produce while avoiding bombs and making sure no fruit is left uncut. 8-bit Ninja, on the other hand, puts players into the shoes of a cute, pixelated ninja who has to avoid incoming giant pieces of fruit in order to stay in the game. It’s like Dogbyte tried to answer the question “What if the fruit in Fruit Ninja decided to have their revenge?”
The core game is simple as can be: control the ninja within a confined arena and stay alive for as long as possible by dodging incoming fruit. As time passes, the patterns at which they come at you change, so stay on your toes. It’s not all dodging, though. You’ll also have to collect falling coins and the occasional dragon fruit, both of which is necessary for purchasing upgrades and other goodies from the in-game store.
Despite having the act of dodging fruit as the main premise of the game, your ninja isn’t completely defenseless. The game’s three playable ninja, three of which are unlockable through the in-game store, each come with an innate ability which increases their chances of survival. For example, 8-bit, the ninja you start the game with, comes with a defensive shield that repels fruit, thus, keeping you safe. Each run rewards you with EXP that allows you to level up your ninja and gradually increases the effectiveness of each skill.
This game is meant to be played in short bursts, eventually piling into dozens of hours as you try to rack up coins and dragon fruit for use in the shop. Speaking of which, prepare to sink in a good chunk of your play time into it while you decide which power-ups to upgrade and unlock to suit your play style. It’s games like these with a simple mechanic on the surface with a healthy amount of unlockables that work best on mobile platforms like iOS.
With that said, I do have bone or two to pick with 8-bit ninja. This may seem superficial, but the title seems a bit misleading. While done, in competent and charming pixel art, the game’s graphics don’t seem to exude that 8-bit feeling. I chalk this up to its larger color palette. It’s closer in style to that “new retro” pixel art style we see in modern games than anything on say, the NES era.
The game’s controls are serviceable, but could be better. 8-bit Ninja’s default control scheme, where you tap or hold the bottom corners of the screen to move your ninja. It’s responsive enough, though it’s easy to occasionally get both thumbs on the screen and not move at all, or to activate your ninja’s special ability at the wrong time. It gets especially frustrating when things on screen start to get frenzied. By the way, don’t bother with the tilt controls, they’re as wobbly as a college kid on a drinking spree after finals week.
With all that said, 8-bit Ninja is a solid addition to your collection of gaming apps to run to while on your daily commute or waiting for your turn at the dentist’s office. It may have a few hiccups here and there, but its sheer simplicity and addictive shop system definitely earn it a spot on your phone’s app list.
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