App review: Ninja Assassin for iPhone

You can always tell a platform has truly ‘arrived’ when the first adult titles start showing up. And while Ninja Assassin may not be a genuine game ‘nasty’, it’s certainly the goriest we’ve seen on iPhone. Based on the forthcoming (at the time of writing) movie, be prepared for slice-and-dice graphics and bonus points for severing limbs.

The single-player game is split into four acts and 12 levels, roughly aping the movie plot as your lone ninja seeks justice for his pre-sliced pal. In spirit this is genre-standard stuff, mirroring everything from Shinobi to Kung Fu Master, but it’s undeniably stylish to look at with a hand-drawn look and striking blood splashes.

It’s fun to play too, with the gesture-based controls allowing you to swipe across the screen to attack.

So, what’s the problem? Well, the shortish campaign won’t take long to complete although this is balanced by a Survival mode that gives you access to a variety of blades and shurikens to wreak havoc on waves of oncoming grunts.

Ninja Assassin is bloody good fun but with more variety and a steeper learning curve it could have been even better.  Still, at the price it’s well worth a download.

Web: App Store
Price: £2.99

Verdict: 7/10

Popularity: 1% [?]