Breakout Ninja (Android) Review

A different take on the rythmn game; ninja combat. All backed by soothing acoustic sounds and ambiguous warfare.

  

Platform(s): Android, iOS

Publisher(s): Part Time Monkey

Developer(s): Part Time Monkey
Release Date:January 2017
Price:Free

 

 

 

As is often the case with a 1 person development team, Part Time Monkey has taken a couple of good ideas and polished them to a mirror sheen. In the case of Breakout Ninja the idea is an action rhythm game.

 

As the Ninja proceeds through the course you tap the screen to time his actions. While the controls are very simple, timing can get complicated as a triggered action may be a slow flip jump over an obstacle, sneaky attack, or rapid series of flying kicks and gets even harder with more complicated tricks like backward wall jumps.

 

 

After a while, the game stops becoming more complicated, and once you get a feel for the timing, levels become a breeze. I became almost zen, getting a really good roll of perfect scores. Of course eventually, you will mistime a jump and land head first into a tower, at which time a totally unexplained monk will declare you have reached a new rank (such as Painappuru) and you do it all again.

 

There are a series of play modes but none really mix up the core gameplay. They can be unlocked by scoring high enough on previous levels or by watching ads. It is a little frustrating that advertising videos play automatically after a few plays but I guess you have to expect that with a free game.

 

The graphics are also simple but highly polished, with basically no dialogue you have to guess the story for yourself (if you care at all). You start off breaking out of some sort of prison, with the traditional Japanese imagery and serene mountain backdrop clashing with the armed guard towers as you easily flip jump over barbed wire fences. Later on, you move onto other locations such as chimney filled rooftops.

 

 

There is a weird effect in listening to a traditional sounding acoustic tune while your character runs full pelt through a junkyard full of English phone boxes. 

 

All the mixed elements come together so well, at one point I was trying to work out the time period, humming along to the music and trying to unlock the next level and I had this moment of zen. I’m not sure if I reached enlightenment or not, but I definitely got a new high score.

 

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