Reviewed on: Nintendo Switch

The Art of War: Combining responsive controls and chaos management.

Today we’re reviewing a very special game, Ninjin: Clash of Carrots, which was developed by the small and talented Brazilian studio Pocket Trap. The title borrows a few concepts from mobile game design to create an experience that’s engaging, fluid and very charming.

Fun Factor: 9/10

Ninjin invests heavily in its spectacle, style and gameplay in order to deliver a frantic, lively and engaging game experience. Its precise controls and fast-paced rhythm will keep you glued to the screen, and also ensure that your success will fill you with satisfaction – as everything ends up being a consequence of how you play.

It’s pretty hard to pinpoint what exactly makes Clash of Carrots so charming… But, if I had to put it in a single word, it would have to be its personality. The game doesn’t take itself seriously, throws a lot of dumb, light-hearted jokes and presents you with a vast selection of crazy, over-the-top, impossibly exaggerated challenges… And it all comes together harmoniously! It’s no small feat, the perfect balance achieved by the developers, handling so many exaggerated aspects.

Mechanics: 9/10

Ninjin is a beat’em up that heavily emphasizes movement and positioning. Both your character and your enemies are constantly running, and it’s up to you to navigate around a sea of attacks and find the best place to deliver a good counter-attack.

The challenge is high and the game will demand dedication in order to have its controls and mechanics mastered. There’s a button for attack and one for a dash/dodge action, while the left analog stick moves your character and the right one aims and fires your equipped projectile. It’s important to keep in mind that different actions consume different amounts of stamina, which is slowly and continuously replenished.

What makes the game varied and deep are its customization options. There’s a vast selection of weapons, projectiles, artifacts and accessories at your disposal, which can alter your attack patterns and their properties. Each player has the freedom (and is encouraged) to experiment and find the setup that best suits their play style.

Ninjin also offers a 2-player co-op mode, which makes the game easier and harder at the same time. On the one hand your damage potential is doubled, but on the other hand players can bump into each other, amplifying chaos and the challenge of proper positioning… And if any player dies, the level has to be replayed from the start.

Presentation: 7/10

Ninjin: Clash of Carrots has a cartoonish, heavily stylized visual look. The game is colorful, always in motion and full of high contrast. The soundtrack does a competent job at setting the mood for a fantastical medieval Japan, with Ninja villages and Shoguns.

With anthropomorphized animals full of charisma, Ninjin is able to please all kinds of tastes. The game, however, suffers at times from an excess of information. Chaos is an important element that helps build the game’s challenge, but often the level of visual pollution reaches a point that really bothers spectators and players alike.

Final Considerations

Ninjin: Clash of Carrots is ambitious. With its light setting, short stages, steep difficulty curve and polished gameplay, the game delivers an experience not unlike that of a casual mobile game, but with the challenge, precision and satisfaction that only video games can offer.

Scores

Fun Factor = 9
Mechanics = 9
Presentation = 7
Worth the 15 dollars? Yes, especially for those looking for a title that can be played in short bursts, without sacrificing gameplay, challenge and a deep core experience.

Final: 8.4/10

Reviewed with the Nintendo Switch version.