Reviews

• gamedeal user

  May 3, 2014

  [FINAL VERDICT] So I finished the game, and overall, my reccomendation stands. I have a lot I could say about the game, but for those with little time or attention spans, I'll be breif. Its a good enough game for the price. It isn't amazing or even that great. But it isn't bad. It is just solid. The price is cheap enough for this to be ok, but I do wish it had more to it. The game is not shovel knight, or briad, or super meat boy, or any other big indie title like that. But its a good enough game for the price. The gameplay is solid and the controls work well. The Music sucks. Plain and simple it just is bad. Turn it off and turn something else on. The visuals are classic. The boss battles are the low point. The stages dont let you use your special moves and to actually fight the boss is tedious. It isn't about skill or finding the pattern. Its all about hitting it in just the right place at just the right time. All within a short time limit. Overall though, it is an ok game and worth picking up for the price. [UPDATED REVIEW] So the new update seems to have fixed all my issues. The slowdown was what was killing my game. Akane was unable to jump high enough due to the lag, but now that the game runs at the normal speed she is actually able to jump up and complete the level. Of course I still have a lot of game to play before I can make a final review, but so far the game is exactly what I wanted out of it. Its a fun retro style game with a ninja. For 2$ its not a bad deal. [ORIGINAL REVIEW] The game looks like a fun game designed like a classic SNES game, but for some reason it runs much slower than the trailer shows despite that I have more than the reccomended requirements. Also I can't seem to progress past level 1. There aprears to be an unreachable ledge that you have to jump to.
• gamedeal user

  May 3, 2014

  Please note: This is the second iteration of this review following an update and comment from the developer. However, it is not overly different to the first. ---- I purchased this game due to the premise - an anime style ninja platformer (if that makes sense). However, it was a little bit underwhelming and disappointing. Gameplay is pretty much how you would expect your normal platformer - it is nothing special. There are 3 levels in each stage, with the last being a boss battle. Each level gets more difficult as it goes along (as you'd expect). Whilst what you get here is nothing too bad, very few new gimmicks are introduced as you go along (certainly no new enemies (excluding bosses) in the second and third stages), making gameplay seem a little monotonous at times. The secret ninja technique mechanic is ok, but it is a shame that these cannot be used in the boss fights and that there aren't more to unlock or use (I seem to only ever use one). Controls are unfortunetly clunky and still feel a little slow despite the update. There is no tutorial - and as far as I am aware the keyboard controls are a little odd. Despite using an xbox controller, controls in some areas are a bit tempermental; this is especially the case with the wallhang aspect, whereby getting a bit close to a wall sticks you to it, leaving you to either slide or jump umpteen steps in the opposite direction. These controls ultimately (and unfortunetly) affect gameplay, making it difficult to dodge in some situations and leaving some areas a little bit tedious to navigate. In other areas, the game is adequate but not excellent. Graphics are standard, with some areas featuring tiling that is a touch too obvious. Sound works but is nothing special. Cutscenes are relatively uneventful and slow, and can be a little slow to skip. All in all, it is and little things that let this game down - it just needs a bit more usability and polish. Every time you die or which to retry, you have to do so from the level menu; I'd be more inclined to continue playing if there was a restart button on the menu or game over screen. Likewise, there could be more options changing sound volumes in game. Again, bosses could be better - the first two bosses were both disappointingly repetitive affairs, especially as one critic outlined them as "impressive and fun". Whilst nothing special was necessarily expected from this game, the controls and little usability things prevent it from being a decent game. That is not to say it is a bad game - some people will definitely find some charm within and with the game as cheap as chips it might be worth a look. However, I can't say I got a great deal of enjoyment from it - whilst the premise has potential, the overall controls and execution of the game could be a lot smoother.
• gamedeal user

  May 3, 2014

  Here are some extended thoughts now that I have played the game a bit more and read through others critiques. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a relatively straightforward action platforming game. Through world 3 it seems to have a base set of enemies that are put in different patterns across the stages. Each world has 2 levels and then a boss stage, which may also include some platforming and regular enemies. Also stages all hold 3 specialty items that need to be collected for the best ending, I believe. Levels are timed, so collecting the items and completing the stage takes a little skill--although if you collect pieces and beat a stage, you keep them. You don't need to collect that particular piece again if you rebeat it for others. The pieces provide some incentive to explore around--as to hidden powerups. Stage design is nothing revolutionary but enjoyable, mixing things up enough to keep you thinking. In terms of gameplay Akane does move slow compared to say Ryu or the unnamed protagonist of Mark of the Ninja. This doesn't fundamentally hamper the game in my opinion. Enemies generally move slower as well, so the pacing overall is slower. In terms of the wall-jump, there are times where you will stick to a wall you didn't want to stick to. However, its relatively easy to recover from as you can press down to slide off quickly or jump off. Wall-jumping, like regular movement is slower than other Ninja games I have played. But again it is a slower paced game. I will say I have only played with my 360 controller and I have not tried using the keyboard. Music is adequate and not repetitive or obnoxious and the story is minimal. Mostly I bought this for action-platforming and have been happy with that decision. It doesn't turn the formula on its head but delivers enjoyable level design and some clever bosses. Collecting the specialty items present another challenge as some require a bit of thought on how to get there and get back. The game itself is not very long, I am slow to progress through games and halfway through at 2 hours, which includes some backtracking. I recommend this game for those looking for a fun, straightforward action-platformer. Gameplay is simple kunai and jumping for the most part, but level design and different elements in the worlds keep it interesting. If a slower paced game of this stripe is really not your thing, then you may want to pass. For everyone else, given the price its a fun, short romp with some clever elements and small challenges to keep you engaged. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Original Comments Seems the first few reviews weren't that thrilled with this game. I just beat the first two worlds and had a lot of fun. I think the game-speed is a little slow, but this isn't Mark of the Ninja where you have to kill enemies in seconds or be exposed, its just a good old action platformer. The level design thus far is enjoyable and the bosses I fought were clever. There are collectables and power-ups that encourage you to explore around. For the price, if you like old action-platforming games its worth checking out from what I've seen.
• gamedeal user

  May 6, 2014

  Ready to go back to 8bit gaming? This game does it all for nostalgia. From the graphics, to the terrible platforming controls. Playing as the clumsiest Ninja, you must defeat Hiromi for some reason. It seems a man fell in love with this woman, now you must go kill her. The story doesnt matter, did it ever in old games? Get ready to slip and slide on ice skates as you trip over your own shoelaces to get to the final boss, murdering the woman that man fell in love with, HA, that will teach him a lesson! Bosses are easy once you figure out their patterns, and you will die more from the controls than ever actually playing the game. Ahhh, just like the old days, this is a great lazy evening game, since it can be beaten in one playthrough. The game is real real short, I hope they make some DLC because its a fun game!!! Rating: 8/10 Value: $4.99
• gamedeal user

  May 6, 2014

  It's not actually so bad. I kinda enjoyed silly animations, boss battles and kimono collecting. But, otherwise, i think i can't say i enjoyed the whole game, so it's a difficult desicion: Do i recommend this or not. For 2.5$ it's a fun little game you can spend some time on, but don't be too lovely to anime graphics on screenshots and try not to wait from this game somethin really great.
• gamedeal user

  Jun 23, 2014

  I saw a lot of bad reviews but i decided to buy the game anyway since it only costs 3€ and the trailer and pictures seemed appealing for me (for a mini game). Also one reason for buying it was that the main character looked cute ingame. Well what can i say, i simply had fun playing it. Some levels are rather easy, same as the bosses when you found out their pattern, but it gets more difficult later on (the last three stages for me). One could argue that there are very few different enemy characters though that didn't take away anything from the fun i had playing this cute little mingame. If you're simply looking for just that - a cute little minigame - then get it. Three euros are a fair price for this in my opinion.
• gamedeal user

  Jul 24, 2014

  Akane the Kunoichi is a classical [u]platformer[/u] (singleplayer). [b]Graphic:[/b] Simple 2D graphic. It kinda looks like a mix out of an old retro game and ANIME. Anyways even it’s made so simple it’s still really cute designed (especially the „Maneki Neko“ the Chinese beckoning cat). There's not much enemy variety, but that's compensated with the awesome level design and funny Chinese details. [b]Controls:[/b] The controls are a bit extraordinary and seem to be initially clunky, but are actually perfectly responsive once you get used to it. [i]Ah by the way (if you buy the game) you also have to use WASD (up, left, down, right) and K for Enter (L = Back) in the main menu![/i] [b]Story / Gameplay:[/b] You play as the ninja girl Akane who seems to adore her master Goro a bit (looked for me like that from the intro lol). Suddenly Goro got kidnapped by the evil Hiromi. To rescue Goro you have to find a way through 15 stages. You have to fight against common enemies, to climp and jump and of course with the last part of a stage theres always a boss battle. If you want to make all the achievements you also have to collect all kimonos. You should use your 3 different ninja techniqes just when needed because you have a limited number of scrolls which you need for the special attack. So if it‘s just one enemy or two you can also throw one random „Uchi ne“ (it’s a bit like killing people with dart ^^). [b]Conclusion:[/b] I recommend this game for everyone who likes platformer, anime, ninja or China/Japan because this game is really simple but has the named elements in it which makes it sympathetic. Besides it just costs [u]2,99 €[/u]! That’s really cheap and a fair price for the game. PLUS you also get [u]Steamtrading cards[/u] in this game which you can sell or use for crafting a badge.
• gamedeal user

  Jul 31, 2022

  A fun simple plat former, nothing to ground breaking.
• gamedeal user

  Oct 28, 2014

  Akane the Kunoichi is better than some of the reviews make it out to be. It has an easy learning curve and yes, can be frustrating at times but so can any other 2D platformer. If the game is available for an inexpensive price then definitely pick it up for 3-4 hours of gameplay to 100%.
• gamedeal user

  Nov 2, 2014

  I really like the game, it's simple and a piece of cake to play. It's frustating at some parts of the game, but gives you a good alternative to take some fun time. So, it's a lovely indie game. Eu realmente gosto do jogo, é simples e um pedaço de bolo para jogar. É frustrante em algumas partes do jogo, mas dá-lhe uma boa alternativa para levar algum tempo de diversão. Então, é um belo jogo indie.