Here in summer 2020, Nintendo fans are on a bit of a break. Many who picked up Animal Crossing: New Horizons already put in 200 hours over two months, effectively getting everything they can out of the game. Pokémon Trainers found the series' first DLC to be too short, lacking enough content to last even a week. There is a new Paper Mario coming in July, but that's still a few weeks away. So what are Switch owners to do while everyone else berates and/or gushes over Naughty Dog? Enter Ninjala.

Ninjala is a fascinating Switch exclusive that brings fighting game mechanics and Splatoon's youthful enthusiasm to battle royale. The packaging – ninja kids blowing bubblegum in a hip-hop New York – doesn't quite have the appeal of more established peers. But once a player takes it upon themselves to learn the deeper aspects of fighting with gum weapons, they'll find the most engaging take on battle royale in recent memory.

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Free-To-Play Fighting Game Battle Royale

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After first launching Ninjala, players are promptly thrust into the world of gum-wielding ninja kids. Brief video clips introduce the overall goal of the game – destroy floating drones and K.O. opponents for points. KO an opponent under certain circumstances to score an Ippon and dramatically increase point gain. Points are tallied when the clock runs out, and bonuses are given to whoever destroyed the most drones and whoever scored the most Ippons. The winner is the one with most points when all is said and done, then everyone can queue up to do it all over again. There's a 4v4 team variant, though the eight-player free-for-all is the main attraction.

For all the Splatoon comparisons it invited after the initial trailers, Ninjala has more in common with Fortnite. The colorful visuals and wonderful price tag of absolutely nothing aim to attract customers of all demographics. The short, addicting gameplay – and promise of cool outfits via a battle pass or randomized Gumball Machine – encourage players to stay and spend money. There's also a deeper lore for those who get really invested, and want to know just how this world of spectator sport juvenile ninja battles came to be. But the lore is relegated to YouTube videos, loading screen tips, and the single-player story DLC (a separate purchase not covered in this review).

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This formula clearly works – again, Fortnite and Splatoon are a testament to that. But after about 20 hours or so of Ninjala, nothing about the visuals or lore grabs me. Fortnite's skins tempt microtransaction purchases by catering to all tastes. There are all of the famous brand partnerships, sure, but even the original skins promise silly, cool, and downright awesome looks.

This is obviously a matter of personal taste, but Ninjala skins lack that variety or quality. Many of them go for a hip, modern look, but this lacks the cohesion of Splatoon. Splatoon confidently created this culture of stylish squids. Everything about Inkopolis reminds one of the importance of staying fresh. Ninjala world often seems to mash colors and styles together because it can. That's not to say it's ugly. The characters are wonderfully expressive and customizable enough to let players have fun. I just don't see them raking in microtransaction money with the current cosmetic offerings.

This Game Slaps (You With A Sushi Hammer)

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But cosmetics don't mean much in the end, right? A large number of players will download Ninjala with the intent of never spending a dime. So the real question is: how is the actual gameplay?

It owns so dang hard. There's probably a more professional way to say that, but I don't care. I need to express the kind of addictive joy I get from playing Ninjala. Despite not actually being developed by Nintendo (it's from GungHo Online), Ninjala has that classic Nintendo progression of "easy to learn, hard to master."

Remember what it was like to play Splatoon for the first time, happily inking everything in sight? Then a foe jumps out of ink for just a second, enough to snipe you despite snipers being terrible weapons, and you realize the level of mastery one can achieve. Or the time you first played against an actual good Smash Bros. player, and they destroy you with Pichu. That's the kind of depth that's always waiting just under the surface of Ninjala.

Initially, you can go far with the basics. Catching an opponent off-guard and hitting them until you deplete their life bar is a valid tactic. If they manage to block, or counter-attack, your weapons will clash. When these parries happen, players enter a rock-paper-scissors-style contest. The winner gets a free hit, and an Ippon if they manage to score a KO with a parry. Parries are a core mechanic, one that will follow you through all skill levels. At the beginning, it feels extremely rewarding to win one and get an Ippon. But eventually, someone will break your weapon or stun you when you expected to initiate a parry.

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"How did they do that!?" is a common question in Ninjala. That's because the game never gives a true tutorial. Those video clips shown when the game first launches are it. There's a training dojo one can visit at any time, but really everyone should read the online manual at some point. That's the only place one will learn essential techniques like guard breaks or restoring health by turning into a statue.

Then comes the challenge of incorporating new learnings into one's playstyle. Guard Breaks are very useful, but easy to dodge if an opponent sees them coming. The true game of Ninjala, then, is a mind game. Just like the best fighting games, one has to see what's coming next and react in a very short time. Or bait the opponent with a false tell. Mixed in with that are battle royale tactics like knowing the map to set ambushes at key points and third-partying vulnerable foes. One can put a ton of time into Ninjala and still feel that there's more to learn, and that's exciting for the game's future. Just imagine what kinds of techniques will be discovered by high-level players in the weeks to come. There's tons of potential here, if the devs properly steer the ship going forward.

Concerns For The Future

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That said, there are many ways Ninjala can fail to launch. It has 1 million downloads now, but how many of those players will be put off by the rather steep learning curve? Already, days after release, there are players with high-tier battle pass costumes sweeping casual matches. I can only imagine the frustration of newbie players who expect to block and attack and receive a guard break. I'd love to tell them to read the manual, but really that's the game's job. It should be more forthcoming with tutorials if it doesn't want a small, dedicated playerbase turning away new players. One could make the "git gud" argument, but that doesn't really fly in a game of colorful bubblegum ninjas. Kids are going to be playing this game, and they won't take kindly to learning by being dominated. Other battle royales use skill-based matchmaking for a reason.

Content is the other concern. Cosmetic taste, and the desire to even partake in microtransactions, is subjective. But the skin selection really is scant at launch. The battle pass has some looks, the gacha Gumball Machine has one rare outfit at launch, and the store sells 10 items a day. There are also only two maps at the moment, and fans agree that one is far better. They're also small due to the eight-player max. This isn't a Fortnite situation where the game can milk one map for a year.

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Finally, there is one big concern: consumable weapon skins. I go into it more in detail here, but essentially weapon skins only last one match. They don't confer any benefits, they're purely cosmetic. So why aren't they permanent? It seems like a move purely made to bait microtransactions, and it's not a good look.

Overall, none of Ninjala's issues are beyond fixing. A more informative tutorial can be added in a future update, as can better maps and skins. What counts is that Ninjala's core gameplay is extremely unique and fun. Players that join now just have to be willing to put in the hours to learn what the game doesn't tell them. I sincerely hope this game pops off, because I'll be sticking around for a while.

A Switch copy of Ninjala was used by TheGamer for this review. Ninjala is free-to-play right now for Nintendo Switch.

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Ninjala

In Ninjala, you choose from eight characters and do battle in online multiplayer matches. Launched for Nintendo Switch in 2020, it uses bubblegum as a primary reason for the character's ninja powers. 

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