Ninjala

Ninjala is a free-to-play multiplayer action video game developed by SOLEIL and published by GungHo Online Entertainment. Unveiled at E3 2018, it was released on June 24, 2020 for the Nintendo Switch.

Ninjala
Developer(s)SOLEIL
Publisher(s)GungHo Online Entertainment
Director(s)Motoki Kaneda
Designer(s)Yoshiumi Hataya
Programmer(s)Kazuya Honda
Writer(s)
  • Asuka Konno
  • Kyoko Kitahara
EngineUnreal Engine 4
Platform(s)Nintendo Switch
Release
  • WW: June 24, 2020
Genre(s)Action
Mode(s)Multiplayer

The game received lukewarm reviews, with many praising the multiplayer, gameplay and art style, but criticized the story mode. The game was widely compared to Splatoon due to its style and gameplay.

Gameplay

Ninjala centers upon an eponymous tournament being held by the World Ninja Association (WNA), which developed bubblegum that could be used to allow people with the DNA of a ninja to perform ninjutsu.[1] The game focuses primarily on melee combat using various types of weapons.[2] The player can double-jump and run along walls to navigate the map.[3] A match can be played between up to eight players in either teams or a solo "Battle Royale".[1][2][3]

Bubbles can be blown to trigger abilities, such as launching them at opponents as a ranged attack, or activating an air dash move. Their power can be increased by destroying drones that periodically spawn on the map, allowing the player to craft a larger melee weapon when fully-charged.[3] The player can also disguise themselves as a prop on the field.[3] Points are scored primarily by knocking out opponents, and an "Ippon" bonus can be scored as part of a KO if the player does so in combination with their abilities.[3] Each match lasts four minutes and the player or team that scores the most points when the timer runs out wins.

Development

GungHo CEO Kazuki Morishita explained that Ninjala was inspired by his childhood memories of ninja and sports chanbara, having envisioned Ninjala as being a mixture of both. He stated that the main goal was to develop create a multiplayer action game that both children and adults could enjoy. Takeshi Arakawa, who co-produced Dissidia Final Fantasy while at Square Enix, is part of the development staff of Ninjala. For its unveiling, GungHo elected to primarily target Europe and North America to gauge their reactions before giving it more prominent promotion in Japan.[1][2] Ninjala was built using the Unreal Engine game engine.[4]

Originally announced for release in 2019, GungHo announced on May 31, 2019 that Ninjala had been delayed to early 2020.[5] In December 2019, GungHo president Kazuki Morishita stated that Ninjala was still on track for a Spring 2020 release, and that it would contain content that would be "satisfying" for "seasoned players".[6] Ninjala was originally set to be released on May 27, 2020,[7] but it was delayed four weeks later to June 24 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Promotion

A teaser trailer for Ninjala was released on June 13, 2018, which is set to music by the kawaii metal band Babymetal.[8] Footage from the game was also briefly featured during Nintendo's E3 2018 video presentation the same day.[9] A new trailer was released on December 6, 2018, showcasing the backstory of Ninjala's universe.[10][11]

During the Nintendo Direct Mini on March 26, a new trailer was showcased, along with an announcement that Ninjala would be released on May 27, 2020 as a free-to-play title.[12][13] A CGI animated "episode 0" by Marza, introducing the characters and the lore of the game, was released on March 31, 2020.[14] A series of time-limited multiplayer beta sessions were held on April 28 and 29,[15] which were affected by various server issues.[3]

On August 24, 2020, a collaboration with video game franchise Sonic the Hedgehog was announced for season 2.[16]

Reception

Pre-release

The overall visual style of Ninjala has been widely compared to Nintendo's Splatoon franchise.[17][9][18] Jordan Devore of Destructoid felt that Ninjala was hard to judge based on its early multiplayer demo at E3, noting the lack of playable weapons beyond baseball bats (though noticing that yo-yos had appeared as a disabled option in the menus), a need to improve the "flow and feel" of its gameplay, and the lack of "good" lock-on targeting functionality. However, he felt that "there's something to this gum-loving ninja concept for sure", and that Ninjala was "worth following". He argued that alongside Splatoon, there was "plenty of room for more colorful, poppy, kid-friendly multiplayer games".[18] IGN similarly noted that its concept felt like "Splatoon meets Arms", and that "if GungHo makes good on delivering creative weaponry and polishes up the combat, Ninjala might just have what it takes to beat Nintendo at its own game."[17]

Following the 2020 open beta, Connor Sheridan of GamesRadar+ noted that the game's fundamentals had an initial learning curve (especially in comparison to Splatoon), but that "figuring out how to string attacks together for maximum points and minimum chance of reprisal" had a strategic depth similar to fighting games, and that he was "pleasantly surprised" by the number of character customization options.[3] Siliconera described the game as "trying to appeal to the fans of its larger cousin [Splatoon] without replacing it", noting that the drone mechanic added a "MOBA-like" progression that could potentially influence strategy among coordinated teams, but that the tutorial video provided by the beta was "not particularly effective at explaining the uses and advantages of each kind of attack" as opposed to an in-game tutorial, and the server capacity issues from the beta showed that there was "still significant work to do to build a stable environment for launch next month".[19]

Post-release

Nintendo Life gave the game 7 of 10. They praised the art style, the overall gameplay, weapons, customisation options and gyro controls, but was critical of the story mode, tutorial mode, some notable gameplay aspects (such as the parrying system) and single-use items.[20]

References
  1. "【E3 18】《泡泡糖忍戰》來者何忍？在 GungHo 攤位與製作人暢談秘辛". 巴哈姆特電玩資訊站. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
  2. "Ninjala Is Designed By The Co-Producer Of Dissidia Final Fantasy". Siliconera. 2018-06-21. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
  3. Sheridan, Connor (2020-04-29). "The Ninjala beta turned this skeptical Splatoon fan into a ninja-gum hopeful". GamesRadar. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  4. https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/events/unreal-engine-developers-come-out-on-top-at-e3-2018
  5. "GungHo Online Entertainment Delays Ninjala Until Spring 2020". Nintendo Life. 2019-05-31. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  6. Life, Nintendo (2019-12-29). "GungHo President Says Ninjala Will Be Fun For Players Of All Ages". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
  7. "Ninjala launches May 27, is free-to-play". Gematsu. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  8. "#e3gk – GungHo annonce Ninjala sur Switch, son jeu d'action coloré". Gamekult (in French). 2018-06-14. Retrieved 2018-06-14.
  9. Life, Nintendo (2018-06-12). "Blow Bubble Gum And Do Battle With The Cartoon Combat Of Ninjala". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 2018-06-14.
  10. "The Latest Ninjala Trailer Looks At The Ninjas' Disappearance And Subsequent Return". Siliconera. 2018-12-06. Retrieved 2018-12-08.
  11. Life, Nintendo (2018-12-07). "Video: GungHo Online Entertainment Releases New Teaser Trailer For Ninjala". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 2018-12-08.
  12. "Nintendo Direct Showcases A Bunch Of New Switch Games, Including Burnout Paradise Remastered". GameSpot. 2020-03-26. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
  13. "Everything in March 26's Nintendo Direct Mini Broadcast". IGN. 2020-03-26. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
  14. Life, Nintendo (2020-03-30). "Interested In The Splatoon-Like Ninjala? Check Out This 10-Minute Animated Film". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
  15. "Ninjala Open Beta Pre-Loading Available Now On Nintendo Switch". GameSpot. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  16. Woods, Sam. "Sonic the Hedgehog Heading To Ninjala in Season 2". DualShockers. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  17. Miucin, Filip (2018-06-19). "Ninjala - Splatoon Meets ARMS on Nintendo Switch". IGN. Retrieved 2018-10-25.
  18. "Ninjala is cute in concept but it's certainly no Splatoon". Destructoid. Retrieved 2018-06-14.
  19. "Is This the Next Splatoon? The Ninjala Open Beta May Hold the Answer". Siliconera. 2020-04-29. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  20. "Ninjala Review (Switch eShop)". Nintendo Life. 2020-06-30. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
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