…And that's because I-Ninja is a heavily stylised combat platform adventure game that steals ideas from just about every platform puzzler of the last few years! Think: Mario 64, Croc, Sonic, Super Monkey Ball, Jak & Daxter and even Enter the Matrix - not to mention all the others that I can't think of at the moment. The game features well-designed if graphically unimpressive environments that'll test the central character I-Ninja and his unique abilities to the limit. Set on "The World" (a small, Earthlike planet), I-Ninja must follow the instructions of his dead "Sensei" (clumsy I-Ninja killed him accidentally by the way) to find the lost Rage Stones and free inhabitants imprisoned by Master O-Dor's evil army of robot "Ranx"… Oh heck I hear you say, yet another brainless and pointless narrative… Yep - 'fraid so.

   

So anyway, to the gameplay: Running (even along walls, Matrix or Prince of Persia-style), jumping, swinging, rolling, grinding, racing, sneaking, swimming, shooting, hacking & slashing your way through the levels earns you a "Rank". You must win several Ranks to upgrade the colour of your belt - you can revisit levels to earn more ranks and complete certain other requirements (like: kill a set number of enemies, find the red coinage or simply get to the end within a time limit), or even just for fun to earn more coinage. You also get upgraded swords (although I couldn't tell any difference). You'll fight numerous enemies (up to six at a time - and it feels sort of like a junior Devil May Cry), some fearsome monsters and mini bosses in a sort of Zone of the Enders-esque sub game. Our Ninja's manga-style moves allow for simple combos, and as cartoony as it looks, the combat is very satisfying (and strangely so for such a comic game) - you can even cleave enemies in half! There are sub game bosses and various shoot-em-up type challenges where you control anything from massive robots to cannons protecting the coast from a beach landing. The adventure takes you through various stylish levels with beaches, a rocket factory and jungly bits and ends up with a trip to the moon to confront O-Dor.

You make Ninja jump with X, slash and hack with square, or do a circular slice with circle (this becomes a "helicopter" jump-extending glide when you're airborne). L1 is the first person view (R1 zooms the view in), from which you can accurately target enemies and press triangle or square to shoot at them with either shurikens or exploding darts. Ninja is always controllable and responsive, and only the selection of first-person view with L1 feels a bit too sluggish when you quickly need to despatch a troublesome enemy who's out of reach of your blade. Happily, although there are no health-ups to be found, Ninja can develop the ability to self heal ("Ninja Revive") or produce some devastating special attacks with just a press of the D-Pad.

   

Although there are sections that require a bit of stealth, I-Ninja isn't your typical ninja, he's cocky and loudmouthed (with phrases like: "Feel My Steel", "That's Gonna Hurt", "Eat That Sucker!", "You Want Some More?") - he clearly enjoys a scrap and so will you…

If you've examined the screens then you'll already know that I-Ninja doesn't look special, but what it does have is a level of playability that few other platformers have achieved of late. Varied pacing and gameplay, precise control and (for once in a 3D platform game) a camera that doesn't screw you over makes the less than cutting edge visuals insignificant - I-Ninja is an excellent little game with a perfect learning curve that will test you regardless of your gaming ability. I don't like the graphics, I don't like the design of the Ninja and I don't like the silly and intrusive story cut scenes, but I-Ninja attacks you hard with its pleasing gameplay - gameplay that, as mentioned previously, certainly doesn't break any new barriers - but has that certain something that keeps you playing; a mixture of tight controls, a dojoload of gameplay styles and a genuine challenge that has that oh-so-rare "just one more go" factor.