It’s great to see a game with such a simple design use its stages in such layered ways, and with the promise of a level editor upon full release, I expect to see many amazing new stages later on. While a simple completion won’t give you too much trouble, going for coins and bonuses can get hectic. This is complemented by fluid and accessible abilities, taking advantage of context-sensitive bushes, wells, and ivy to easily conceal yourself from enemies. Will you hide in the grass above to drop down on your enemies, or will you swing precariously on the vines below to sneak up on them from there? The multiple paths and abilities are exactly what a stealth game needs, giving plenty of replay value and directions to take, whether sneaking past enemies or evading an incoming round of backup. Stages are extremely open-ended and offer plenty of ways to complete them. Sneaky Ninja’s level design, however, is where it really shines. This is a game that begs to be played with a controller, so I hope Starfall add gamepad support before the game’s release. While it’s great to have mouse precision for various items like throwing stars, it’s not worth it to have your already messy jump on keys alone. This makes Sneaky Ninja’s controls start to miss their mark: platforming solely with the keys is sloppy and imprecise, especially for a game that can punish you for a hasty mistake. This is all controlled on the keyboard, while aiming and using items is done with the mouse. You get a variety of ninja tricks too, like substitution dummies or ninja stars. You can run, jump, wall-jump, and crouch, but you can also interact with environmental hiding spots. Your ninja’s moves are astonishingly plentiful in Sneaky Ninja. The main gist of Sneaky Ninja is to reach the end of the stage, all while evading detection and dodging perilous obstacles.
But don’t let its happy-faced limbless heroes fool you this is a gutsy and rich stealth experience, one with deep level design and all the different options you’d expect from other, more venerable series in the genre.
After a Kickstarter campaign and a Greenlight success, Starfall Studios’ quirky little game has appeared as a mixture of 2D platforming and stealth, all wrapped in a candy-coated presentation. When we do, we depend on our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can do better.Sneaky Ninja claims to be “Mario meets Mark of the Ninja.” That’s a bold claim, considering both of those series are fantastic at what they do. However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. Our editors are instructed to fact check thoroughly, including finding at least three references for each fact. Our credibility is the turbo-charged engine of our success. Please submit feedback to Thanks for your time!ĭo you question the accuracy of a fact you just read? At Factinate, we’re dedicated to getting things right. Your suggestions can be as general or specific as you like, from “Life” to “Compact Cars and Trucks” to “A Subspecies of Capybara Called Hydrochoerus Isthmius.” We’ll get our writers on it because we want to create articles on the topics you’re interested in. Want to tell us to write facts on a topic? We’re always looking for your input! Please reach out to us to let us know what you’re interested in reading.