One of the biggest booths at this year’s Tokyo Game Show is for Ninjala, a multiplayer action game for Nintendo Switch. The character design and the color palette are reminiscent of Splatoon, but I wondered if that’s where the similarities end.
You gotta be charmed by a video game in which one of the central mechanics is based around bubble gum.
Ninjala was designed by Takeshi Arakawa, best known for producing Dissidia Final Fantasy, and created by GungHo boss Kazuki Morishita.
The characters are supposed to be ninja, which was honestly something I couldn’t really follow. I just liked the idea of characters running around and using bubble gum and silly sticks to battle each other.
To get a weapon, you must blow a bubble and, in the demo, I could pull out a ridiculous-looking soft swords with which to club others. The characters ran upside buildings, thanks to their sticky shoes. I thought this gum-based concept was enjoyable enough that it transcended any art comparisons.
Splatoon is one of the go-to multiplayer games for kids. Ninjala certainly seems like it has the potential to be another viable options. That’s something to chew on.