Having recently slipped behind pirates and zombies in the popularity stakes, ninjas are making a bit of a revival - particularly little ones. Firstly, DS tower defence game Ninjatown added ‘cute’ to the repertoire of the stealthy slicers, and now this equally adorable Mini variety are set to hit Wii and DS this Autumn, courtesy of Hitman creator Io Interactive.

With a hero called Hiro, you’ll battle ‘evil’ samurai, doing a bit of Prince of Persia-esque parkour (if one of the DS shots is anything to go by) as you attempt to bring balance to a chaotic world. Brilliantly, the big bad is known simply as Evil Samurai Warlord, and he resides within a Fortress of Doom. Originality mightn’t be the plot’s strong point, but the visual style looks pretty unique - and it’s fairly pretty for a Wii game, utilising a style which seems to suit the console well.

Hitman proved Io can do stealth, though this looks more of a family-friendly action-adventure than a game requiring you to wait in the shadows for any length of time. Expect more news closer to its release date, but my interest is certainly piqued. This talented developer might have suffered a wobble with its last game - the not-actually-that-bad Kane And Lynch: Dead Men - but this could be a real return to form.

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This entry was posted on Monday, January 19th, 2009 at 9:18 pm by Chris Schilling
DS, Forthcoming titles, Ninjas!, Wii.