What’s better than being a ninja? Only being a ninja for ten seconds at a time. Alright, maybe it would be better to be a ninja ALL THE TIME, but this is kind of the premise to 10 Second Ninja X from Four Circle Interactive. For ten seconds (the length of a level), you’ll get to be a ninja. You’re equipped with a sword, ninja stars, and the ability to double jump. This is a game for people with fast reflexes and a ton of patience.

Each level in 10 Second Ninja X is filled with enemies for you to take out. In the beginning, they are simple one shot robots. As you progress though, some will gain armour and take two shots, or have a barrier that require you to take them out with a ninja star. Ninja stars, are limited to three per level by the way. Each level will take planning, organisation, reflex, and patience to tackle it again. And again. And again, if you want the three star ranking on all levels.

Each section of levels is gated by how many stars you get in the one prior. With ten levels per area, and a need for twenty stars to open the next area, an average of two stars per level is needed. Either that, or just get three stars on all the levels and make it easier for yourself on the later levels! Either way, it’ll take effort to get used to the layout of every level. As quick as it could be to finish 10 Second Ninja X, it’ll likely take two to three times as long thanks to how often you’ll be a hundredth of a second off of the next star.

The art style is very cutesy. It’s almost a weird juxtaposition between the fact that you’re a ninja out destroying robots filled with cute, cuddly animals.The framerate is nice and stable too, but that’s not terribly surprising considering this isn’t the most technically demanding game. Still, when you’re trying quickly dispatch waves of enemies, a steady framerate is always appreciated.

The music matches the cuteness, but the music also gets old pretty quickly. A lack of variety in the songs makes it easier to maybe just listen to your own fast paced songs and keep your reflexes on alert instead. The writing is a key part to 10 Second Ninja X though. It’s charming and funny, without feeling forced or intrusive. The only time there is dialogue is after clearing an area, similar to the world hubs in Crash Bandicoot.

10 Second Ninja X is a great pick up and play game. It would also be a fun game to aim to master, similar to Super Meat Boy. With it launching on Switch, when is a better time to check this out than out, on the go, while you’re waiting for your coffee, or stuck on a bus? The pacing of the game works well for quick play sessions.

 

Graphics: 8.5 Cute graphics with definitive features. The backgrounds, foreground, characters, and everything else are easily distinguishable.	Gameplay: 9.0 Each level is easy to learn, but will take effort to master. Even after playing through most the levels, you’ll be aiming to tackle most the levels again to get the full stars, or top the leaderboard.
Sound: 5.5 While the music in 10 Second Ninja X is nice, it’s repetitive and lacks diversity.	Fun Factor: 7.5 All around a fun game, with many different levels and strategies to tackle. While the game is a bit repetitive, it’s fun and easy to pick up and play on Switch.
Final Verdict: 8.0

10 Second Ninja X is available now on PC, Xbox One, PS4, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Switch.

Reviewed on Nintendo Switch.

A copy of 10 Second Ninja X was provided by the publisher.