Cast back your mind, dear reader, and you may remember a lovely little article I wrote about the fabulous game for the Nintendo DS: Ninjatown (if you can’t remember, or haven’t read it, read it here). However to summarise for you; I loved it.

So imagine my surprise and delight when it was announced that a brand new Ninjatown game was coming to the App Store for all the tech whores in the world to play on their shiny new iPhones, iPod Touches and…Urgh! iPads (*vomit*). Fortunately for me, tech whores… I am also one of you! Not even a second after the game was available to download, I had downloaded it myself.

Ninjatown: Trees of Doom, to give it the full title, is an addictive little platforming, endurance test of a game similar to that of Canabalt (review here) and even more so; Doodle Jump (two more excellent games available from the App Store). This time around however you are not jumping off skyscrapers, or from platform to platform. You are in fact jumping from tree to tree (not a huge difference I know), bouncing of branches to launch yourself ever higher in order to get to the top of The Trees of Dooooooooom! (spooky right?).

But of course things are never simple. As you navigate Wee Ninja between trees in a never-ending scramble to reach the top there are all sorts of hazards in your path. These range from evil, purple ooze that leaks out of the trees and is now flowing down their trunks, to sides of the trees that have been sanded down so that poor Wee Ninja cannot grip onto them, leaving him sliding to his death. Of course, what is a platform endurance game without flying enemies that also obstruct your path? Thankfully Trees of Doom has them too. But here lies my first gripe with the game.

Everything is out to get you as you make your way up to the top

With such a colourful, vast array of characters in the Ninjatown universe at their disposal, there just isn’t enough variety in the enemies that you have to overcome. The early enemies are almost exclusively the same flying enemies, admittedly I’m rubbish at these types of games, so perhaps more varied, harder enemies lie ahead. If that’s the case, it’s just bad level design.

Whilst Ninjatown: Trees of Doom lacks variety within its cast of enemies, its collection of power-ups is incredibly diverse. Of course, they all generally have the same effect; getting you further up the tree faster and without harm, but each power up is different, charming and smacks of fun.

Collecting a cape turns you into Super Ninja and sends you flying, Superman style, higher and higher. Or you could just always hitch a ride on Mucho Macho Moustachio, a giant floating mustache you can employ to float up higher, avoiding potential obstacles on your way. The power-ups really help try and distil the enjoyment and fun of the Ninjatown universe in Trees of Doom.

Super Ninja takes to the skies!

As you would expect, graphically the game contains all the cutesy charm of the Ninjatown series. In fact I’d probably go as far to say that it’s one of the best looking games you’ll find in the App Store. The vibrant, lush looking 2D graphics are the perfect match for the high resolution iPod Touch and iPhone screens and bring the world of Ninjatown to life. Couple that with oriental inspired music and some quirky little sounds and you have a recipe for a great little game.

What would a game from the App Store be without social networking interaction? Well don’t worry because Ninjatown Trees of Doom is jam packed with Facebook and Twitter integrated goodness! So now not only can you check where you are within the world rankings via the game’s leaderboard functionality, but you can also irritate and annoy all your friends by spamming their Twitter and Facebook feeds with your latest scores.

Warning: Playing Ninjatown Trees of Doom may lead to a loss of friends

So that’s it. That’s about all I can say about Ninjatown Trees of Doom. It’s a solid, beautiful looking vertical platformer, set in a vibrant, brilliant world. It’s just a shame that Pickle King didn’t try something a little more original.

Don’t get me wrong, Trees of Doom is a fun little game, but I just can’t help but feel like something more than a fairly run of the mill, vertical platformer could’ve been made. Perhaps a return to the tower defence play of the original Ninjatown? After all the fabulous tower defence game, Plants vs Zombies (review here), proves that tower defence games do work on the iPod Touch and iPhone platforms. But Trees of Doom will do for now: proper Ninjatown sequel next please

Review Round Up

Graphics: 5/5 – Brilliant, lush graphics. Some of the best on the format.

Sound: 5/5 – The nice, relaxing music is a perfect fit for the casual style of the game. However the oriental tinge helps tie it together within the world.

Gameplay: 3/5 – Whilst not totally original, still solid and fun.

Longevity: 3/5 – Like a lot of these types of games, you’ll either keep coming back for more or simply give up after a few tries. It would be nice to see some updates, perhaps with new levels, but I’d rather have a full blown Ninjatown sequel please.

Overall: 3.5 Wee Ninjas out of 5 – A solid and fun, beautiful looking game, but it’s also a type of game that is seemingly done to death.

[starreview tpl=16]

Run. Jump. Couldn’t be simpler… or more addictive, as it turns out.

Canabalt is another game which began life as a free-flash game, and made a very fast conversion when it set the net on fire with its amazingly addictive nature. The App version takes all of the features of the web based game, and somehow manages to make it even better.

The concept of the game is simple. Your character runs across the screen and the goal is to leap from building to building, trying not to die. Jumping is controlled by tapping anywhere on the screen. The game procedurally generates every level, so you will never be able to learn the course; this is a test of reaction time and coordination. The game also throws falling buildings and debris into the mix, meaning you always have to stay on your toes.

What makes Canabalt so fantastic is the way it executes its addictive gameplay. The art style uses a basic greyscale, which may seem quite dull. However, the way the animation brings the art to life is truly a wonder. Although it will take a few turns to start noticing the surroundings, once you do, you quickly realise what a beautiful game it is.

Run run run run run!

There’s an interesting subtlety to Canabalt. There’s not a lot of story to it short of “run”, but the background in the game gives hints to something massive occurring. It’s never really explained why your character is running, but it probably has something to do with the giant creatures destroying the city behind you…

There is one point that needs to be mentioned; the music. Although the game only features 2 tracks, both are fantastic and fit the game like a glove. The game would not be half as good without Danny Baranowsky’s incredibly cinematic tunes.

Review Round-Up

Gameplay: 5/5 Addictive gaming and simple control scheme make this a perfectly executed game.

Graphics: 4/5 May not blow your mind graphically, but a wonderful art style that doesn’t get tired.

Longevity: 5/5 For £1.19; it guarantees hours of entertainment.

Sound: 5/5 If anyone ever meets Danny B, buy him a drink for me. I promise to reimburse you fully.

Overall: 5 death-defying leaps out of 5. A fantastically designed game, Canabalt is a perfect example of an iPod game; simple, enjoyable and addictive. A must-buy.

[starreview tpl=16]