Ninja Fishing Review

Who'd have thought that ninjas were such keen fishermen? I suppose it was an obvious step considering their sushi loving ways but I certainly didn't expect it to be quite as much fun as Ninja Fishing.

Ninja Fishing allows players to undertake the role of Otoro, a rather hefty ninja who's bound to struggle to be subtle in any situation. Fortunately he's pretty darn good at fishing. Players must cast their hook into the ocean in order to catch as many fish as possible. It's done in a pretty cool way too.

First of all, players must guide the fishing line down as far as they can get. This is done by tilting the iOS device to avoid all the fish - a tap of the screen also helps by briefly turning the hook into a drill thereby wiping out any fish in the way. Once the line hits the bottom of the ocean, it then shoots back up rapidly with players having to tilt the device in the direction of fish in order to catch as many as possible. Finally, the fish fly up into the air and have to be sliced via some Fruit Ninja style slashing movements. Essentially this makes Ninja Fishing part endless runner, part Fruit Ninja-esque game. It's a fun combination.

The more fish players collect, the more money they earn. Different fish mean different cash amounts too and there's always the thrill of snagging a treasure chest as well. It's all a matter of subtle differences but that's what keeps the game interesting. Money can also be exchanged for powerups and boosts such as extending the ocean floor to earning a 10% bonus on every fish caught. More powerful katanas can also be acquired making it easier to slice and dice the fish as they fly through the air. Again, it's all simple stuff but it comes together perfectly.

While usually no great fan of tilt based controls, the ones featured in Ninja Fishing are ideal with sensitivity set just right. Slashing is similarly easy to do.

Developer Gamenauts also promises a series of updates in the future which should extend the longevity of Ninja Fishing a treat. Hopefully by the time it reaches the app store, I'll have finally acquired all the upgrades already available. As it stands, there's already plenty to do!

I've got a folder set aside for these kind of games, the 'just one more go' games that are inexpensive but compelling. Ninja Fishing will be happily residing there for a while to come.