Giant Sumo Stomping Ninja Review

If games were purchased and downloaded based solely on name alone, then Giant Sumo Stomping Ninjas would be one of the most popular apps. The self-descriptive and long-winded title sums up this simple, casual, arcade game. Unsurprisingly, players control a giant sumo wrestler who is trying to survive a constant barrage of ninjas by stomping and swatting them.

The controls in Giant Sumo Stomping Ninjas are straightforward and intuitive, but not quite perfect. Swiping left or right causes the sumo wrestler to swat or pound his fist in that direction, and tapping causes the sumo wrestler to jump and stomp his foot down. In my opinion, the sumo wrestler’s movements are too slow considering how fast the ninjas are. Also, I found myself just constantly tapping the screen because jumping is a much quicker attack that swatting. I did like that there are a bunch of different moves, some better for certain situations than others, like dealing with jumping ninjas. There are some funny special moves too, like a cannonball jump or breakdancing, which can be preformed if special items are picked up.

For a casual game, Giant Sumo Stomping Ninjas gets difficult quickly. The gameplay doesn’t start out easy and slowly ramp up, so be prepared. The fact that attacks lack adequate speed makes blocking and killing all the ninjas difficult.

Giant Sumo Stomping Ninjas is focused on gameplay and doesn’t have a store, in-game currency, in-app purchases, or any of those types of things. It’s very much about its one and only gameplay mode. I would have like multiple types of game modes just because after growing tired of the gameplay, there isn’t much as to do in the app.

One game mechanic that does keep gameplay interesting and dynamic is the multiple types of ninjas. There are the regular black ninjas, but there’s also zombie ninjas, smoke ninjas, and cloud ninjas. Defeating some of the ninjas awards players a special multiplier.

The aesthetics of the game are a mixed bag. The black and white cell shaded sumo wrestler and beautiful background image create a nice look, but the ninjas on the other hand, are just stick figures. Also, the background music is very epic, but the sound effects that the ninjas make don’t really fit the theme. That being said, Giant Sumo Stomping Ninjas is a decent casual arcade game with few frills and straightforward gameplay.