By Rickee Charbonneau (Jammart), OnRPG Journalist
A F…acebook Game?
Ninja Trick is a fairly new online game developed by CyberAgentAmerica. It was introduced early on as a game available on Facebook, one of the extremely popular user-networking websites on the internet. That’s right! Ninja Trick is a pretty simple online game that is completely playable through Facebook so long as you acquire the application. However, the fact is that Ninja Trick is not just your average Facebook game; it is much more. Ninja Trick is already a very elaborate game in its early beta stages, but there are also some proficient updates planned for the future-neat stuff that is sure to tingle your casual gaming instincts!
Create your Ninja
Ninja Trick offers a pretty decent amount of customization as you first create your ninja at the character selection screen. The process is very simple and should only take a few moments to complete. Upon creation you have the choice between various hairstyles, a few hair color choices, facial features, and some outfits to choose from. The unique part about ninja creation is that you get to choose an element for your ninja to follow. Players have the choice between fire, ice, wind, and lightning. Fire is a melee type ninja, ice is offensive magic ninja, wind is ranged ninja, and lightning is a more buff oriented ninja. This adds a pretty interesting aspect to the game, as you will only be able to use the jutsu (spells/skills) from the specific element that you allocated your particular ninja. There are three character spots available should you want to try a different element!
Enter the Battlefield
As I have mentioned previously in this article, the gameplay of Ninja Trick is fairly simple. It consists of a room based style that can be currently played in teams or the free-for-all mode. The goal of this game is to collect a majority of the seven gems scattered through the map that will be placed on (currently the map placing is random). These gems are hidden in objects in the various rooms of the map. In order to move, you just have to click a certain tile with your mouse. The very same control applies to searching objects for gems-you simply have to click on the object.
Clearly, you will encounter a few opponents here and there on your search for gems. To use your traps or skills, you simply have to click on them, and then the tile, player, or object you wish to target afterwards. The very same applies to melee attacking. However, jutsu heavily drain your jutsu points reserve (jutsu points are a similar concept to mana). You must also be weary of your own Hit Points, as death will make you lose all of your collected gems. Those gems are then placed in objects that were near you at your time of death. Do not fret though, as you will respawn soon after so you can plot your revenge.
Your goal as a ninja is to keep those gems in your possession until the end of the game. So long as you or your team have 4 or more gems, you will be in for the prize. Once the timer runs up, the game will end and you will earn coins and rating points if you have won, or lose rating points if you have had the misery of losing.
Shopping for Shuriken
Shopping in Ninja Trick is a necessity in order to build your character. You will need to purchase your latest skills and new clothing, to make your ninjas look wicked, at the few shops of the game. In order to purchase items, you will have to earn coins from battle or purchase Ninja Gold, which is a form of item mall currency that may be bought via PayPal or a few other easy methods.
There are currently two shops you can visit and purchase items from, being the jutsu store and the fashion store. The fashion store is very straightforward, and a neat little feature in the shop allows you to preview any item before actually purchasing it, so that you do not have to make any regrettable purchases. I would have to say that some of the items are a little overpriced though. The jutsu store offers all sorts of skills for each element and some skills that are usable by everyone. In addition to these skills, there are three different types of trap skills that may be bought.
The first kind of trap is the door traps. These traps are placed on doors and are activated as soon as any player, including your very own ninja, enters that specific door.
The second kind of trap is the floor trap. These are placed on the ground and take up one tile space. Simply said, if you step on that tile, something bad will happen to you. Players have learned to strategically place these traps so that they are not visible to the opponent.
The third and final kind of trap is the object traps. These are placed on the various objects you need to search for gems in, and as they are clicked the trap will spring. However, objects and doors that are trapped are tinted with a visibly red glow, so by all means avoid them.
Rating System
Earlier, I quickly mentioned the rating system. It is currently way underdeveloped, but there are plans for it in the near future once a levelling system is implemented. Rating points are gained or lost depending on your win/loss ratio. Every ninja starts out with a rating of 1500 (the average rating). The higher your rating is the more players will wish to challenge you in order to move up on the competitive ladder. This serves useful for players who compete for bragging rights… you know the internet.
A Final Note
I would like to thank Benjamin Karl and CyberAgentAmerica for the in-game tour I was offered. He showed me how this game is more fun than it is put out to be, and that it has a really bright future ahead. Do not go ahead and judge this game too hastily. It is really fun, and despite its early stage of development, it is definitely something I recommend you look into for some casual gaming.
The future of this game is bound to be an interesting one. A few features that are planned for release are: an interactive 3D lobby to replace the current “text based” one that is currently implemented in the game, some great music to take place of the current placeholder midis in the game, a levelling system, and of course a ton of more in-game content such as items, maps, and features. I am sure some of you were wondering, right off the bat, why I had decided to write an article on a game that was hosted on Facebook, and I sincerely hope that you have discovered why by now. Arigato! Happy gaming!
