The cover art of Ninjatown makes the game look extremely cute-cutesy. The little ninja are adorable, their huts are cute, and the cover even has a little heart on it. It looks like a simple game for young children, much like Viva Pinata. However, like Viva Pinata, Ninjatown should not be judged by its cute cover and is not a simple game for young children. It's a real-time strategy game as difficult as any from the Warcraft or Age of Empires series.
Most games like these can only be found on a PC, but the PC isn't exactly portable or easy to pick up and play at any given moment, even with a Steam account. But since Ninjatown comes on the Nintendo DS, this RTS game is very portable and allows gamer moms to play wherever they can.
Not only that, but levels of Ninjatown do not take very long to complete, and players can pause the game whenever and however long they need. Both of these factors make Ninjatown an appealing RTS to busy gamer moms, even if they are moms to short nap-takers.
Quick Overview of Gameplay
Like most real-time strategy games on the PC, Ninjatown utilizes a point-and-click gameplay technique with the touchscreen and stylus. But unlike most real-time strategy games, Ninjatown is strictly defense. Players will have to defend Ninjatown from the Mr. Demon and his army of Wee Devils from invasion and destroying beloved town landmarks. The Wee Devils will come through each district level in waves, and each wave gets progressively stronger.
To stop the Wee Devils from their invasion, players will have to build ninja huts for specific types of ninja to fight the Wee Devils and buildings to help with ninja powers and defense. For example, building a tea house near ninja huts will speed up the ninja nearby. Players will also have to upgrade their ninja to become stronger and faster as each wave of Wee Devils also gets stronger. To further aid them in their fight, Players have Ol' Ninja powers -- such as using a large magnifying glass to burn Devils to a crisp -- and ninja tokens -- such as placing a cute ninja baby in the road to slow down the Devils with its cuteness.
If either ten Wee Devils pass through a district or destroy a building the ninja are trying to protect, Mr. Demon has won and the game is over.
It all sounds so simple, but as any avid fan of a RTS knows, it doesn't take long before the waves of enemies and limited resources for funding armies becomes overwhelming.
Defend Ninjatown Anytime, For However Long
The portability of the Nintendo DS is pretty much what makes this RTS so perfect for gamer moms. Gaming moms can pause whenever they wish, thanks to the DS's ability to go to sleep by simply closing the cover. As long as the DS's battery holds a charge, the game can be paused.
The only downside to pausing in the middle of defending a Ninjatown district is the possibility and risk of losing momentum and forgetting what strategy is in place. This is actually one of the reasons why most RTS games do not have a pause feature; that and pausing removes the "real-time" aspect from the genre. Ninjatown does not allow players to save at any time either, probably for this same reason.
But if a mom does lose momentum, she can restart the level at any time. Or if she would rather quit instead of pause, she can do so at any time with the pause menu.
However, it does not take very long to play one level in the game, so moms may not need to pause at all, unless time gets away from them or the baby wakes from its nap a little early. The play time for one level is at most thirty minutes, which is perfect to squeeze in for a short naptime.
Ninja Consultant Ready to Help Gamer Moms
The game will teach players as it goes, but the busy gamer moms who may not get a chance to play for days at a time will need more tutorials than the initial ones. The Ninja Consultant, armed with his charts and PowerPoint presentations, is ready at all times to refresh her memory on all game techniques and elements.
His vast knowledge includes information on the types of ninja, types of Wee Devils, how to build and sell buildings, how to use the Ol' Ninja Powers, how to use ninja tokens, and how to lose the game. All the player has to do is press the Start button, and she has access to the Ninja Consultant and all his wisdom.
RTS Gaming Moms Will Enjoy Stopping Mr. Demon's Invasion
Any RTS gamer (who can get past the cutesiness of the game) will find Ninjatown just as challenging and as enjoyable as any other serious real-time strategy game.
The portability of the game makes it far more appealing for gaming moms who love a good RTS but can't find time to strap themselves to their PCs. She can play it anytime, for as long as she has a few precious moments to herself.
Keri Honea - Keri Honea is all over the place. She's involved with video games, animation, strategy guides, and fantasy books, and not just on Suite ...
