Yoo Ninja (both Free and Plus) are 2D platform games where you control your character (a small ninja warrior) that keeps running. Your task is to switch the gravity (either up or down) to keep him running past obstacles and also inside the screen. It is exactly like the Gravity Guy on Miniclip. It is very dynamic and requires quick reactions to complete the multitude of levels available.
First of all, you may be wondering why we are reviewing two apps at once or why this isn’t a comparison. The thing is, they are both made by the same developer, Runner Games, and the only thing that sets them apart are the different levels available. From now on we will be referring to both and only state names when differences appear.
Gameplay
The games are very enjoyable and fast. So they are suited whenever you need to kill some time, even if it’s only a few minutes. Although easy at first, it gets harder and harder as you advance through the game mainly because you go faster and faster. If at first you can calculate when to switch the gravity and where to land, later on you will have to learn by heart where the next platform will be so you can jump at the correct time. When running extremely fast there are numerous situations where the next platform isn’t even visible on the screen.
The only challenges are not falling off the screen and not blocking your ninja behind an obstacle. You cannot switch gravity unless you are standing on a platform so if you start falling you’re dead.
There are some special type of tiles on platforms that cause your ninja to accelerate, but they are always placed in places where you cannot avoid them, so you cannot control your speed this way.
Game modes
Both Yoo Ninja Free and Yoo Ninja Plus have two game modes: endless and story.
Endless means you choose a starting speed and start jumping endlessly on random generated platforms until you fall or die. In this mode you can get a score that is computed using the starting speed and the distance.
The story mode includes 4 levels (called Jungle, Village, Marine and Castle for Yoo Ninja Plus and Mountains, Persia, Glaciation and Dungeon for Yoo Ninja Plus). Each has a series of checkpoints and also is connected with the next one. This is really nice because there are no interruptions between levels so you can keep playing.
Feeling
The games are pretty good put together: there is a nice tune (that can be turned off), the menu is organized well and the graphics are decent. The one thing that might need more work is the storyline. Why would they name the game mode story and not place a single description there? Why is the ninja running? And what’s with the following ending cut scenes (spoiler warning)?
Conclusion
If you like platform games (like the legendary Mario) then you should definitely try one of these two games. And if you finished one too quickly, also try the other. They are both free so you have nothing to lose.
The games have in-game advertisements and sometimes popups like the following one, promoting other games from the developers. Those are quite rare so I believe you won’t be distracted from the game.
Summary
| QR code |
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| name | Yoo Ninja Free |
| publisher | RunnerGames.Studios |
| price | free |
| advertising-supported | yes |
| version | 1.5 |
| size | 4.9 MB |
| developer contact | runnergameshk (at) gmail (dot) com |
| QR code |
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| name | Yoo Ninja Plus |
| publisher | RunnerGames.Studios |
| price | free |
| advertising-supported | yes |
| version | 1.1 |
| size | 4.13 MB |
| developer contact | runnergameshk (at) gmail (dot) com |
Other resources
If there is something we missed out or you wish to find other resources for this application, be sure to check the following links:
- Yoo Ninja Free YouTube Video
- Yoo Ninja Free Youtube video review by Appolicious
- Review of Yoo Ninja Free on T3
- A short review and more screenshots at Android Guru